Putting justice into words

Welcome to Waterside Press. We have been putting justice into words since 1989, publishing books on crime, punishment, law, biography, social work and related fields. Our authors come from a range of backgrounds including lawyers, judges, campaigners, social workers, ex-prisoners, historians, criminologists, scientists and other experts. If you would like to find out more please see About Us, or you can Browse Our Catalogue for books with telling insights into under-represented topics.

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Bob Turney

I first met Bob Turney, who has sadly died, around 2001. He arrived on the doorstep clutching a ‘well-thumbed’ manuscript. As he stepped inside the telephone rang. It was Lord Longford the UK’s best-known and ever controversial prison reformer: ‘Has Bob arrived safely,’ he continued, as if by way of some welfare enquiry. But the…
Prison Nursing Unlocked: A History of Care and Justice

The Royal College of Nursing’s Scotland Headquarters in Edinburgh is currently hosting a compelling, free-to-visit exhibition exploring the evolution of healthcare within the carceral system. Prison Nursing Unlocked: A History of Care and Justice traces the progression of medical intervention behind bars, beginning with the pioneering reforms of Elizabeth Fry and concluding with the indispensable…
John Hosking CBE

We were sad to learn of the death of our author John Hosking. John combined an illustrious career in business with long service as a justice of the peace, rising to become chair of the nationwide Magistrates’ Association from 1987 to 1990. Along the way he rose to international acclaim in business as well as…
A Royal Reception and Inspiring Conversations

A Busy February for Pauline Campbell Earlier this February, Waterside Press author Pauline Campbell (Lefty Lawyer) enjoyed a phenomenal couple of weeks, marked by royal recognition for her public service and a powerful speaking engagement in the heart of the legal sector. Honoured at St James’s Palace Pauline’s month began with a prestigious invitation to…
Some Reflections on ‘The Barlinnie Special Unit’, by Professor Sir Anthony Bottoms

The Barlinnie Special Unit: Art, Punishment and Innovation, edited by Kirstin Anderson (Waterside Press, 2024). Some Reflections, by Professor Sir Anthony Bottoms, Emeritus Wolfson Professor of Criminology, University of Cambridge. The Barlinnie Special Unit (BSU), which functioned from 1973 to 1994 in Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow, was an innovative small unit within the Scottish prison system.…
What Happens When Mothers Go to Prison?

BBC News has used extracts from one of our publications to illustrate the impact on family life of sending women to prison. ‘What Happens When Your Mum Goes to Prison?’ is based around Seen & Heard, edited by Lucy Baldwin and Ben Raikes. The programme notes that in the UK more than half of women…