Waterside Press

Waterside Press, specialist publisher in justice and crime since 1989

Waterside Press is an independent British publisher that, according to its own presentation, has been "putting justice into words" since 1989. Its catalogue focuses on works on crime, punishment, law, biography, social work and related fields, with titles that address topics underrepresented in the general publishing market.

A catalogue of more than 220 titles

The publisher organises its list into more than thirty subject categories. These include biography, capital punishment, courts and sentencing, criminal justice, criminology, drugs, family matters, fiction, human rights, mental health, penal policy, policing, prisons, restorative justice, serious crime, true crime, women and youth justice. The catalogue also includes a handbooks section, an introductory titles section and a selection of backlist titles.

The list comprises more than 220 titles in total, with 21 bestsellers and 24 new releases flagged at the time of analysis.

Authors and profiles

Waterside Press authors come from a range of backgrounds: lawyers, judges, campaigners, social workers, ex-prisoners, historians, criminologists, scientists and other experts. The publisher maintains specific sections for author profiles, book reviews, events, galleries, launches, obituaries, press releases and videos.

Featured titles

Among the most recent works in the catalogue are:

• The Curious Mr Howard, by Tessa West, on the prison reformer, available in paperback.
• Alibi, by Alan Jackaman, on the unsolved Price-Tetrault murders.
• Lefty Lawyer, by Pauline Campbell.
• Essential Magistrates' Courts Law (second edition), by Howard Riddle CBE, Robert Zara and Briony Clarke.
• The Barlinnie Special Unit, edited by Kirstin Anderson, with a foreword by Baroness Helena Kennedy.
• Beyond Porridge, edited by Maria Adams, Jon Garland, Vicki Harman, Daniel McCarthy, Erin Power and Talitha Brown.
• Gendered Justice, edited by Lucy Baldwin.
• The Prison Psychiatrist's Wife, by Sue Johnson.
• Brain and Mind Made Simple, by David Nutt.

Editorial and informative content

In addition to selling books, the publisher posts articles, reviews, extracts and complementary material. Among the content featured are pieces on Bob Turney, on the exhibition "Prison Nursing Unlocked: A History of Care and Justice" at the Royal College of Nursing headquarters in Edinburgh, on John Hosking CBE, on Pauline Campbell's career and on the impact on family life of imprisoning mothers, a topic addressed through the work Seen & Heard, edited by Lucy Baldwin and Ben Raikes.

Sales and distribution

The publisher's website allows direct purchase of its titles, with international shipping and a free delivery option. It has sections for order help, card security, returns policy, taxes, back orders and user account. It also offers information for the media, review copies, trade information and inspection copies for the academic sector.