Contemporary criminologists are convinced that there is a global turn to more punitive punishment associated with such factors as globalisation, neo-liberal politics and the rise of risk techniques. Such work is creating a pessimistic image of a bleak penological future. However, this paper suggests that the picture appears far more complex. In countries such as Canada and Australia the patterns detected in the United States and Britain are much more muted and complex and there is clear evidence that the theories and practices of the Welfare State are still quite robust in criminal justice, and that the welfare professions have mounted an effective defence against many of the excesses of the “punitive turn.” Against sweeping visions of punitive globalisation, it is suggested that more attention be paid to countervailing forces and resistance in criminal justice, including that of the “alternative” globalisation of human rights politics.