Punishment Theory Meets Punishment Practice

This book considers the questions ‘do we punish too much?’ and ‘do we punish in the right ways?’

It shines a much-needed light on the relation between how punishment is experienced by those subjected to it (and others), and the more general consideration of what justifies punishment in the first place.

Leading experts in the field weigh up what is appropriate punishment, explain why punishment is so stubbornly problematic, look at the compatibility of modes and processes of penal sanctions and explore how best to achieve the aspiration to set reasonable terms for future coexistence through state punishment.

The book addresses key topics such as the issues surrounding life imprisonment, how criminal offenders can be successfully integrated into society and considers what is at stake when we use prisons to punish. It considers how we know whether we over-punish offenders and what we should do in response to over-punishment.

The book makes a groundbreaking contribution to the philosophy of punishment, connecting general questions about the justification of punishment with issues in punishment practice.