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New Punitiveness: Trends, Theories, Perspectives

NCJ Number
210217
Editor(s)
John Pratt, David Brown, Mark Brown, Simon Hallsworth, Wayne Morrison
Date Published
2005
Length
345 pages
Annotation
This book presents contributions from leading commentators to provide a wide-ranging analysis of new penal trends or new punitiveness, compares the development of differing patterns of punishment across different types of societies, and presents a range of theoretical analyses and perspectives to help understand their significance.
Abstract
Over the years penal practice and policy have changed drastically. There have been drastic increases in the use of imprisonment, the return of a number of forms of punishment previously thought to be nonexistent or inappropriate, the increased involvement of the general public in penal affairs and penal development, a growing accreditation of the rights of victims, and arguments over an appropriate balance of the philosophy of criminal justice between the State and offenders. In an attempt to better understand the nature of contemporary punishment which has become a phenomenon characteristic of modern society and what we are to make of such developments, this book contains contributions from leading researchers on this thesis of new punitiveness. The themes associated with the new punitiveness are addressed in the book and include: (1) punitive trends; (2) globalization, technology, and surveillance; (3) non-punitive societies; and (4) explanations for the new punitiveness in modern societies. Tables, notes, and references