Punishment and Culture

by Philip Smith

Book Overview

From the chain gang to the electric chair, the problem of how to deal with criminals has long been debated. What explains this concern with getting punishment right? And why do attitudes toward particular punishments change radically over time? In addressing these questions, Philip Smith attacks the comfortable myth that punishment is about justice, reason, and law. Instead he argues that punishment is an essentially irrational act founded in ritual...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226766101
• ISBN13: 9780226766102
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.9"