Punishment

Punishment is an area of increasing importance and concern to both citizens and politicians. How do we decide what should be crimes? How do we decide when someone is responsible for a crime? What should we do with criminals? These are the main questions this introductory textbook on the philosophy of punishment discusses. This is not only the first textbook to examine all major perspectives on punishment (including restorative justice, expressivist theories, and others for the first time), but also looks at several case studies (capital punishment, juvenile offenders, domestic abuse, and sexual crimes) and how these theories grapple with them. Punishment is aimed at those approaching the topic for the first time, although also is appropriate to those already working in the field. In addition to further readings offered in each chapter, there is an extensive bibliography at the conclusion listing all the major works in the field which itself may be a valuable resource to beginners and more advanced readers alike. Punishment is an ideal starting point for undergraduate students of Law, Criminology, and Philosophy.