The Prisoners’ Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies

The Prisoners' Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies (The Hamlyn Lectures)

The Prisoners’ Dilemma: Political Economy and Punishment in Contemporary Democracies (The Hamlyn Lectures)

Author: Nicola Lacey

Publisher: ‎ Cambridge University Press

Edition: 1st edition

Publication Date: 2008-07-21

Language: English

Paperback: 254 pages

ISBN-10: 0521899478

ISBN-13: 9780521899475

Book Description
Over the last two decades, and in the wake of increases in recorded crime and other social changes, British criminal justice policy has become increasingly politicised as an index of governments’ competence. New and worrying developments, such as the inexorable rise of the US prison population and the rising force of penal severity, seem unstoppable in the face of popular anxiety about crime. But is this inevitable? Nicola Lacey argues that harsh ‘penal populism’ is not the inevitable fate of all contemporary democracies. Notwithstanding a degree of convergence, globalisation has left many of the key institutional differences between national systems intact, and these help to explain the striking differences in the capacity for penal tolerance in otherwise relatively similar societies. Only by understanding the institutional preconditions for a tolerant criminal justice system can we think clearly about the possible options for reform within particular systems.

Review

“…Overall, the work is powerful. The empirically-based comparison between political economies is effectively presented in a manner that strongly supports her basic propositions…The book is easy to understand and is highly logical. This work will be of use to those interested in cross-cultural comparisons of crime and those who wish to understand the relationship between the political economy and crime…”
–J. Michael Olivero, Department of Law and Justice, Central Washington University

Book Description

An examination of the institutional preconditions for a tolerant criminal justice system.

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