Title: Penal populism /
Authors: Pratt, John.
Publisher: Routledge,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Sentences (Criminal procedure) Public opinion.; Punishment Public opinion.; Criminal justice, Administration of Public opinion.; Crime Government policy Public opinion.; Populism.
Abstract: "This book argues that governments have increasingly allowed penal populism to impact on policy development and that there has been less reliance on the expertise of civil servants and academics. This book shows that the roots of penal populism lie in the collapse of trust in the modern institutions of government, the decline of deference and the growth of ontological insecurity, along with new media technologies helping to spread it." "This book is an expose of current crime policy development and poses important questions for the future. It will be essential reading for students, researchers and professionals working in criminology and crime policy."--Jacket.
Contents: What is penal populism? -- Underlying causes -- Penal populism, the media and information technology -- Penal populism and crime control -- Competing and complimentary influences on penal strategy and thought -- Is penal populism inevitable?