Overview
- Discusses the history of punishment theory and the major proposed justifications of punishment
- Includes newly commissioned chapters from many of the field’s leading scholars
- Provides an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand the current state of discipline
Part of the book series: Palgrave Handbooks in the Philosophy of Law (PHPL)
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About this book
This Handbook provides a comprehensive survey of major topics in the philosophy of punishment from many of the field’s leading scholars.
Key features
- Presents a history of punishment theory from ancient times to the present.
- Evaluates the main proposed justifications of punishment, including retributivism, general and specific deterrence theories, mixed theories, expressivism, societal-defense theory, fair play theory, rights forfeiture theory, and the public health-quarantine model.
- Discusses sentencing, proportionality, policing, prosecution, and the role punishment plays in the context of the state.
- Examines advances in neuroscience and debates about whether free will skepticism undermines the justifiability of punishment.
- Considers forgiveness, restorative justice, and calls to abolish punishment.
- Addresses pressing social issues such as mass incarceration, juvenile justice, punitive torture, the death penalty, and “cruel and unusual” punishment.
· With its unmatched breadth and depth, this book is essential reading for scholars who want to keep abreast of the field and for advanced students wishing to explore the frontiers of the subject.
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Keywords
Table of contents (35 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Philosophic History of Punishment Theory
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Retributivism, Consequentialism, and Mixed Theories
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Beyond the Traditional Approaches
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Punishment in the Political Context
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Reviews
Altman has assembled an estimable group of scholars who provide fresh perspectives on traditional topics in the theory of legal punishment and intriguing discussions of issues that stretch the boundaries of penal theory. The contributions to the volume are of uniformly high quality, and scholars and students interested in these topics will benefit from reading and engaging with them.
Richard L. Lippke, Professor Emeritus, Department of Criminal Justice, Indiana University-Bloomington
This is a serious survey of philosophical positions on the justification and politics of punishment, skeptical engagements with the legitimacy of criminal punishment, and explorations of possibilities for alternatives to punitiveness. International leaders in the field are well represented here. This book comes at an opportune moment for thinking critically about these important subjects. It will be a valuable resource for scholars interested in criminal law and the search for justice.
Erin I. Kelly, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Professor of Philosophy, Tufts University
Editors and Affiliations
About the editor
Matthew C. Altman is Professor of Philosophy at Central Washington University, USA. His most recent monograph is A Theory of Legal Punishment: Deterrence, Retribution, and the Aims of the State (2021). He is also series editor of Palgrave Handbooks in the Philosophy of Law.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Palgrave Handbook on the Philosophy of Punishment
Editors: Matthew C. Altman
Series Title: Palgrave Handbooks in the Philosophy of Law
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11874-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-11873-9Published: 24 March 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-11876-0Published: 25 March 2024
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-11874-6Published: 23 March 2023
Series ISSN: 2730-9169
Series E-ISSN: 2730-9177
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXII, 805
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Philosophy of Law, Social Philosophy, Ethics