MAY CONTAIN MARKUP

By Ernest van den Haag

In the realm of criminal justice, the age-old debate surrounding punishment and its justifications continues to spark intellectual discourse. Examining the perspective famously articulated by Ernest van den Haag brings to light the complexities inherent in the concept of punishing criminals. Van den Haag's stance, advocating for the retributive nature of punishment as a means to uphold societal values and deter wrongdoing, remains a thought-provoking cornerstone in the field.

Delving into the intricacies of this enduring question sheds light on the multifaceted considerations at play when contemplating the appropriate response to criminal acts. As society grapples with the delicate balance between justice, rehabilitation, and retribution, the legacy of van den Haag's insights serves as a poignant reminder of the moral and ethical dilemmas woven into the fabric of punitive measures.

In a landscape where the dynamics of crime and punishment evolve alongside societal norms and values, the exploration of van den Haag's perspective offers a compelling starting point for engaging with the profound complexities inherent in addressing criminal behavior. Ultimately, the discourse surrounding punishing criminals remains a poignant reflection of humanity's ongoing quest for a fair and just society.

NY. Basic Books. 1975. 293p.

By Francis T. Cullen Karen E. Gilbert

From the Foreword by Donald Cressey: “'This is more than a book about punishment versus rehabilitation of criminals. It is, to be sure, the first book to defend the notion that Americans acted unwisely and too hastily when they recently exorcised rehabilitation programs from prisons. But it also is an essay on how social movements go awry - on the unanticipated consequences of purposive social action. Further, it documents aproposition which humanitarian policy makers established centuries ago, namely that "government by law" always will, in the absence of "government by men,"' have gross injustice as its consequence. More generally, it pinpoints the tragic irony involved as humanitarians, bent on reducing pain and suffering in the world, have recently convinced Amer icans to inflict more pain and suffering on criminals, even if doing so allows criminals to inflict more pain and suffering on the rest of us.”

Cincinnati, Ohio. Anderson Publishing Co. 1982. 339p. Book contains mark-up

By Nils Christie

Inflicting pain is a serious matter, often at variance with cherished values such as kindness and forgiveness. Attempts might therefore be made to hide the basic character of the activity, or to give various "scientific" reasons for inflicting pain. Such attempts are systematically described in this book, and related to social conditions. None of these attempts to cope with pain seem to be quite satisfactory. It is as if societies in their struggle with penal theories oscillate between attempts to solve an insoluble dilemma. Punishment is used less in some systems than in others. On the basis of examples from systems where pain is rarely inflicted, some general conditions for a low level of pain infliction are formulated. The standpoint is that if pain is to be applied, this should be done without a manipulative purpose and in a social form resembling that which is normal when people are in deep sorrow. Most of the material is from Scandinavia, but the book draws extensively on the crime control debate in the United Kingdom and USA.

Oxford. Martin Robertson. 1982. 117p.