Punishment and Culture: The Symbolic Dimension of Criminal Justice

In: Studies in law, politics, and society, Band 11, S. 191-222

Abstract

A discussion of the relationship between punishment & culture, emphasizing the contribution that penal practices make to the creation & reproduction of cultural patterns. It is argued that criminal justice is, among other things, a set of signifying practices which requires a different approach to the social institution of punishment. Rather than thinking of punishment as a passive expression or reflection of cultural patterns established elsewhere, it is proposed that punishment be viewed as an active agent in the production of cultural meanings & the formation of sensibilities. Historical & contemporary examples are provided to illustrate this process. 61 References. AA