Punishing Persistent Offenders - Exploring Community and Offender Perspectives (Hardcover, New)

Despite very diverse approaches towards punishing crime, all Western jurisdictions punish repeat offenders more harshly (a practice known as the recidivist sentencing premium) . For many repeat offenders, their previous convictions have more impact on the penalty they receive than the seriousness of their current crime. Why do we punish recidivists more harshly? Some sentencing theorists argue that offenders should be punished only for the crimes they commit - not for the crimes committed and paid for in the past. From this perspective, punishing repeat offenders more severely amounts to double punishment. Having been punished once for an offence, the recidivist will pay for the crime again every time he re-offends. Is this fair?
This volume explores the nature and consequences of the recidivist sentencing premium on both the theoretical and empirical levels. It begins by exploring the justifications for treating repeat offenders more harshly, and then provides examples of the practice from a number of jurisdictions including England and Wales, Canada, and the United States. Particular attention is paid to the views of two important groups: convicted offenders and the general public. If offenders believe that the recidivist sentencing premium is unjustified, they are less likely to accept the legitimacy of the justice system. As for members of the public, it is important to know whether this key element of the sentencing process is consistent with community views.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Clarendon Studies in Criminology
Release date:	February 2008
First published:	2008
Authors:	Julian V. Roberts
Dimensions:	222 x 144 x 21mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	298
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-928389-7
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Crime & criminology > Penology & punishment > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Political control & influence > Public opinion & polls
LSN:	0-19-928389-3
Barcode:	9780199283897

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!