Regularly the media reminds us that while crime rates fall, fear of
crime remains and prison populations soar. How can these apparent
contradictions be so?
Crime and punishment are social and cultural manifestations; they
are closely bound up with people's perceptions of morality, norms
and values. In this book Nils Christie argues that crime is a fluid
and shallow concept - acts that could be constructed as criminal
are unlimited and crime is therefore in endless supply. It should
not be forgotten that there are alternatives, both in the
definition of crime and in responses to it.
"A Suitable Amount of Crime" looks at the great variations between
countries in what are considered "unwanted acts," how many are
constructed as criminal and how many are punished. It explains the
differences between eastern and western Europe, between the United
States and the rest of the world. The author laments the size of
prison populations in countries with large penal sectors, and asks
whether the international community has a moral obligation to
"shame" states that are punitive in the extreme.
The book is written in an engaging and easily accessible style and
will appeal to anyone interested in understanding contemporary
problems of crime and punishment.
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