Skip to main content

Punishment and ‘the People’: Rescuing Populism from its Critics

  • Chapter
Crime, Justice and Social Democracy

Part of the book series: Critical Criminological Perspectives ((CCRP))

Abstract

The term ‘penal populism’ is now reflexively used by criminologists to describe what many see as a dominant trend within penal policymaking in many western countries. The epithet ‘populist’ is used with no less frequency by media and other public commentators to refer (always pejoratively) to this or that political announcement, policy or style of political leadership, whether the context be specifically related to crime or some other arena of public affairs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bottoms, A. (1995) ‘The Philosophy and Politics of Punishment and Sentencing’, in C. Clarkson and R. Morgan (eds). The Politics of Sentencing Reform. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brett, J. (1992) Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People, Sydney: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brett, J. (2005) Relaxed and Comfortable: The Liberal Party’s Australia, Quarterly Essay, vol. 19, Melbourne: Black Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burchell, D. and Leigh, A. (eds) (2002) The Prince’s New Clothes: Why do Australians dislike their Politicians?, Kensington: UNSW Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler, A. and McFarlane, K. (2009) Public Confidence in the NSW Criminal Justice System. Sydney: NSW Sentencing Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canovan, M. (1981) Populism, London: Junction Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canovan, M. (1999) ‘Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy’, Political Studies, vol. XLVII, pp. 2–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flyvbjerg, B. (1998) Rationality and Power-Democracy in Practice, Chicago: University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freiberg, A. and Gelb, K. (eds) (2008) Penal Populism, Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy, Annandale: Hawkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland, D. (1995) ‘Penal Modernism and Postmodernism’, in S. Cohen and T. Blomberg (eds), Punishment and Social Control. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland, D. (2001) The Culture of Control, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland, D. (2010) Peculiar Institution: America’s Death Penalty in an Age of Abolition, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press/Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelb, K. (2008) ‘Myths and Misconceptions: Public Opinion versus Public Judgment about Sentencing’, in A. Freiberg and K. Gelb (eds), Penal Populism, Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy. Annandale: Hawkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. (1979) Drifting into a Law and Order Society, Cobden Trust Human Rights Day Lecture, London: The Cobden Trust.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. (1980) ‘Popular-Democratic vs Authoritarian Populism: Two Ways of “Taking Democracy Seriously’”, in A. Hunt (ed.), Marxism and Democracy. London: Lawrence and Wishart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. (1983) ‘The Great Moving Right Show’, in S. Hall and M. Jacques (eds), The Politics ofThatherism. London: Lawrence and Wishart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirst, P. (2005) ‘Cities, Globalization and Governance’, in P. Hirst (ed.), Space and Power-Politics, War and Architecture. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobsbawm, E. (2001) Bandits, London: Abacus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, R. (1988)’ sentencing and Penal Politics: Current Developments in NSW, paper presented at Current Initiatives in Sentencing conference, Sydney: Institute of Criminology, 26 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough,.P and Roberts, J. (2004) Confidence in Justice: An International Review, London: Home Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Indermaur, D. and Roberts, L. (2009) ‘Confidence in the Criminal Justice System’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No. 387, Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, G. (2000) ‘Penal Policy Making: Elitist, Populist or Participatory?’, Punishment and Society, vol. 2(2), pp. 161–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, C, Weatherburn, D. and McFarlane, K. (2008) ‘Public Confidence in the New South Wales Criminal Justice System’, Crime and Justice Bulletin No. 118, Sydney: New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kazin, M. (1998) The Populist Persuasion-An American History, Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laclau, E. (2007) On Populist Reason, London: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeBon, G. (1926) The Crowd-A Study of the Popular Mind, London: T. Fisher Unwin Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, R. (2005) ‘The Myth of Punitiveness’, Theoretical Criminology, vol. 9(2), pp. 175–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, S. (1986) The New Machine Men-Polls and Persuasion in Australian Politics, Ringwood: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, J., Zelikow, P. and King, D. (eds) (1997) Why People Don’t Trust Government, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, J. (2002) Punishment and Civilisation, London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, J. (2006) Penal Populism, London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, J. (2008) ’Penal Scandal in New Zealand’ in A. Freiberg and K. Gelb (eds), Penal Populism, Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy. Annandale: Hawkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, J., Brown, D., Brown, M., Hallsworth, S. and Morrison, W. (eds) (2005) The New Punitiveness-Trends, Theories, Perspectives, Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, R. (2005) Supercapitalism-The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life, Melbourne: Scribe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J., Stalans, L., Indermaur, D. and Hough, M. (2003) Penal Populism and Public Opinion-Lessons from Five Countries, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, M. (2003), Penal Policy and Political Culture in England and Wales, Winchester: Waterside Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, M. (2005) ‘Engaging With Punitive Attitudes Towards Crime and Punishment-Some Strategic Lessons from England and Wales’, in J. Pratt, D. Brown, M. Brown, S. Hallsworth and W. Morrison (eds), The New Punitiveness-Trends, Theories, Perspectives. Cullompton: Willan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparks, R. (2001) ‘Degrees of Estrangement: The Cultural Theory of Risk and Comparative Penology’, Theoretical Criminology, vol. 15(2), pp. 159–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, L. (2011) Sideshow-Dumbing Down Democracy, Melbourne: Scribe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warner, K., Davis, J., Walter, M., Bradfield, R. and Vermey, R. (2009) ‘Gauging Public Opinion on Sentencing: Can Asking Jurors Help?’, Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No. 371, Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2013 Russell Hogg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hogg, R. (2013). Punishment and ‘the People’: Rescuing Populism from its Critics. In: Carrington, K., Ball, M., O’Brien, E., Tauri, J.M. (eds) Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. Critical Criminological Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137008695_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics