America is the most punitive nation in the world, incarcerating more than 2.3 million people—or one in 136 of its residents. Against the backdrop of this unpr

Against the backdrop of unprecedented mass imprisonment, punishment permeates everyday American life, carrying with it complex cultural meanings. This study sho

This innovative introductory textbook to the growing field of cultural criminology examines the importance of understanding the cultural contexts in which crime

How does the way we think and feel about the world around us affect the existence and administration of the death penalty? What role does capital punishment pla

Philip Smith attacks the comfortable notion that punishment is about justice, reason and law. Instead, he argues that punishment is an essentially irrational ac