| Summary: | "Altman has assembled an estimable group of scholars who provide fresh perspectives on traditional topics in the theory of legal punishment and intriguing discussions of issues that stretch the boundaries of penal theory. The contributions to the volume are of uniformly high quality, and scholars and students interested in these topics will benefit from reading and engaging with them. Richard L. Lippke, Professor Emeritus, Department of Criminal Justice, Indiana University-Bloomington, USA This is a serious survey of philosophical positions on the justification and politics of punishment, skeptical engagements with the legitimacy of criminal punishment, and explorations of possibilities for alternatives to punitiveness. International leaders in the field are well represented here. This book comes at an opportune moment for thinking critically about these important subjects. It will be a valuable resource for scholars interested in criminal law and the search for justice. Erin I. Kelly, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Professor of Philosophy, Tufts University, USA This Handbook provides a comprehensive survey of major topics in the philosophy of punishment from many of the fields leading scholars. Key features Presents a history of punishment theory from ancient times to the present. Evaluates the main proposed justifications of punishment, including retributivism, general and specific deterrence theories, mixed theories, expressivism, societal-defense theory, fair play theory, rights forfeiture theory, and the public health-quarantine model. Discusses sentencing, proportionality, policing, prosecution, and the role punishment plays in the context of the state. Examines advances in neuroscience and debates about whether free will skepticism undermines the justifiability of punishment. Considers forgiveness, restorative justice, and calls to abolish punishment. Addresses pressing social issues such as mass incarceration, juvenile justice, punitive torture, the death penalty, and cruel and unusual punishment. Matthew C. Altman is Professor of Philosophy at Central Washington University, USA"--Publisher's description
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