Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration

The United States leads the world in incarceration, and the United Kingdom is persistently one of the European countries with the highest per capita rates of imprisonment. Yet despite its increasing visibility as a social issue, mass incarceration - and its inconsistency with core democratic ideals - rarely surfaces in contemporary Anglo-American political theory. Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration seeks to overcome this puzzling disconnect by deepening the dialogue between democratic theory and punishment policy.This collection of original essays initiates a multi-disciplinary discussion among philosophers, political theorists, and criminologists regarding ways in which contemporary democratic theory might begin to think beyond mass incarceration. Rather than viewing punishment as a natural reaction to crime and imprisonment as a sensible outgrowth of this reaction, the volume argues that crime and punishment are institutions that reveal unmet demands for public oversight and democratic influence. Chapters explore theoretical paths towards de-carceration and alternatives to prison, suggest ways in which democratic theory can strengthen recent reform movements, and offer creative alternatives to mass incarceration. Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration offers guideposts for critical thinking about incarceration, examining ways to rebuild crime control institutions and create a healthier, more just society.

The United States leads the world in incarceration, and the United Kingdom is persistently one of the European countries with the highest per capita rates of imprisonment. Yet despite its increasing visibility as a social issue, mass incarceration - and its inconsistency with core democratic ideals - rarely surfaces in contemporary Anglo-American political theory. Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration seeks to overcome this puzzling disconnect by deepening the dialogue between democratic theory and punishment policy. This collection of original essays initiates a multi-disciplinary discussion among philosophers, political theorists, and criminologists regarding ways in which contemporary democratic theory might begin to think beyond mass incarceration. Rather than viewing punishment as a natural reaction to crime and imprisonment as a sensible outgrowth of this reaction, the volume argues that crime and punishment are institutions that reveal unmet demands for public oversight and democratic influence. Chapters explore theoretical paths towards de-carceration and alternatives to prison, suggest ways in which democratic theory can strengthen recent reform movements, and offer creative alternatives to mass incarceration. Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration offers guideposts for critical thinking about incarceration, examining ways to rebuild crime control institutions and create a healthier, more just society.

Chapter 1: Punishment and Democratic Theory: Resources for a Better Penal Politics, Albert Dzur, Ian Loader and Richard SparksChapter 2: Democratic Politics in an Age of Mass Incarceration, Rebecca U. ThorpeChapter 3: Civic Punishment, R. A. Duff and S. E. MarshallChapter 4: Playing Fair with Imprisonment, Richard DaggerChapter 5: A Democratic Theory of Imprisonment, Peter RamsayChapter 6: Why Greater Public Participation in Criminal Justice?, Christopher BennettChapter 7: Punitive Restoration: Giving the Public a Say on Sentencing, Thom BrooksChapter 8: After Penal Populism: Punishment, Democracy and Utopian Method, Lynne CopsonChapter 9: Liberty, Justice, and All: The Folly of "Doing Good by Stealth", David A. GreenChapter 10: Mass Incarceration and "Public Opinion" on Crime and Justice: from Democratic Theory to Method and Reality, Elizabeth R. TurnerChapter 11: A Tradeoff Between Democracy and Deterrence? An Empirical Investigation of Prison Violence and Inmate Advisory Councils, Amy Lerman and Vesla WeaverChapter 12: Violent Crime, Constitutional Frameworks and Mass Publics, Lisa L. MillerChapter 13: Democracy all the Way Down. Deliberative Democracy and Criminal Law: The Case of Social Protests, Roberto Gargarella