A Suitable Amount of CrimeCrime 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 construed 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 over 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 USA 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 that will appeal to anyone interested in understanding contemporary problems of crime and punishment. |
Contents
1 Crime does not exist | 1 |
2 Monocultures | 13 |
3 The usevalue of crime | 32 |
4 Incarceration as an answer | 51 |
5 State or neighbours? | 67 |
6 No punishment | 75 |
7 Answers to atrocities | 86 |
8 When is enough enough? | 101 |
Notes | 124 |
| 128 | |
| 133 | |
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Common terms and phrases
activities alternative arena attempts became become Belarus building camps capital punishment central centre Christie civil close cold war collaborators conflicts create crime criminal criminology Cuba culture dangerous delivery of pain described dominant drugs Eastern Europe economic Finland forced German Gulags happened human important imprisonment incarcerators increase inside institution International judges justice killed large prison living Mafia major means mediation modern Narvik Nazi neighbourhood neighbours Nordic countries Norway Norwegian number of prisoners ordinary Oslo particularly party peace penal courts penal law penal policy penal system person police political politicians possible prison figures prison population punishment question Quisling Reintegrative shaming restorative justice Russia Scandinavia seen sentenced similar situation society sort suitable amount Sweden theme tion torture totalitarian truth commissions unwanted acts unwanted behaviour values Vidkun Quisling villages welfare Western World War II