This book explores the connections between punishment theory and punishment practice

It shines a much-needed light on the relation between how punishment is experienced by those subjected to it (and others), and the more general consideration of what justifies punishment in the first place.

Leading experts in the field weigh up what is appropriate punishment – both in quantitative and in non-quantitative ways. It explains why punishment is so difficult to justify, looks at the compatibility of modes and processes of penal sanctions, and explore how best to achieve the aspiration to set reasonable terms for future coexistence through state punishment.

The book addresses key topics such as life imprisonment, what is at stake when we use prisons to punish, and how criminal offenders can be successfully integrated into society. It considers how we know whether we over-punish offenders, what we should do in response to excessive punishment, and the possibility of replacing punitive systems with non-punitive ones.

Overall, the book makes a groundbreaking contribution to the philosophy of punishment, explicitly connecting general, abstract questions about the moral and political justification of punishment with empirical insight into the realities and experiences of punishment practices.