This blog will rarely discuss particular cases. When dreadful crimes hit the headlines, there are (too) many opinions on offer and emotions are high. It is rarely a good time to see what can be learnt about the origins of
Punishment: Us and Them
One of the ambitions of this Blog is to encourage more considered reflection about how we talk about punishment – in politics, in classrooms, in homes, with friends. How we talk about punishment, the language that we use and the
The oddness of punishment
Punishment is entirely familiar, but we need to find a sense of how odd it is. In the name of punishment, people have been killed, maimed, tortured and locked away from others, denied almost all contact with people they love and