Publisher's Synopsis
A treatise on the moral justification of legal punishment: a subject long prominent in moral and legal philosophy that has now become particularly topical with the increase of crime in Western societies, the renewed emphasis on law and order, and the recent decline of the "rehabilitative ideal." While the philosophy of punishment is largely dominated by utilitarian and "mixed" theories, the author argues for a purely retributive view: all the main questions facing a theory of punishment are answered in terms of just retribution, without any concessions to social expediency. In addition to the basic tenets any consistently retributive theory would include, the text also advances the controversial thesis that punishment is a right of the offender. This issue of capital punishment is discussed offering a qualified defense of such punishment for the crime of murder.
