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The Puzzle Faced The Puzzle Faced
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The Rubrics of Punishment The Rubrics of Punishment
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In the Way of Reform In the Way of Reform
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The Role of Stigma The Role of Stigma
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Changing the Way We Think About Punishment Changing the Way We Think About Punishment
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2 Do Americans Like to Punish?
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Published:April 2018
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Abstract
This chapter addresses the question of whether Americans like to punish. The United States clearly punishes more heavily and for longer periods than other countries, with comparable social and political values. One can land in an American prison for life over minor offenses—a punishment not used for serious offenses in Western Europe. The leading comparativist on criminology, James Whitman, argues that a politics of dignity has instilled mercy and mildness in European systems, while leveling impulses, distrust of authority, and too much power in the people is said to have left the United States with a criminal justice system long in degradation and short on mercy.
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