Book review: Why Punish? An Introduction to the Philosophy of Punishment
| Published date | 01 September 2017 |
| Author | Steve Collett |
| Date | 01 September 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550517726458 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
Why Punish? An Introduction to the Philosophy
of Punishment
Rob Canton
Palgrave, 2017; pp. 242; £29.99; pbk
ISBN: 978-1137449023
Reviewed by: Steve Collett, Honorary Fellow, University of Liverpool,
and Honorary Reader, University of Manchester
Don’t be fooled by the title of Rob Can ton’s latest book – it is, in some ways,
an introduction to the subject area, but it is so much more besides. Canton’s
work is always superbly structured and written in an accessible but engaging
style that belies the depth of the material and the sophistication of the argu-
ments and, like his previous book, Probation: Working with Offenders (2011),
also billed as an introduction. I found the familiarity of some of the ideas and
arguments both reassuring and stimulating. It also represented for me the
development in scope and comprehensiveness of Canton’s (2013) article on
probation and obliquity – the idea that important goals can best be achieved
indirectly.
One of the significant strengths of Why Punish? is the way in which Canton
returns to some classic criminological texts to shape his arguments for the cur-
rent context of criminal justice delivery. This book brings to mind Cullen and
Gilbert’s important analysis of the rise of just deserts and the justice model in the
late 1970s ‘to warn of the dangers of embracing a punishment philosophy and
to propose that we should not reject rehabilitation but rather reaffirm a reha-
bilitation that is properly tempered by considerations limiting the coercive
potential of the state’ (2015: 11). This is the business of Canton’s book and, as
Shadd Maruna says on its flyleaf with more clarity that I can express, Canton
‘has done the near impossible here, bringing penal theory out of the arm chair
and squarely into the real world’.
The book begins with a highly readable introduction to the philosophy of pun-
ishment, but you sense that Canton is eager to move quickly to the insights provided
by the social sciences to intricately dissect the ethical dimensions to punishment. In
this venture, he provides a systematic analysis of the themes of retribution, deter-
rence, rehabilitation and desistance, incapacitation and risk, and restorative justice
before considering the limits and perils of punishment.
The format of the book uses short shaded sections, named concept cap-
sules, which sit outside the flow of the narrative but perform the purpose of
ensuring that the reader understands some of the key notions being deployed,
and in less than a page, Human Rights (p. 112) or the Dispersal of Discipline
(p. 187), for example, are dealt with to the satisfaction, I think, of most
readers. Additionally, Canton uses vignettes which cover both matters of
policy and cases of the individual treatment of individuals before the courts.
Book reviews 307
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