Rowan Cruft, Matthew H Kramer and Mark R Reiff (eds), Crime, Punishment, and Responsibility: The Jurisprudence of Antony Duff
| Author | Rasmus H Wandall |
| DOI | 10.1177/1462474514528846 |
| Published date | 01 December 2014 |
| Date | 01 December 2014 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
crime should be addressed by increasing capacity has persisted in political circles,
despite the lack of funding for significant capital projects. As with political impris-
onment, the ‘dominance of space ...deflected attention and resources from other
issues’ (p. 191). As the book closes, the Irish penal estate contained more people
than it ever had and was facing repeated criticism for poor conditions caused by
severe overcrowding. Ultimately, Rogan concludes, penal policy development in
Ireland has been characterized by a ‘lack of imagination to do punishment differ-
ently or see beyond considerations of space’ (p. 205).
The fluid and compelling prose in this book brings the intri cacies of policy for-
mation and the unique aspects of Irish politics and culture to life. It outlines the
colourful context in which Irishpenal policy took shape – from the widespread use of
confinement by non-state institutions, to mass releases to celebrate religious occasions
and audacious helicopter escapes. The thorough analysis provides a useful historical
narrative and reinserts the question of agency into broader dis cussions about the
socio-economic and cultural context of policy formation. This well-researched study
contributes to penological literature through the ‘fusion of two types of analysis –
policy and cultural’ (p. 215) and its warning against importing theory to understand
the specificities of penal policy development in a distinct location.
There are a few areas in which the book could be improved. At points, it is
assumed that the reader has knowledge of Irish persons, events and institutions.
The book could benefit from greater consistency in relation to structure, increased
cross-referencing, a time-line of key events and a clearer picture of the penal estate
during each period. Finally, the book’s title perhaps infers a more direct discussion
of penal-welfarism in Ireland than the book contains. These comments should not,
however, detract from the very real value of this book, and it is hoped that there
will be a second edition.
From the outset, the reader is engaged to take a walk through Ireland’s past in
order to understand the political and social influences on penal law and policy
within the state and to appreciate the lessons that can be learned for penal
policy formation more generally. The book therefore contributes to scholarship
in a way that has resonance beyond the Emerald Isle. Its warning against insularity
caused by a failure to conduct or engage with research, in particular, should be
taken on board by policy-makers worldwide.
Ro
´isı
´n Mulgrew
School of Law, University of Nottingham, UK
Rowan Cruft, Matthew H Kramer and Mark R Reiff (eds), Crime, Punishment, and Responsibility:
The Jurisprudence of Antony Duff, Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2011; 394 pp. (including
bibliographies and index): 9780199592814
Crime, Punishment, and Responsibility is an edited book of 19 chapters in honor of
Professor Antony Duff, himself authoring the last chapter in reply. The book is a
620 Punishment & Society 16(5)
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