
The Apology Ritual
A Philosophical Theory of Punishment
Christopher Bennett(Author)
Cambridge University Press
1st Edition
Published on 30. September 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
222 pages
978-0-521-17400-8 (ISBN)
Description
Christopher Bennett presents a theory of punishment grounded in the practice of apology, and in particular in reactions such as feeling sorry and making amends. He argues that offenders have a 'right to be punished' - that it is part of taking an offender seriously as a member of a normatively demanding relationship (such as friendship or collegiality or citizenship) that she is subject to retributive attitudes when she violates the demands of that relationship. However, while he claims that punishment and the retributive attitudes are the necessary expression of moral condemnation, his account of these reactions has more in common with restorative justice than traditional retributivism. He argues that the most appropriate way to react to crime is to require the offender to make proportionate amends. His book is a rich and intriguing contribution to the debate over punishment and restorative justice.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
368 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-17400-8 (9780521174008)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2008
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€27.99
Available for download
Person
Christopher Bennett was born and raised in the working-class suburb of Fitzroy in the 1950s and 1960s. A cheeky and boisterous kid of migrant parents, he roamed the streets and nearby haunts for fun and adventure and found much more than he bargained for.Roy Boy took eleven years to write because life kept getting in the way. Other than writing, Chris has been a Tai Chi practitioner and teacher for more than 35 years and loves spending time photographing the world around him.Though life has taken him out of Fitzroy to live among the gum trees and kookaburras of the Dandenong Ranges, he still considers himself a Roy Boy. Wherever he goes, Fitzroy will always be with him - it's part of his DNA.
Content
Acknowledgements; Part I. Justifying Punishment: Introduction: a different perspective on criminal justice; 1. The problem of punishment and the restorative alternative; 2. Some retributivist themes; Part II. Responding to Wrongdoing: 3. Responsibility, reactive attitudes and the right to be punished; 4. Non-retributive dialogue; 5. The cycle of blame and apology; Part III. The Apology Ritual: 6. Restorative justice and state condemnation of crime; 7. Institutional blame and apology; 8. The apology ritual and its rivals; Bibliography; Index.