Philosophy of Punishment, Paperback by Ellis, Anthony, ISBN 1845402537, ISBN-13 9781845402532, Like New Used, Free P&P in the UK

Largely leaving aside questions of rehabilitation, fostering a sense of security in the citizenry, and education as to right and wrong among the general populace, among other considerations, and focusing in on the questions of retribution and deterrence as the main aims of criminal punishment supported by most people, Ellis (philosophy, Virginia Commonwealth U.) explores the philosophical justifications for punishment. In the first section of th, he contrasts "externalist" theories with "internalist" theories of punishment--with "externalist" theories understood to justify punishment in terms of aims that do not necessarily require punishment (., deterrence) and "internalist" theories requiring the infliction of punishment--finding "internalist" theories to all fail with regards to John Stuart Mill's dictum that interference with liberty must only come out of self-protection. Thus, he concludes in the second section of the text, the only justifiable purpose of criminal punishment is deterrence (although he disclaims a position on the empirical evidence concerning the efficacy of punishment with regards to deterrence). Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR ()