Focus needed on whether punishment harms or improves
It’s a significant problem if institutions believe that people will change if they are punished harshly. The logic that often underlies support for punitive approaches to […]
Not guilty, but not off the hook
The defence of mental impairment gives a defendant reasons for their crime to be forgiven, but such a plea can have lingering negative effects on a […]
Smart ways to cut crime rates
Pressure on police force recruitment and prison systems could be reduced through more attention being paid to earlier interventions, rehabilitation and other “smart” approaches to crime […]
Crime and self-punishment
Offenders turning their remorse into self-punishment shows others their contrition – and it can work to sway people in their favour, psychology researchers say. In one […]
Taking a hard line on crime
Does our criminal justice system punish offenders harshly enough or do convicted criminals deserve tougher penalties? Should civil society turn a blind eye to abuses and […]