Democracy, Crime & Justice

How do democratic values and institutions impact upon crime and justice? Civic values are promoted in rehabilitation programmes, civil society is emphasised by the government as a crime prevention strategy, and the democratic accountability of policing is often the forefront of the political agenda. How can an understanding of democracy illuminate our understanding of the key issues in the study of criminology and criminal justice? In this exciting and thought-provoking new book, Susanne Karstedt looks at the common link between these issues - democracy - and provides a systematic and accessible analysis of the relationship between our democratic values and how crime and justice is played out in both national and international arenas. Forging new interdisciplinary links between political science and criminology, the book looks at topics from terrorism, violent crime, and corruption, to citizenship, the death penalty and punitiveness. Written for advanced students in criminology, politics, international relations and sociology, this is a compelling text on a growing area of the criminology discipline.