The Ethics of Punishment and the Ethics of Restoration: A Critical Analysis

Taking its cue from Augustine’s hesitancy to punish, this article develops an account of punishment as an exercise in Christian subjectivity, understanding by the latter term ‘self-knowledge’ and ‘being subject to another’s control.’ Framed in terms of the sacrament of reconciliation and mediated th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Danaher, William J. 1965- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2014
In: Studies in Christian ethics
Year: 2014, Volume: 27, Issue: 3, Pages: 274-288
Further subjects:B penal theory
B Restorative Justice
B Penal practices
B Subjectivity
B Rehabilitation
B Retribution
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:Taking its cue from Augustine’s hesitancy to punish, this article develops an account of punishment as an exercise in Christian subjectivity, understanding by the latter term ‘self-knowledge’ and ‘being subject to another’s control.’ Framed in terms of the sacrament of reconciliation and mediated through the Late Medieval Ecclesiastical Courts, the explicit contours of this Christian subjectivity gradually eroded as secular practices and theories (retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence, and restorative) developed during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the process, the rehabilitative ethos that this subjectivity upheld was lost also. Retrieving it is essential for understanding contemporary punishment from a Christian perspective.
ISSN:0953-9468
Contains:Enthalten in: Studies in Christian ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0953946814530224