Gerrard Winstanley on Crime and Punishment
In the late 1640s and early 1650s, Gerrard Winstanley wrote much about crime and punishment, particularly in his final work, Law of Freedom in a Platform (1652). A great deal of the modern commentary on his legal thought has centered on whether or not the extensive criminal code in Law of Freedom co...
| Published in: | The sixteenth century journal |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
1996
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| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the late 1640s and early 1650s, Gerrard Winstanley wrote much about crime and punishment, particularly in his final work, Law of Freedom in a Platform (1652). A great deal of the modern commentary on his legal thought has centered on whether or not the extensive criminal code in Law of Freedom constituted a totalitarian legal system in support of his utopian vision. A more fruitful approach is to view Winstanley's writings as part of a broad radical movement to reform the English criminal justice system. A close analysis of Winstanley's ideas reveals the uniqueness of his belief that law had to create the preconditions for the emergence of his communist utopia. At the same time, many of the specific laws and punishments he advocated within a democratized, decentralized legal system were also proposed by the Levellers, Quakers, and Fifth Monarchists in the 1640s and 1650s. |
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| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/2544015 |