Qualities of Mercy
Justice, Punishment, and Discretion
- Publisher
- UBC Press
- Initial publish date
- Nov 2011
- Category
- Legal History, Criminology
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780774841504
- Publish Date
- Nov 2011
- List Price
- $99.00
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780774805858
- Publish Date
- Dec 1996
- List Price
- $34.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780774805841
- Publish Date
- Dec 1996
- List Price
- $85.00
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Description
Qualities of Mercy deals with the history of mercy, the remittance of punishments in the criminal law. The writers probe the discretionary use of power and inquire how it has been exercised to spare convicted criminals from the full might of the law. Drawing on the history of England, Canada, and Australia in periods when both capital and corporal punishment were still practised, they show that contrary to common assumptions the past was not a time of unmitigated terror and they ask what inspired restraint in punishment. They conclude that the ability to decide who lived and died -- through the exercise or denial of mercy -- reinforced the power structure.
About the author
Carolyn Strange is a senior fellow in the Research School of Humanities at the Australian National University.
Editorial Reviews
This thought-provoking and well-written book will be of particular interest to students of law, sociology, public policy, and criminal justice administration.
Canadian Book Review Annual
