Research Catalog

Title

Punishment as societal-defense / Phillip Montague.

Author

Montague, Phillip, 1938-

Publication

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, c1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xiv, 175 p.; 24 cm.

Summary

People punished by law are treated in ways that we consider immoral in other contexts. In Punishment as Societal-Defense, Phillip Montague develops a new theory of punishment that, instead of justifying it on the basis of deterrence or retribution, constructs it as analogous to individual self-defense. If people are justified in defending themselves against wrongful aggression, Montague argues, the same principles of distributive justice underlie punishment as societal defense. He recognizes and offers solutions to both the moral difficulties of self-defense and the ways in which punishment after an act differs from defense against an act before it occurs. Montague argues that his theory of punishment is preferable to theories based on deterrence and retribution, and shows how his theory would allow for capital punishment under certain circumstances. Punishment as Societal-Defense will be an important book for professionals and advanced students in philosophy, law, and criminology.

Series Statement

Studies in social, political, and legal philosophy

Uniform Title

Studies in social, political, and legal philosophy.

Subject

• Capital punishment > Government policy
• Capital punishment > Moral and ethical aspects
• Criminal justice, Administration of > Moral and ethical aspects
• Discrimination in capital punishment

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-171) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Ch. 1. Background -- Ch. 2. Defending and Preserving Individuals -- Ch. 3. Societal-Defense -- Ch. 4. Rethinking Retributivist and Deterrence Theories -- Ch. 5. Punishment as a Societal Right -- Ch. 6. Societal-Defense and Capital Punishment.

ISBN

• 0847680711 (cloth : alk. paper)
• 084768072X (pbk. : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^^95022351^

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library