The Scales of Injustice

This paper criticises four major approaches to criminal law – consequentialism, retributivism, abolitionism, and “mixed” pluralism – each of which, in its own fashion, affirms the celebrated emblem of the “scales of justice.” The argument is that there is a better way of dealing with the tensions th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Charles Blattberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Windsor 2008-02-01
Series:The Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice
Online Access:https://wyaj.uwindsor.ca/index.php/wyaj/article/view/4536
Description
Summary:This paper criticises four major approaches to criminal law – consequentialism, retributivism, abolitionism, and “mixed” pluralism – each of which, in its own fashion, affirms the celebrated emblem of the “scales of justice.” The argument is that there is a better way of dealing with the tensions that often arise between the various legal purposes than by merely balancing them against each other. It consists, essentially, of striving to genuinely reconcile those purposes, a goal which is shown to require taking a new, “patriotic” approach to law.
ISSN:2561-5017