The long struggle: An agonistic perspective on penal development. (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Goodman, Philip; Page, Joshua; Phelps, Michelle
• Is Part Of: Theoretical criminology. Volume 19:Number 3(2015:Jul.)
• Page Start: 315
• Page End: 335
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: Conflict -- penal reform -- prison -- punishment -- punitiveness; Criminology -- Periodicals; 364.01
• DOI: 10.1177/1362480614547151
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1362-4806

Abstract

Bringing together insights from macro-level theory about "mass imprisonment" and micro-level case studies of contemporary punishment, this article presents a mid-level agonistic perspective on penal change in the USA. Using the case of the "rise and fall" of the rehabilitative ideal in California, we spotlight struggle as a central mechanism that intensifies the variegated (and sometimes contradictory) nature of punishment and drives penal development. The agonistic perspective posits that penal development is fueled by ongoing, low-level struggle among actors with varying amounts and types of resources. Like plate tectonics, friction among those with a stake in punishment periodically escalates to seismic events and long-term shifts in penal orientations, pushing one perspective or another to the fore over time. These conflicts do not occur in a vacuum; rather, large-scale trends in the economy, politics, social sentiments, inter-group relations, demographics, and crime affect—but do not fully determine—struggles over punishment and penal outcomes.