Penal populism in New Zealand

Abstract

This article examines the growth, influence and limits of penal populism in New Zealand. In this country, it argues, there were four crucial factors associated with this: disenchantment with the existing democratic process; the dynamics of crime and insecurity in a period of considerable social change; the growth and influence of ‘victimization groups’; the emergence of a new kind of penal expertise.

Keywords

New Zealand penal populism punitiveness

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