Reseña del libro "Criminal Procedure and Punishment (en Inglés)"
This brilliant 2nd edition of Criminal Procedure and Punishment provides a holistic overview of the English and Welsh system of criminal justice, from the earliest stages of investigation and arrest through to the punishment and release of offenders. Aimed at students, it examines not only the law and procedure of criminal justice and punishment, but underpinning theories and surrounding issues. The book is designed as the set text for a new undergraduate law module entitled Criminal Procedure and Punishment, but is suitable for courses on criminal justice, penology and criminology. The book is divided into two linked parts. The first focuses on criminal procedure, including: the influence of adversarial and inquisitorial theory; the use (and misuse) of police powers; the trial process and fundamental fair trial rights; and sentencing. The second part focuses on punishment, including: discussion of its history; theoretical and philosophical arguments from scholars including Kant, Bentham and Rawls; punishment in the modern era; and the prison crisis. Both parts link to common themes and issues, with connections drawn between the different stages of the process and their impact on each other. The book thus offers, through doctrinal and socio-legal methods, a contemporary and rounded approach to two constantly evolving and overlapping topics. This new edition features two new chapters: the impact of prison on the families of offenders, and the use of the death penalty as a punishment. Additionally, it also includes updates to existing chapters, considering topical developments. As usual, the book closes with an exploration of future directions, and includes consideration of the potential influence and impact of the Spring 2020 Covid-19 crisis for the criminal justice system (ongoing). Some of the ideas considered may sound like they are lifted from the latest Hollywood blockbuster. These potential developments include the possibility of computer-generated programs to suggest a particular sanction for an offender, and brain scanning to determine whether a suspect is being deceptive. The idea of virtual courts is also explored, in which a defendant can be dealt with via a live video link, rather than in a courtroom. Some of these things sound futuristic, but the technologies exist and are already being used in England and Wales and elsewhere in the world, as we have seen most strikingly in 2020 in response to the global pandemic. The fair trial implications for a defendant faced with these technologies is in need of greater discussion.
