Tobias Singelnstein - Böcker

This book investigates the penal culture in France and Germany – how it is shaped in politics, media, and public opinion. Although compared with the US or the UK, France and Germany seem to place a strong emphasis on the ideal of rehabilitation that would block excessive punishment and other outcomes of punitive developments in society, there is a steady increase in punitiveness over time for which the term “strained restraint” is proposed. The book shows that the idea of penal moderation is deeply rooted in public opinion, politics, and the media and that it is renegotiated every day in a dynamic interplay between these spheres.Punishment and society research has traditionally focused on the US and the UK. In comparative research, both are considered extreme in punitive developments with high rates of imprisonment and large groups of the population under penal control. The other extreme in comparative research would be Scandinavia with the famous Nordic Exceptionalism marked by low prison population rates. Germany and France are often considered to be “the same” when compared with each other, and “the other” with reference to both of these extremes. However, this book shows that France and Germany are far from being the same when it comes to state organization (centralistic vs. federal), criminal justice and the criminal law, political traditions, and the media. Also, research from both countries has looked at whether developments such as the “punitive turn” have occurred in Germany and France. Research focused on the domestic situation concludes that punitiveness is on the rise, and that both countries are indeed experiencing their own punitive turn.How do we reconcile these contradictory findings? Why do these two seem to follow the path of penal moderation in the overall outcome of punishment in society when we look at comparative research? And how is it that from a domestic perspective, punitive attitudes and desires are leading to more punitiveness? By focusing on the meso level, with a comparative perspective on the two countries and a dynamic analytical approach, this book reconciles the fluidity of individual attitudes and opinions with the relative stability of societal discourse. The authors posit that penal moderation comes at a price: overall and in an internationally comparative perspective, there is penal moderation, but a closer look at the domestic situation and development reveals that it is nonetheless challenged by a slowly rising tide of punitiveness.Going beyond the main tenets of punishment and society research with a dynamic analysis of two large societies in Europe, this book is ideal reading for scholars and students of penology, criminal justice, and European studies.

This book investigates the penal culture in France and Germany – how it is shaped in politics, media, and public opinion. Although compared with the US or the UK, France and Germany seem to place a strong emphasis on the ideal of rehabilitation that would block excessive punishment and other outcomes of punitive developments in society, there is a steady increase in punitiveness over time for which the term “strained restraint” is proposed. The book shows that the idea of penal moderation is deeply rooted in public opinion, politics, and the media and that it is renegotiated every day in a dynamic interplay between these spheres.Punishment and society research has traditionally focused on the US and the UK. In comparative research, both are considered extreme in punitive developments with high rates of imprisonment and large groups of the population under penal control. The other extreme in comparative research would be Scandinavia with the famous Nordic Exceptionalism marked by low prison population rates. Germany and France are often considered to be “the same” when compared with each other, and “the other” with reference to both of these extremes. However, this book shows that France and Germany are far from being the same when it comes to state organization (centralistic vs. federal), criminal justice and the criminal law, political traditions, and the media. Also, research from both countries has looked at whether developments such as the “punitive turn” have occurred in Germany and France. Research focused on the domestic situation concludes that punitiveness is on the rise, and that both countries are indeed experiencing their own punitive turn.How do we reconcile these contradictory findings? Why do these two seem to follow the path of penal moderation in the overall outcome of punishment in society when we look at comparative research? And how is it that from a domestic perspective, punitive attitudes and desires are leading to more punitiveness? By focusing on the meso level, with a comparative perspective on the two countries and a dynamic analytical approach, this book reconciles the fluidity of individual attitudes and opinions with the relative stability of societal discourse. The authors posit that penal moderation comes at a price: overall and in an internationally comparative perspective, there is penal moderation, but a closer look at the domestic situation and development reveals that it is nonetheless challenged by a slowly rising tide of punitiveness.Going beyond the main tenets of punishment and society research with a dynamic analysis of two large societies in Europe, this book is ideal reading for scholars and students of penology, criminal justice, and European studies.

Soziale Kontrolle von abweichendem Verhalten und Kriminalität wandelt sich in hohem Tempo. ELENA, Vorratsdatenspeicherung, Videoüberwachung, immer neue Anti-Terror-Maßnahmen oder Verschärfungen der Strafvollzugsgesetze stehen in der tagespolitischen Diskussion scheinbar unabhängig nebeneinander. Tatsächlich sind sie jedoch Ausdruck einer neuen Formation sozialer Kontrolle, die mit Techniken der Selbstführung, der Kontrolle und des Ausschlusses arbeitet. Das Buch stellt diesen grundlegenden Wandel dar und analysiert ihn vor dem Hintergrund der ökonomischen, soziokulturellen und diskursiven Umbrüche der vergangenen Jahre. Diese bilden die Grundlage dafür, dass Staat und Gesellschaft Kriminalität und Abweichung heute neu definieren und anders darauf reagieren.

1 In his separate opinion in the Nuclear Weapons case, Judge Mohammed Bed- oui, then the President of the International Court of Justice, called nuclear we- ons “the absolute evil. ” There are a few other things which merit being called - solutely evil. They are the predicates of the International Criminal Court and of various domestic laws patterned on the Rome Statute: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression. A conference organized by the Berlin-based Republikanischer Anwältinnen- und Anwälteverein (Republican Lawyers As- ciation) and the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights was held in Berlin in June 2005 under the title Globalverfassung versus Realpolitik (Global Constitution versus Realpolitik). It dealt with the tension between these univ- sally accepted norms and the actual practice of governments in an age charact- ized by the ill-defined concept of the “war on terror. ” This book is the outcome of that conference. It is intended for a wide variety of readers: academics, all kinds of jurists, as well as human rights activists, who sometimes know more about the applicable law than the legal experts. It owes its existence to a paradox: On the one hand, new structures for dealing with the most serious international crimes are being put into place.

A seminal study on police violence in Germany, giving voice to victims and exposing systemic failures.Police Use Excessive Force in Germany presents the first comprehensive study of police violence in Germany, an issue that has remained largely underexamined in academic and legal discourse. Drawing on a large-scale survey of over 3,300 victims and more than sixty in-depth qualitative interviews, this book unpacks the complexities of excessive force, explaining the power dynamics that shape these encounters and the legal obstacles victims face in seeking justice.The authors analyze how police officers exert their authority in moments of conflict, how excessive force is defined and contested, and how legal frameworks influence accountability—or its absence. Through firsthand testimonies and empirical data, the book illuminates the systemic nature of police violence and the broader implications for law enforcement and human rights.

Der Band vermisst die Rolle des Staates im Feld der Inneren Sicherheit und das Verhältnis von Staat und Gesellschaft angesichts der massiven Bedeutungssteigerung, die individuelle Sicherheit vor Kriminalität und Bedrohungen in der jüngeren Vergangenheit erfahren hat.

Der Band bietet eine Einführung in die Rechtssoziologie und die interdisziplinäre Rechtsforschung, die sich im Anschluss an die Socio-legal Studies und die Law and Society-Forschung im angelsächsischen Raum auch im deutschsprachigen Raum herausbildet.

Der Open Access-Band arbeitet das Themenfeld Polizei und Rassismus umfassendauf. In 33 Beiträgen werden behandelt:• Grundlagen zum Phänomen Rassismus,• relevante Befunde zur Polizei als Organisation und zu ihrer Praxis,• Entstehungszusammenhänge und Folgen von Rassismus in der Polizei,• Methoden der wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung und• Möglichkeiten und Grenzen des Umgangs mit dem Problem.Angestoßen durch die Geschehnisse und Diskussionen in den USA beschäftigt Rassismus als mit der Polizei assoziiertes Problem auch hierzulande die öffentliche Debatte äußerst intensiv. Dabei wird offenbar, dass die Organisation Polizei in der diversen Gesellschaft vor besonderen Problemen und Herausforderungen steht, denen sie bislang nur in Ansätzen begegnet und wenig gewachsen zu sein scheint. Zugleich fehlt es im deutschen Kontext bisher an einem hinreichend breiten wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisstand zu Rassismusin der Polizei. Vor diesem Hintergrund bietet der Band eine Grundlage für die Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema, indem er den Forschungsstand aus verschiedenen Disziplinen zusammenführt und systematisch aufarbeitet. Die Beiträge können als Ausgangspunkt für weitere Forschung dienen, sollen aber auch eine Übersetzung der Befunde der Rassismusforschung in Richtung Polizei leisten.