Most of us think of punishment as an ugly display of power. But
punishment also tells us something about the ideals and aspirations
of a people and their government. How a state punishes reveals
whether or not it is confident in its own legitimacy and
sovereignty. Punishment and Political Order examines the questions
raised by the state's exercise of punitive power -- from what it is
about human psychology that desires sanction and order to how the
state can administer pain while calling for justice. Keally
McBride's book demonstrates punishment's place at the core of
political administration and the stated ideals of the polity.
