Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil

For over two decades, “penal populism” has been trying to explain the major developments in penal policy around the world. As a theoretical model, it is often seen as synonymous with an unrestrained growth of punishment-oriented thinking. This study discusses a critical issue involving the complex l...

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Main Authors: Gabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos, Daury Cesar Fabriz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2024-12-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241297444
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author Gabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos
Daury Cesar Fabriz
author_facet Gabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos
Daury Cesar Fabriz
author_sort Gabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos
collection DOAJ
description For over two decades, “penal populism” has been trying to explain the major developments in penal policy around the world. As a theoretical model, it is often seen as synonymous with an unrestrained growth of punishment-oriented thinking. This study discusses a critical issue involving the complex link between contemporary punishment and politics. Building upon Michael Freeden’s “morphological analysis” of ideologies, we examine the internal structure of populism. An empirical test of the “penal populism” thesis will be conducted in post-redemocratization Brazil (1980s). Criminal legislation passed during three populist governments will be analyzed to determine whether there was a correspondent expansion of punitiveness. We hypothesize that there is no necessary connection between populism and more punitive criminal policies. Thus, we propose a new understanding of “penal populism” as an authentic penal ideology or an ideology of crime control.
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spelling doaj-art-0c31e7f77ebf42eaaa4633271f63f8d22025-08-20T02:38:06ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402024-12-011410.1177/21582440241297444Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization BrazilGabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos0Daury Cesar Fabriz1 Faculdade de Direito de Vitória (FDV), Vitória, Brazil Faculdade de Direito de Vitória (FDV), Vitória, BrazilFor over two decades, “penal populism” has been trying to explain the major developments in penal policy around the world. As a theoretical model, it is often seen as synonymous with an unrestrained growth of punishment-oriented thinking. This study discusses a critical issue involving the complex link between contemporary punishment and politics. Building upon Michael Freeden’s “morphological analysis” of ideologies, we examine the internal structure of populism. An empirical test of the “penal populism” thesis will be conducted in post-redemocratization Brazil (1980s). Criminal legislation passed during three populist governments will be analyzed to determine whether there was a correspondent expansion of punitiveness. We hypothesize that there is no necessary connection between populism and more punitive criminal policies. Thus, we propose a new understanding of “penal populism” as an authentic penal ideology or an ideology of crime control.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241297444
spellingShingle Gabriel Silveira de Queirós Campos
Daury Cesar Fabriz
Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
SAGE Open
title Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
title_full Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
title_fullStr Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
title_short Is “Penal Populism” Really Populist? Evaluating Penal Legislation in Post-redemocratization Brazil
title_sort is penal populism really populist evaluating penal legislation in post redemocratization brazil
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241297444
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