Author Description

This Is The First Detailed Criminological Account Of The Role Of Blame In Which The Authors Present A Novel Study Of The Legal Process Of Blame Attribution, Set In The Context Of Criminalisation As A Social And Political Process. It Will Also Be Of Wider Interest To Anyone Wishing To Discover The Role Of Blame In Modern Society. Blamestorming, Blamemongers And Scapegoats; Contents; About The Authors ; Preface; 1. Introduction And The Centrality Of Blame; The Case Of Mrs Inglis; The Case Of Baby P; Blamestorming; Blamemongers; Scapegoats; Blame; Preliminary Reflections; 2. Blame In The Criminal Justice Process; Pre-trial Diversion: Removing Those Of Limited Culpability; Pre-trial Diversion: Fixed Penalties For Particular Categories Of Offence; Pre-trial Diversion: The Routine Diversion Of Some Types Of Criminal Conduct To Specialist State Agencies; Mode Of Trial: Deciding Which Court Will Hear A Case Justifying Sentence: The Normative Backgroundjustifying Sentence: The Legal Background; Conclusions: Blame And Procedural Decision-making; 3. Blame And The Blameless; The Minimum Age Of Criminal Responsibility; Mental Capacity; Justifications, Excuses And Circumstances Precluding Wrongfulness; Blame And Luck; 4. Blameless Crime; Motive: Criminalising The Well-intentioned; Recklessness: Criminalising The Risk-taker; Negligence And Gross Negligence: Criminalising The Incompetent; Strict Liability: Criminalising The Blameless; Conclusion; 5. Blame Amplification ; Offence Seriousness Shocking And Extraordinary Crimes6. Putting Oneself In Harm's Way; Blame, Gang Membership And Paramilitary Involvement; Purchasing Drugs, 'associating With Criminals' And Expanding The 'blameworthy'; Drug Misuse And Crime; Blame, Intoxication And Alcohol-related Offending; Conclusion: Voluntarily Heightening The Risk Of Offending; 7. Blame, Punitiveness And Criminalisation; The Growth Of Blame Culture And The Need For Scapegoats; From Civil Liability To Criminal Liability; From Human Rights To T