Why Punish? How Much?

Why Punish? How Much?: A Reader on Punishment, 1st Edition, collects foundational and modern essays on the purposes and limits of penal sanctions. Edited by Michael H. Tonry, the volume examines shifts across normative, political, social, psychological, and legal perspectives on punishment.

The reader brings together classical philosophy and scholarship from the behavioral and medical sciences. Theoretical coverage spans consequentialism, retributivism, and functionalism, alongside newer models such as restorative and therapeutic justice.

An introductory essay chronicles the evolution of punishment systems and theorizing across the past two centuries. The anthology offers a structured resource suitable for study in criminal law, criminology, and punishment theory.