A critique of sanctioning reform

Over the past decade in the U.S. and, more recently, in England, there has been extensive criticism of existing penal policy. There has been a movement in both countries to abandon the rehabilitative ideal in favor of the justice model. In this paper we analyze the debate over sanctioning that has emerged in the two countries and suggest some caveats about the implications of the justice model as a basis of penal policy. Additionally, we offer some observations about the general context of sanctioning reform.