Looking for Postmodernism in all the Wrong Places : Implementing a New Penology

This paper explores the notion of a postmodern penology by examining a crime control programme called Operation Weed and Seed in the United States. A postmodern penology abandons the idea of reducing crime through broad social programmes and rehabilitative efforts and is aimed at simply managing the harm that crime inflicts. This paper argues that while a postmodern penology may indeed be observable at the discursive level, policy implementation at the local level significantly complicates matters, reorienting programmatic goals to the ideal of crime reduction through expansive state efforts.