From Modern to Postmodern Penality?

Abstract

This article responds to a recent article by Hallsworth (2000), which claims that contemporary changes in penal practice indicate the rise of a postmodern penality. We identify three issues raised by Hallsworth's argument, encompassing methodological, empirical and conceptual questions. We argue that his approach exhibits some methodological problems, as well as a conceptual conflation between `postmodernity' as a social formation and `postmodernism' as an anti-foundational epistemology for social inquiry. Given the problems identified here, we suggest that a convincing case for a `postmodern penality' has not yet been made.