Law depends on various modes of classification. How an act or a person is classified may be crucial in determining the rights obtained, the procedures employed, and what understandings get attached to the act or person. Critiques of law often reveal how arbitrary its classificatory acts are, but no one doubts their power and consequence.

This crucial new book considers the problem of law's physical control of persons and the ways in which this control illuminates competing visions of the law: as both a tool of regulation and an instrument of coercion or punishment. It examines various instances of punishment and regulation to illustrate points of overlap and difference between them, and captures the lived experience of the state's enterprise of subjecting human conduct to the governance of rules. Ultimately, the essays call into question the adequacy of a view of punishment and/or regulation that neglects the perspectives of those who are at the receiving end of these exercises of state power.

About the Author
Austin Sarat is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College.

Lawrence Douglas is James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought at Amherst College.

Martha Merrill Umphrey is Professor of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought at Amherst College.

Reviews
"This book's broad range of approaches to the relationship between punishment and regulation is refreshing and engaging. There are no works that offer anything like the variety that this collection offers. The diversity of views, and the consequent appreciation of the complexity of the issues, makes this a truly valuable addition to the literature."-Carol Steiker, Harvard Law School
"This is one of the best collections of essays I have encountered. The intersections between the pieces make it a truly exceptional resource. It will be a standard in the field."-Keally McBride, University of San Francisco



Book Information
ISBN 9780804771702
Author Austin Sarat
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Stanford University Press
Publisher Stanford University Press
Weight(grams) 431g