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Atrocity Without Punishment: A Political Theory of Leniency in Mexico's War on Drugs
Hardcover
Series: Cultural Lives of Law
General LawGeneral Political Science
ISBN13: 9781503644281
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: Feb 3 2026
Pages: 220
Weight: 1.02
Height: 0.78 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Leniency might sometimes be the ethical response to atrocity. However, the more extraordinary an act of violence is, the greater the compulsion to severely punish the offender. The rationale is that the threat of harsh punishment will be more effective at preventing crime. At the same time, the notion that criminal justice is corrupt and ineffective has become commonplace. At the center of these conflicting trends is a puzzle that this book sets out to solve: what if punishment should not only be judged by its effectiveness, but also by its morality?
Mexico's War on Drugs has unleashed an endless cycle of violence in the country. The resulting human toll is catastrophic. Atrocity Without Punishment advances ethically compelling reasons to impose lenient sentences on offenders involved in drug trafficking, including many who commit serious offenses. Juan EspÃndola argues that this is in fact a morally permissible, even obligatory, way to hold perpetrators accountable.
From this vantage point, EspÃndola problematizes the relationship between punishment and core political values such as legitimacy and justice. By challenging the criminal justice system in this way, he charts a path toward a more just criminal legal system that can muster the support of those who reject abolitionism.
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Atrocity Without Punishment: A Political Theory of Leniency in Mexico's War on Drugs
Espíndola, Juan
Paperback
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Espíndola, Juan
Atrocity Without Punishment: A Political Theory of Leniency in Mexico's War on Drugs
Espíndola, Juan
Paperback
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