Penal populism

Penal populism is populism related to criminal justice. It tends to manifest in the run up to elections when political parties put forward hard-line policies which they believe the public wants, rather than evidence-based policies based on their effectiveness at dealing with crime and associated social problems. Penal populism can be a media-driven political process whereby politicians compete with each other to impose tougher prison sentences on offenders based on a perception that crime is out of control.

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