Populism, Punishment and the Threat to Democratic Order The Return of the Strong Men

"A very professional and slick book, expertly charting the way in which neo-liberal governance sowed the seeds from which populist "strong men" have come to threaten the viability of the democratic order itself - only for two unlikely saviors - COVID-19 and Vladimir Putin (via Russia Invasion of Ukraine) to provide it with a fragile reprieve."

-Professor Adebowale "Ad" Akande, University of British Columbia

"If you can only read one book in the large library of books on penal populism, John Pratt's Populism, Punishment and the Threat to Democratic Order is the one to read. It is expansive, casting its net broadly from Finland to New Zealand. It is comprehensive, integrating findings from a host of disciplines; history, political science, sociology and criminology to account for the appeal and rise of strong man politics and penal populism. It is daring, reflecting on collective responses to the Covid pandemic and the surprising resilience of the Ukrainian people as powerful antidotes to both populism and cynicism that paves the way for penal extremism. This book should be widely read by opinion leaders, criminal justice scholars, and students politics and social problems. A masterpiece."

Malcolm M. Feeley, Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program, School of Law, University of California at Berkeley

"John Pratt vividly traces the genealogy of populism - and its punitive implications - from its inception up to the present time. The book illuminates and further develops the understanding of the complex, multifaceted relationship between populist ideologies and punishment. It offers, at once, a compelling socio-political investigation and a perceptive penal policy analysis, discussing lessons learned and identifying challenges looming ahead for modern democracies."

Alessandro Corda, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, Queen's University Belfast (UK)