ABSTRACT
The pervading theme of this book has been the development of a more normative perspective for conceptualising criminal justice that will enable us to comprehend the significance of punishment and sentencing more effectively in an increasingly pluralistic world. I have argued that this is necessary in order that penal policy-makers can respond more effectively to questions about the legitimacy of trial justice and its relevance as a pivotal aspect of criminal justice governance. In consequence, it is hoped the ideologies and structures of penal law will take greater account of the increasingly diverse views about the legitimacy of trial justice that pervade societies in the late post-modern period, and so enable sentence decision-makers to respond more appropriately to the expectations they engender.
