ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concept of penal populism. It discusses the origins and definition of penal populism. Significant literature considering the range of applicable factors suggests that the process can include external factors, specific discourse and internal causes, such as a predetermined political agenda. The concept of penal populism can be traced to ‘populist punitiveness', a phrase coined by Sir Anthony Bottoms in 1993. Reflecting on the politicisation of sentencing, in particular with regard to violent, sexual and drug-related offences, Bottoms defined populist punitiveness as ‘politicians tapping into, and using for their own purposes, what they believe to be the public's generally punitive stance'. The phrase ‘populist punitiveness' eventually morphed into ‘penal populism', a term coined by John Pratt to describe a shift in government policy development and implementation from evidence-based, towards a less informed approach that is typically influenced by public ‘moods and sentiments in an attempt to guarantee electoral success at the cost of proven effectiveness'.
