ABSTRACT
Spain has one of the lowest levels of crime in Europe and is, nevertheless, among the countries with the highest number of law enforcement officers and the highest number of people in prison. Spain is, moreover, among those countries with the most job insecurity and least social protection in Europe. This is dangerous since, as Bourdieu puts it, there is a symbolic power that tends capacity to impose certain categories as legitimate without this imposition being perceived. Therefore, a different way of approaching and constructing the object of study is advocated. A good starting point for acquiring a broader view of the phenomenon is to consider penality, or the whole set of institutions and agents that make up punishment, as a complex social institution, following Garland. The chapter ends with a summary of the contents of the book.
