R. A. Duff

An important work of criminal law theory - important both for its flaws and for its many virtues. The central virtue of R A Duff's jurisprudence is his insistence on the necessity for the criminal law to engage its subjects in meaningful dialogue. Here, as so often in his work, his discussion hinges on the major crimes of violence - murder, rape &c, with their deep common law roots. The missing dimension is any serious engagement with the vast conspectus of statutory offences, many of which are punished with severity equivalent to crimes of violence. This is a court-centred rather than legislature-centred jurisprudence.… (more)