The Crutch of Ritual: Social Control in the Modern American Capital Punishment System Page: 2
iii, 72 pagesView a full description of this thesis.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Mayrl, 2015), making those processes seem incompatible with ritual's deep mysticism and ties
to ancient religion.
Criminal justice in particular has become highly concerned with efficiency and
consistency, as evidenced by the 20th century professionalism movements in policing and
corrections. Indeed, "the long term-trend... has been to minimize explicit appeal to emotions and
to refashion punishment as a technical and rational enterprise" (Kohm, 2009, p. 190). Ritual
would seem to have no place in such an environment. However, a thorough examination of
criminal justice processes such as criminal trials (Leader, 2018; Tait, 2001), restorative justice
procedures (Bender & Armour, 2007; Bennett, 2006), juvenile transfers (Titus, 2005), and most
robustly capital punishment, reveals the undeniable presence of ritual within the system. This
fact is either incidental or, alternatively, means that ritual has been actively included (or at least
allowed to remain) in criminal justice processes for a particular purpose. Consideration of what
classical ritual scholarship posits as the meaning and function of ritual lends weight to the latter.
Many theorists who discuss the meaning of ritual, Durkheim most notably, emphasize its
power as a mechanism of social control (Bell, 1992; Douglas, 1970; Durkheim, 1933; Gluckman,
1963; Radcliffe-Brown, 1948). These authors argue that in certain societies, processes and
institutions related to important social goals, which in turn promote the society's survival, are
consciously placed within mythicized ritual frameworks. Infusing these processes with a "mystical
ethos" allows the state to "not merely promote acceptance of [them] but also to inculcate deep-
seated affective responses to them" (Bell, 1992, p. 171). Put another way, states choose specific
methods of addressing particular social problems (such as crime). When they then select
expedient mythology-based values related to these processes and concretize them through2
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This thesis can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Thesis.
Pellegrino, Alexandra Clarke. The Crutch of Ritual: Social Control in the Modern American Capital Punishment System, thesis, August 2019; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1538795/m1/6/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .