The Moral Politics of Social Control: Political Culture and Ordinary Crime in Cuba

Brooklyn Journal of International Law, Forthcoming

UNC Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1478709

75 Pages Posted: 25 Sep 2009

See all articles by Deborah M. Weissman

Deborah M. Weissman

University of North Carolina School of Law

Marsha Weissman

Center for Community Alternatives

Date Written: September 25, 2009

Abstract

The Cuban revolution has been described as “the longest running social experiment” in history, and one not well-received in the United States. The U.S. government responded to the revolution first with suspicion, and then hostility. Even while the current administration has acknowledged the failure of U.S. policy, few substantive changes have been announced and the narrative of Cuba in the United States continues to dwell almost exclusively on political repression and economic failure. The Cuban revolution, however, is a complex process, one that defies facile explanations. This article subscribes to the perspective offered by social scientists who urge “a more nuanced view” of Cuba. As Cuba marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban revolution, we undertake an examination of a specific facet of the Cuban revolution, that is, the Cuban approach to ordinary crime. The article provides insights about the ways in which political culture and social controls interact to produce a coherent and generally successful policy response to crime. That Cuba has succeeded in reducing reliance on formal penal sanctions and lowered crime rates invites comparison with the United States, where strategies of community controls as an alternative to incarceration have met with less success.

Suggested Citation

Weissman, Deborah M. and Weissman, Marsha, The Moral Politics of Social Control: Political Culture and Ordinary Crime in Cuba (September 25, 2009). Brooklyn Journal of International Law, Forthcoming, UNC Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1478709, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1478709 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1478709

Deborah M. Weissman (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina School of Law ( email )

Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, 160 Ridge Road
CB #3380
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380
United States
919-962-5108 (Phone)
919-962-1277 (Fax)

Marsha Weissman

Center for Community Alternatives ( email )

115 East Jefferson Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
186
Abstract Views
4,100
Rank
293,385
PlumX Metrics