Receiving an on the spot penalty: a tale of morality, common sense and law-abidance
This article examines citizens’ reactions to being issued with an on the spot penalty and the consequences this has for holding a law-abiding identity. Using mundane examples of statutory requirements regulating everyday life (motoring), it is found that people use common-sense purposive reasoning i...
| Autor principal: | |
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| Tipo de documento: | Electrónico Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2019
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| En: |
Criminology & criminal justice
Año: 2019, Volumen: 19, Número: 2, Páginas: 141-159 |
| Acceso en línea: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Verificar disponibilidad: | HBZ Gateway |
| Palabras clave: |
| Sumario: | This article examines citizens’ reactions to being issued with an on the spot penalty and the consequences this has for holding a law-abiding identity. Using mundane examples of statutory requirements regulating everyday life (motoring), it is found that people use common-sense purposive reasoning in their interpretation of law which does not match the actual black-letter law application of the specific statutes. The lack of congruence between the purposive understandings of legal requirements and the black-letter application of enforcement agencies allows citizens to maintain a moral position that is aligned with the aims of the law but not its actual requirements. This process reaffirms a belief in law-abidance even where the citizen has been found to break the law. |
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| ISSN: | 1748-8966 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1748895817738556 |
