Law and Order in Sung China

This work is the first comprehensive study of law enforcement in traditional China.

Brian E. McKnight (Author)

9780521033718, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 February 2007

576 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm, 0.853 kg

This study examines law enforcement within the context of Sung society. Professor McKnight shows that the group of criminals who were the core of the habitual criminal group in Sung China were young unattached males with few lifeskills. What became of the criminal after capture and conviction is also an important aspect of this study, which addresses basic questions in Chinese punishment. This work is the first comprehensive study of law enforcement in traditional China. The depth and rigour to which the subject is treated would make it most appropriate for scholars in legal history and East Asian studies.

List of figures, maps and tables
Preface
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. The historical context
3. Crimes and criminals
4. Informal and semiformal agencies of law enforcement
5. Formal civil agencies of law enforcement
6. The role of the military in law enforcement
7. Supervision of law enforcement - the role of the intendants
8. Personnel selection
9. Urban crime and urban security
10. The Sung penal system
11. Jails and jailers in the Sung
12. Penal registration
13. The death penalty
14. Modifications of penalties
15. Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]