Product Description: Thirteen short stories, with all but one set in Aberystwyth, Wales. The cast of characters includes an uncle, his brother, and his parents. The characters are invested with certain attributes - strengths and frailties - and the pleasure of the stories lies in the characters, despite their qualities being conveyed somewhat obliquely...read more

Product Description: Reparation, or making amends, is an ancient theme in criminal justice. It was revived in both Europe and North America in the 1980s as a practical alternative both to retributivism, and to the various utilitarian projects traditionally associated with retributive justice...read more

It is a common perception that violent crime is on the increase and social surveys record a growing fear of victimisation among the public. Yet not all violence is criminalised, and much criminal violence still goes unreported. Punishing Violence examines the series of decisions - by victims, police officers, prosecutors and courts - which determine whether or not violent behaviour is criminalised. Antonia Cretney and Gwynn Davis examine the relationships underpinning violence, the reasons for violent acts and the factors militating against successful court prosecutions. In doing so, they provide an authoritative account of the reality of assault and identify a serious dislocation between the purposes of victims and the purposes of the justice system in the treatment of violent crime.

Product Description: This study of the Child Support Agency (CSA) compares the accounts of former husbands and wives with those of their respective legal advisers, and incorporates the experience and views of the CSA staff, who attempted to calculate and enforce child maintenance obligations in the same cases...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: There are many inconsistencies between how divorce law in the United Kingdom is expressed in statute and how it is actually carried out in the decisions of the higher courts. This important and engaging book, written from the perspective of a social researcher, examines these inconsistencies serving to uncover the "law in action...read more

Product Description: This book addresses divorce disputes and the kinds of assistance available in Britain for couples in conflict. The author draws on extensive "consumer" research to present a compelling account of non-legal dispute resolution and develop a challenging critique of settlement-seeking by matrimonial lawyers and divorce court welfare officers...read more

Product Description: This study of the ways in which the ending of marriage is regulated and defined in Britain draws on interviews with divorcing couples to consider the legal and moral aspects of the topic and present the case for a fundamental reform in the existing law.