Legislative practice as discursive action: a performance in three parts

Full text for this resource is not available from the Research Repository.

Corcoran, Tim (2005) Legislative practice as discursive action: a performance in three parts. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, 18 (3-4). pp. 263-283. ISSN 0952-8059 (print) 1572-8722 (online)

Abstract

Paralleling Henry and Milovanovic’s theory of constitutive criminology this paper considers several dialogic relationships created in and through an engagement with the Governing Principles of the Penalties and Sentences Act, an example of penal legislation practiced in the Australian State of Queensland. Fairclough’s method of Critical Discourse Analysis is enlisted providing the discussion with three prominent discourses performed in the text: purposive, individualising and moral/behavioural. The discussion proposes that dealings with the text both inform and prepare responses across a variety of relational situations involving the State, society, those directly engaged with the criminal justice system and the Act itself. Of specific concern is how the legislation discursively limits or permits action within these relationships whilst ignoring its own constitutive force and relational responsibilities.

Dimensions Badge

Altmetric Badge

Item type Article
URI https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/24697
DOI 10.1007/s11196-005-9002-9
Official URL http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/205/art%25...
Subjects Historical > Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > School of Education
Historical > FOR Classification > 1801 Law
Keywords words, language, purposive, individualising, moral, behavioural, discursive psychology, dialogue, dialogic, state and community, government, law, reciprocity, Governing Principles of the Penalties and Sentences Act, Queensland
Citations in Scopus 6 - View on Scopus
Download/View statistics View download statistics for this item

Search Google Scholar

Repository staff login