After socialist criminology: Sovereignty and criminal justice in China and beyond

This essay gauges the significance of Sapio‟s (2010) well-researched book in the field of comparative criminology, especially the critical studies of criminal justice systems. It contrasts Sapio‟s theoretical approach with existing approaches, which also attempt to explain related topics, especially law enforcement and state violence. . I shall first introduce the major concepts, theoretical logic and empirical case study of a major school of comparative criminology – contemporary socialist criminology. I shall then identify and illuminate the contributions that Sapio‟s work has made to the field of comparative criminology. Based on the lessons learnt from the discussion, I shall argue that Sapio might have opened a new possibility for a better comparative criminology which would necessitate a more nuanced theoretical attempt to link Marxist insights with Gramsci, Foucault, Agamben and Schmitt for conceiving criminal justice as an essential practice of statecraft.