Plato's Penal Code

'Professor Saunders isn't a bore. His book is long-range anthropology of the most scholarly kind.' Nigel Walker, University of Cambridge, British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 33, No. 1, Winter 1993 'a very useful and clear account of the actual practice of Athenian law, how it developed. and the relationship of Plato's ideas to what was actually going on in his own day ... This book is, quite simply, essential reading.' Greece & Rome, April 1993 'This latest book is his most substantial work thus far and incorporates the results of many of his earlier forth his main thesis clearly and defends it vigorously ... there is much of value in S.'s work ... His book will certainly be the starting point for future work on Plato's penology.' Michael Gagarin, University of Texas, The Classical Review, Vol. XLIII, No. 1, 1993 'Saunders has done a splendid job of categorizing Plato's ideas about all types of penalties and then comparing them with what we know about penology of his time, especially at Athens. Saunder's interpretations will provide a fertile ground for future discussion.' Donald F. Jackson, University of Iowa, Religious Studies Review, Volume 19, Number 2, April 1993 'Throughout Saunders exercises admirable patience in sorting out the often confusing or obscure passages in the Laws; many sections amount to detailed philological and historical commentary on extended passages from Plato's unfinished (and probably unrevised) work. I recommend this book warmly to students of Plato's political thought and of Greek law; despite its massive detail and painstaking analysis, Saunders manages to infect the reader with his fascination for the subject.' John Bussanich, University of New Mexico, Classical World