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Culture And Contempt: The Limitations Of Expressive Criminal Law, Ted Sampsell-Jones

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will attempt to highlight certain important features of the expressive function of criminal law that have been neglected. Bringing these elements into higher relief will add to our understanding of how expressive criminal law works and, in particular, how it can fail to work as intended. This article will look closely at one example of the operation of expressive criminal law. The example comes from the area of criminal drug policy, and will examine how expressive drug laws have functioned in the street subculture of urban minority communities. Part II, describes street ideology and the social meanings of …