In the publicly traded knowledge about crime, slogans like "Take crime seriously," "Protect victims instead of pampering offenders," or "Clean up like in New York" set narrow limits on the analysis of state punishment in the 1990s. Helga Cremer-Schäfer and Heinz Steinert put this knowledge to the test by questioning the categorizations of people offered by the institution of "crime and punishment," by examining the ideological strategies in public discourse about "crime" and "violence," and by investigating the conditions in modes of production and social structure that civilize and push back state punishment or (re)expand it. Thus, they provide a still relevant and urgently needed starting point for a realistic, reflective consideration of "crime and punishment." The volume is now being reissued in an updated version.