Popular punitivism and cultural mediation: The case of Spain

In the last decade, an increasing number of scholars have discussed and articulated embracement of popular punitivism within Spain. The discourse while vital to the study of popular punitivism has missed an important element, specific to the cultural mediators present within the nation. As the current discourse has missed this vital component, the intent of this article is to examine how a post-Franco Spain emerged to embrace elements of popular punitivism, most notably the use of prisons, while embracing a penal structure and philosophy that is reintegrative at its core. As such, it is offered that the cultural factors present within the nation have enabled it to mitigate some of the most harmful characteristics of popular punitivism