News about new printed books available on the shelves of our library.
Urban Vehovar’s book Za dostojanstvo: Proti sovraštvu in zlu (Primus, 2026) offers a collection of essays providing a reflective and in-depth examination of Slovenian society, its history, and contemporary socio-political challenges. Drawing on the author’s distance gained through life and work in Berlin, as well as his long-term professional engagement in Slovenia, the book critically addresses themes such as human dignity, historical memory, social fragmentation, political polarization, and the impact of corruption on the country’s development. Based on personal experience alongside social and historical analysis, the author encourages readers toward independent thinking, the overcoming of ideological divisions, and the pursuit of a society grounded in respect for human dignity, dialogue, and greater social cohesion.
The Research Handbook on Penal Policy (E. Elgar, 2026) provides a comprehensive analysis of how contemporary penal policies are shaped, contested, and transformed across different countries and institutional contexts. Focusing on the development of penal strategies, it explains why some systems converge internationally while others evolve in divergent directions. Contributions from leading scholars and researchers address current trends and challenges in penal policy, including policy transfer, the rise of penal populism, technocratic approaches to policy-making, the influence of human rights, and the evaluation of policy outcomes. Particular attention is given to issues of penal governance and the political dimensions of crime and punishment, with authors examining how decisions on penal interventions are made and which value-based, interest-driven, and practical factors shape them. The handbook combines theoretical reflection, normative analysis, and a comparative international perspective with empirical insights into the functioning of criminal justice systems. As such, it serves as a foundational work for understanding contemporary debates in penal policy and for bridging theory and practice in criminal law, criminology, and criminal justice.
