How does the theory of “penal populism” explain penal policies in certain countries? This essay will explain how theories of penal populism explain the penal policies in selected countries by first analyzing penal policies populism using New Zealand as a lens, and secondly by comparing New Zealand to the Nordic countries, which are not seen as coincident with populous penal thinking and in thereby determining whether the theory explains New Zealand's penal policies. The theory of penal populism at its most basic level has been described as "conveying the idea that politicians exploit and use for their own purposes what they believe to be the generally punitive position of the public" (Bartlett), which infers that these are ideas that politicians use to win votes so that they can stay in power. However, the theory of penal populism is not that simple and has been developed to contain four extensions seen in contemporary New Zealand which also help to explain penal policies. The first extension of the basic theory of penal populism is called “disenchantment with the existing”. democratic system and aims to establish a link between government changes and how they have affected the growth of penal populism. Neoliberalism is a political system that has come to power in many developed countries for decades. In the New Zealand context, it was not added until 1984. Before the change, the government system relied heavily on economist John Maynard Keynes and his theories. (Lunt et al., 2008a). The system was therefore very restrictive in the political, social and economic spheres, but it aimed to provide a better system than the seemingly destructive liberal welfare systems that were in place before Keynesianism by trying to... middle of paper. ......, ISHAYA, LD, SUMAN, K., BORKAR, UA, PRUSTY, PB, SRIVASTAVA, A., GUPTA, S., GUPTA, K., SREENIVASULU, SE & JANGUBHAI, NM A conceptual overview of Deviance and its implications for mental health: a biopsychosocial perspective.OECD. Better Life Index: Norway [Online]. Available: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/sweden/ [Accessed 15/05/2014. PRATT, J. & CLARK, M. 2005. Penal populism in New Zealand. Punishment & Society, 7, 303-317. ROPER, BS 2005. Prosperity for all? : economic, social and political change in New Zealand since 1935, Southbank, Social Science Press. WARD, K., LONGAKER, AJ, WILLIAMS, J., NAYLOR, A., ROSE, CA & SIMPSON, CG 2013. Incarceration in American and Nordic prisons: comparison of national and international policies. ENGAGE-The international journal of research and practice in student engagement, 1, 36-47.