What is the connection between social justice and criminal justice? The terms "social justice" and "criminal justice" are themselves so contested that one must pause, before considering the relationship between them, to think carefully about what they mean. Each term can be said to pose a question. In speaking of social justice, one asks about the requisites of a justly constituted society; in speaking of criminal justice, one asks about the basis of just punishment. Given everyday usage, though, each term can also be said to provide an answer to the question it poses.
