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Lately questions of “meaning” have become the be-all-and-end-all of the reflection that is supposed allow us to understand and resolve all types of crisis, be they social, political or institutional. Concerning criminal penalties, much has already been said and written, and returning to the subject today, after the conference on justice (États généraux de la justice) recently organised to understand and try to provide answers to the crisis currently facing the judicial institutions, is a good opportunity to re-examine the issues in the light of changes whose significance and reach we are a long way from having measured. If there is one area of expertise that should help us to get a better grasp of the meaning of punishment, it has to be criminology, which covers all the relevant disciplines.