The judicial meaning of money. The multiple uses of cash in criminal justice

Abstract

In this article we seek to analyze some of the senses given to money by judicial actors who work in criminal justice. For this purpose, we shall take as reference the literature related to the moral sociology of money which has been put to the test in order to explore various phenomena rather than look into the judicial field in particular. In general, two are the subjects at the social level which usually associate money with justice: the fact that justice members do not pay income tax and, in addition to this, the suspicion about possible acts of enrichment by certain judicial actors. Both issues will be explored, along with other topics that stem from the testimonies of judicial members themselves, such as the characterization of their daily expenses, together with the relevance of their investment in clothing, the contribution amount for birthday presents, as well as their assessment of their own income. All this shall be examined by observing the above-mentioned core concepts of the moral sociology of money –or the multiple monies- in order to point out how and to what extent the currency in circulation within criminal justice may establish or renew bonds among its members, not just standardize or corrupt them.