Theoretical Criminology 1–19 © The Author(s) 2011 Reprints and permission: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1362480611420904 tcr.sagepub.com When punishment and philanthropy mix: Voluntary organizations and the governance of the domestic violence offender Rashmee Singh University of Toronto, Canada and American Bar Foundation, USA Abstract This article examines the administration of community based punishment in Toronto’s specialized domestic violence courts. Voluntary organizations play an integral role in the Ontario government’s strategy to manage domestic violence. Currently, an array of ‘mainstream’ and ‘ethno-specific’ community agencies operate as quasi-criminal justice organizations to rehabilitate and supervise court mandated offenders. Despite their categorization however, both types of organizations largely cater to the same demographics. The discussion explores the techniques of governance service providers deploy when counseling their clientele.The emergence of two differing regimes of power, one emphasizing care and the other discipline, along the mythological categories of the ‘mainstream’ and ‘ethno-specific’ illuminate the constitutive effects of organizational habits on the delivery of punishment. Keywords discipline, domestic violence, governmentality, pastoral power, voluntary organizations Introduction In recent years, the burgeoning theoretical literature on voluntary organizations has drawn attention to their integral presence in the criminal justice system, particularly in Corresponding author: Rashmee Singh, American Bar Foundation, 750 North Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA Email: rsingh@abfn.org 420904TCR XX X 10.1177/1362480611420904SinghTheoretical Criminology Article at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on May 9, 2016 tcr.sagepub.com Downloaded from