Showing papers in "Criminology & Criminal Justice in 2011"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors shed light on extra-legal forms of stigma based on in-depth interviews with marijuana users (N = 92) randomly recruited in the city of Toronto.
Abstract: Cannabis (marijuana) has undergone a normalizing process as indicated by high use rates, social tolerance, and broader cultural acceptance of its use in many countries. Yet, consistent with its status as a banned drug, users still face the threat of legal sanctions and experiences of stigma that challenge the assumptions of the normalization thesis. In this paper we shed light on extra-legal forms of stigma based on in-depth interviews with marijuana users (N = 92) randomly recruited in the city of Toronto. Notwithstanding indications of a normalizing process in respondents’ understanding and experience of use, mainstream conventional perspectives about cannabis as risky, even marginal or deviant, were prominent as well. The findings are interpreted with reference to Goffman’s (1963) theoretical distinction between normalization and the more apt description of normification reflected in the attitudes of marijuana users. Consistent with the latter term, these data indicate that stigma is internalized by us...
171 citations
TL;DR: Payment by results allows the government to pay a provider of services on the basis of the outcomes their service achieves rather than the inputs or outputs the provider delivers as discussed by the authors, which is called payment by results.
Abstract: Payment by results allows the government to pay a provider of services on the basis of the outcomes their service achieves rather than the inputs or outputs the provider delivers. Social impact bon...
138 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored existing research in this area, investigating potential links between Asperger's Syndrome and criminality and looked at the level of understanding of this syndrome by the criminal justice system.
Abstract: Clinical knowledge of Asperger’s Syndrome and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders has developed enormously since Hans Asperger’s early definition of ‘autistic psychopathy’ in 1944, yet societal misunderstandings persist and recent research claims that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are potentially over-represented within the criminal justice system. Furthermore, numerous authorities have expressed concern that those working within the criminal justice sector lack the requisite training to respond effectively to those with Asperger’s Syndrome and consequently affected individuals experience particular difficulty in negotiating the criminal justice process. This article critically explores existing research in this area, investigating potential links between Asperger’s Syndrome and criminality and looks at the level of understanding of this syndrome by the criminal justice system. As Asperger’s Syndrome is associated with reasonable intellectual ability, it presents greater issues for the identification and treatment of people with the syndrome if they come into contact with the criminal justice system. The authors highlight the need for further research into this complex issue, and suggest that those who work within the criminal justice system should be aware of and have access to training and/or appropriately trained colleagues in order that the needs of this particularly vulnerable group might be more effectively met.
83 citations
TL;DR: The analysis lends support to a ‘security hypothesis’ component of an explanation for the major national and international crime drops that is based in the criminologies of everyday life.
Abstract: Car theft in the UK fell two-thirds from the mid-1990s as part of more widespread crime drops, and has been attributed to improved vehicle security. This study develops a Security Impact Assessment Tool (SIAT) to gauge the contribution of individual security devices and their combination. The metric of impact derived is termed the Security Protection Factor (SPF). Cars with central locking plus an electronic immobilizer, and often an alarm, are found to be ‘SPF 25’, that is, they were up to 25 times less likely to be stolen than those without security. That impact is greater than expected from the individual contributions of those devices, and is attributed to interaction effects. Tracking devices are found to be particularly effective but rarer. Protective effects were greater against theft of cars than against theft from cars or attempts, almost certainly reflecting the difficulty imposed on thieves by electronic immobilizers. It is suggested that this type of analysis could be usefully extended to other crime types and security combinations. The analysis also lends support to a ‘security hypothesis’ component of an explanation for the major national and international crime drops that is based in the criminologies of everyday life.
83 citations
TL;DR: The Together Women project as mentioned in this paper has been used to evaluate the impact of women's involvement in crime and to divert them from prison, but the final assessment of impact relies on a quantitative assessment based on project files and criminal records data.
Abstract: In 2004 the Government in England and Wales published a new policy on responding to women who offend. The aims were to reduce women’s involvement in crime and to divert them from prison. The ‘Together Women’ project was funded under this policy initiative to demonstrate how services for women offenders should be provided in the community. The first stage of the associated evaluation included interviews with Together Women’s clients as their feedback was seen as important in helping to develop effective services and as an early indicator of impact. However, the final assessment of impact relies on a quantitative assessment based on project files and criminal records data. The only interviews to be conducted will focus on asking sentencers about whether they use Together Women to divert women from custody.This article draws on interviews conducted with Together Women clients in the project’s development phase to argue that outcome evaluations which rely exclusively or mainly on information in project databa...
63 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the conceptual framework of Situational Crime Prevention can be meaningfully applied to the phenomena variously labelled "organized crime" and several approaches are identified which in different respects imply modifications to the situational framework in order to accommodate assumed specificities of ‘organized crime' including criminal activities transcending space and time, and "organized" criminals being capable of selecting and shaping crime settings.
Abstract: This essay and review examines to what extent the conceptual framework of Situational Crime Prevention can be meaningfully applied to the phenomena variously labelled ‘organized crime’. Several approaches are identified which in different respects imply modifications to the situational framework in order to accommodate assumed specificities of ‘organized crime’, including ‘organized’ criminal activities transcending space and time, and ‘organized’ criminals being capable of selecting and shaping crime settings. It is argued that while a situational approach to the study of ‘organized crime’ is useful in some respects, in other respects the conceptual framework of Situational Crime Prevention needs to be modified to a point where its universal applicability is called into question.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an alternative explanation for the apparent impact of marriage on criminal and delinquent behaviour is presented. But the authors do not explore the implications of their findings for the study of desistance and for self-control theory.
Abstract: In recent years a number of studies have observed empirical associations between the occurrence of key life events such as marriage, employment, and military service, and desistance from crime. The relationships between these life-course transitions and changes in criminal behaviour have been cited as evidence in support of social control and social learning theories of delinquency and in contradiction to alternative theoretical perspectives that downplay the significance of life events in the development of criminal behaviour over the lifespan. In this paper we develop and test an alternative explanation for the apparent impact of marriage on criminal and delinquent behaviour. We argue that transitions such as marriage might also promote desistance, in part, by enabling offenders to develop and exercise increased self-control. We then test this hypothesis using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and explore the implications of our findings for the study of desistance and for self-control theory.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the consequences of the discourses of 'penality' when underpinned by ideological assumptions and expectations based on gender relations are considered, while acknowledging that community sanctions are unlikely in themselves to be capable of addressing broader issues that bring women into and retain them in the criminal justice system.
Abstract: Despite the increasing numbers of women given community sentences in the UK and in other jurisdictions in recent years, there has been relatively little research into women's experiences of these disposals. This is particularly surprising given what is known about the distinctive characteristics of women in conflict with the law and the gendered nature of pathways to crime. This article draws upon the experiences of women made subject to a range of community sentences to identify recurring themes including the complexity of women's problems, the significance of stigma, trauma and abuse, the importance to women of their supervisory relationships, the relevance of self-efficacy and the nature of barriers to compliance. The article considers the consequences of the discourses of 'penality' when underpinned by ideological assumptions and expectations based on gender relations. The implications for the supervision of women in the community are considered, while acknowledging that community sanctions are unlikely in themselves to be capable of addressing broader issues that bring women into and retain them in the criminal justice system.
56 citations
TL;DR: The past two decades or so have seen a growing interest in "active" (or "responsible") citizenship within local public safety projects and programs, but little is known about how such projects fu...
Abstract: The past two decades or so have seen a growing interest in ‘active’ (or ‘responsible’) citizenship within local public safety projects and programmes, but little is known about how such projects fu...
54 citations
TL;DR: Public confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS) is a topic of perennial concern across the United Kingdom, particularly in light of the relatively low levels of confidence reported in the Br...
Abstract: Public confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS) is a topic of perennial concern across the United Kingdom, particularly in light of the relatively low levels of confidence reported in the Br...
54 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that moral panics should be conceptualized as volatile expressions of long-term moral regulation processes, and examine claims-making activities about the threat posed by British youth who don hooded tops in public places.
Abstract: This article is a contribution to widening the focus of moral panic studies. Our aim is to advance recent attempts to link moral panic studies to the criminological literature on moral regulation. We argue that moral panics should be conceptualized as volatile expressions of long-term moral regulation processes. To substantiate these conceptual and theoretical arguments, we examine claims-making activities about the threat posed by British youth who don hooded tops in public places.
TL;DR: The authors explored the way the representation of criminals as "dangerous others" manifests in prison discourse and practice, drawing on data from maximum-security prisons in England, and found that "the representation of prisoners as 'dangerous' others' manifests in the way they are treated by the system.
Abstract: Drawing on data from maximum-security prisons in England, this article explores the way the representation of criminals as ‘dangerous others’ manifests in prison discourse and practice. Following B...
TL;DR: The authors explored monitoring officers' attitudes to their work and their working practices and highlighted how safety concerns impact upon their work, and identified a range of strategies which are used to deal with their anxieties.
Abstract: Monitoring officers are responsible for putting electronic monitoring (EM) policy into practice and ensuring that offenders are monitored and that alleged non-compliance is investigated. Arguably, they are a new criminal justice profession and exploring their working values and practices is important if we are to understand how EM operates and to address questions about its effectiveness. This article explores monitoring officers’ attitudes to their work and their working practices. It highlights how safety concerns impact upon their work and identifies a range of strategies which are used to deal with their anxieties. It also examines whether monitoring officers have an identifiable occupational culture concluding that while they share a working orientation, a strong cohesive occupational culture is absent. However, differences in working values were identified among monitoring officers, which mirror the range of working credos identified in other criminal justice professionals. The extent to which the w...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors trace the conflicting co-existence of three narratives in relation to the risk society and the practices that it engenders, and illustrate the extent to which the discordance that can be found between these three narratives reveals much about the risks of politics and the politics of risk.
Abstract: The central purpose of this article is to trace the conflicting co-existence of three narratives in relation to the ‘risk society’ and the practices that it engenders. The first of these narratives is theoretical: the problems and possibilities of the risk society thesis. The second is practical: how the concept of risk has been translated into policy and practice in the form of risk assessment tools for both ‘at risk’ offenders and ‘at risk’ victims. The focus in this narrative will be on criminal justice responses to violence in general with particular emphasis on responses to partner violence. The third narrative focuses on ‘real lives’: the experiential. Here attention will be paid to what is it that is, or is not, captured by the first two narratives. The concern will be to illustrate the extent to which the discordance that can be found between these three narratives reveals much about the risks of politics and the politics of risk.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the legacy of New Labour in terms of tackling anti-social behaviour and suggest that rather than abandoning the ASBO altogether, there may be advantages to'rehabilitating' the anti-BOE within the context of a range of more farsighted and proactive community-based measures.
Abstract: An ongoing commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour was a central part of the New Labour policy agenda throughout their 13 years in government. Their policy and practice became increasingly enforcement-led with the anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) at the cornerstone of their agenda. Police and local authorities came under pressure to see the ASBO, along with a whole range of other enforcement powers, as almost a panacea for tackling anti-social behaviour and, in particular, youth disorder. This article draws upon the literature, the authors' own evaluation experience and recently released statistics from the Ministry of Justice and the British Crime Survey to examine the legacy of New Labour in terms of tackling anti-social behaviour. These are discussed within the context of the Coalition Government's emerging ideas about how best to tackle anti-social behaviour, including their plans to abandon the ASBO along with other enforcement measures introduced under New Labour. We suggest that rather than abandoning the ASBO altogether, there may be advantages to 'rehabilitating' the ASBO within the context of a range of more far-sighted and proactive community-based measures. We discuss the lessons to be learnt from New Labour's legacy and discuss ways forward within the context of coalition government policy.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors treated experiences of the institutionalized disjuncture between corporate crime and real crime through consideration of criminal justice, legal and regulatory responses to six cases of occupational death and those bereaved by it.
Abstract: A longstanding separation between corporate crime and ‘real’ or ‘conventional’ crime is both reflected in and institutionalized through state responses to corporate offending, excluding the victims of corporate crime from consideration or treatment as real victims of real crime. Experiences of this institutionalized disjuncture are treated in this article, through consideration of criminal justice, legal and regulatory responses to six cases of occupational death and those bereaved by it. Drawing upon data gleaned from semi-structured interviews, the article documents further processes of victimization through responses to this specific class of deaths, amounting to a denial of their very status as victims. The evidence presented here coheres with the wider, if hardly voluminous, literature on corporate crime victimization. The article concludes by discussing the wider significance of the struggle for victimhood, not least for criminology itself.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight the possibilities for researching port security from a criminological starting point, by describing port insecurities and their regulation, and conceptualizing the late modern condition of security.
Abstract: While public and criminological interest in ports is remarkably scarce, they form an intersection of (images of) crime and crime control. Port security organizations and personnel are confronted with that intersection in their everyday work life. In this article I will highlight the possibilities for researching port security from a criminological starting point. By describing port insecurities and their regulation, I will conceptualize the late modern condition of security. After this, the theoretical promises of a criminological analysis of port security shall be discussed, for example, how recent developed thoughts on security consumption filter through at the specific geographical sites of the port. In moving towards a criminology of port security, I aim to set the focus on security in transnational spaces and transport, and to contribute to a critical engagement within the prioritized criminological theorization of the globalized security society.
TL;DR: This article explored aspects of young men's gender identities as they serve time in an English Young Offender Institution, arguing that the evocation of a specific condition of being 'on road' is linked to forms of youthful masculine collectivity, "my boys", which valorize pre-modern forms of martial masculinity.
Abstract: This article explores aspects of young men's gender identities as they serve time in an English Young Offender Institution. Based on qualitative research, the article discusses three dimensions of the way the young men talk about their lives, inside and outside prison. It is argued that the evocation of a specific condition of being 'on road' is linked to forms of youthful masculine collectivity, 'my boys', which valorize pre-modern forms of martial masculinity. These two themes converge in the pre-eminence of 'postcode pride', the salience of 'the local' in the young men's accounts of themselves. These aspects of the young men's experience are explored with reference to other recent research findings on young men's experience of 'gang' activity and living on the social margins.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed an empirical account of the impact of contemporary penal developments on frontline probation practice in England and Wales, drawing on a study that examined how the interr...
Abstract: To develop an empirical account of the impact of contemporary penal developments on frontline probation practice in England and Wales, this article will draw on a study that examined how the interr...
TL;DR: This article explored the public reaction to mitigating factors and the circumstances which may justify imposition of a community penalty even though the custodial threshold has been crossed, and found that significant support emerged for a wide range of mitigating factors at sentencing.
Abstract: Determining the factors which make a difference between a custodial sentence and a community penalty is one of the most challenging decisions for sentencers. Little research to date has explored the nature of public reaction to mitigating factors and the circumstances which may justify imposition of a community penalty even though the custodial threshold has been crossed. This article reports findings from a representative survey of the British public. Respondents were asked a series of questions designed to explore public reaction to sentencing cases at the custodial threshold. Public opinion polls suggest that the public respond punitively at sentencing, and have little sympathy for mitigating factors relating to the offender. In a series of questions, using experimental manipulations, respondents demonstrated considerable flexibility when sentencing cases near the custodial threshold. Significant support emerged for a wide range of mitigating factors at sentencing. The strength of public support for custody as a sanction was also explored by providing respondents who had imposed a term of imprisonment a possible alternative community penalty. Significant proportions of respondents found the alternative acceptable, even for relatively serious offences.
TL;DR: Both approaches had notable benefits and, given the diverse array of sexual violence victims in any given area, providing these two different, yet complementary, approaches to supporting them is recommended.
Abstract: This article explores the strengths and limitations of two different types of settings that provide specialist support to victims of sexual violence in the UK: Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and voluntary sector organizations such as Rape Crisis. Qualitative data from six case study sites and quantitative data from 35 sexual violence projects in England and Wales revealed that the type of setting affected the types of referrals received and this, in turn, shaped the services required by victims and thus the nature of the work preformed. Consequently, each type of project had different emphases in their workload with which they were particularly well equipped to handle. Each type also had its own unique challenges; for example, while there were notable benefits from delivering support in partnership models, such as SARCs, their affiliation with statutory partners was perceived by some as a disadvantage, especially for those seeking support in relation to historical sexual abuse. On the other hand, those delivering support in voluntary sector projects had to work harder to establish and maintain relationships with other agencies, but their independence was seen to be greater and this was perceived as a strength for gaining access to victims and maintaining their confidence. Both approaches had notable benefits and, given the diverse array of sexual violence victims in any given area, providing these two different, yet complementary, approaches to supporting them is recommended.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider whether there are any gender-specific factors which make it particularly likely that women will make such admissions and conclude that, despite the risk of infantilizing women, changes specific to them have a greater chance of being implemented.
Abstract: There is now a great deal of research evidence which shows that people admit to crimes they have not committed, whether in the form of a plea bargain or a false confession. This article considers whether there are any gender-specific factors which make it particularly likely that women will make such admissions. Evidence is gathered from interviews with 50 sentenced adult women in an English prison as well as from the existing literature. It is found that women are indeed subject to a variety of pressures — ranging from coercion and threats to family responsibilities — which make them more compliant to the suggestions of police and prosecutors. Consideration is given to whether procedural changes in the criminal justice system (such as the introduction of the ‘gender equality duty’) are likely to improve the situation. It is concluded that, despite the risk of infantilizing women, changes specific to them have a greater chance of being implemented.
TL;DR: In recent times judicial sentencing has become harsher. This is in response, at least in part, to the public's apparent view of mitigation personal to the offender as of little importance, particul...
Abstract: In recent times judicial sentencing has become harsher. This is in response, at least in part, to the public’s apparent view of mitigation personal to the offender as of little importance, particul...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the time has come to develop ethical and legal safeguards in respect of probation service interviews with offenders related to public protection matters and that the importance attached to the information gained has increased.
Abstract: This article asks if the time has come to develop ethical and legal safeguards in respect of probation service interviews with offenders related to public protection matters Police interviews in England and Wales with suspects have long had protective measures around them and have also in recent years developed a whole range of ethical training and protocols to govern the quality of interviewing and information gathering The measures are deemed necessary as these stages in criminal justice processes are considered to be ‘critical points’ It is argued here that at a time when probation interview training (at least in the qualifying phase) has decreased, the importance attached to the information gained has increased As indeterminate sentences for public protection become ever-more popular with sentencers, the importance of probation officer risk assessment has reached new heights; yet offenders have only minimal safeguards in terms of what they say to probation officers in interview
TL;DR: The authors conducted interviews with 26 migrants from the Former Soviet Union who were involved in delinquency prior to emigration to Germany and found that desisters can progress quickly when their agency and motivation are acknowledged in society and when receiving support from new friends and society.
Abstract: Recent work on desistance from delinquency increasingly considers knifing off — an explicit change of one’s social environment and opportunity structure — but has largely ignored immigration as a cause of knifing off. Interviews with 26 migrants from the Former Soviet Union who were involved in delinquency prior to emigration to Germany show that differences between desisters and persisters with respect to delinquency, agency and the social and structural situation arise just after arrival. Desisters can progress quickly when their agency and motivation are acknowledged in society and when receiving support from new friends and society. Persistence appears to be fostered by quick and repeated negative experiences, and reinforced by making friends who share similar problems rather than providing support in the process of integration.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the changing role of expertise within a society increasingly subject to policies justified by a risk narrative and propose that traditionally conceived experts such as government officials, police officers and road safety practitioners have had to adapt to the reality of a "marketplace" of expertise in which their own expert product must be marketed in order to compete with that of other self-proclaimed experts.
Abstract: This article explores the changing role of expertise within a society increasingly subject to policies justified by a 'risk' narrative. It uses the ongoing debate around the use of speed cameras to enforce speed limits as a lens through which the twin challenges of the 'demonopolization' and 'democratization' of expertise can be understood. Drawing on empirical research conducted with those who view themselves as experts in relation to the issue of speeding it proposes, first, that traditionally conceived experts such as government officials, police officers and road safety practitioners have had to adapt to the reality of a 'marketplace' of expertise in which their own expert product must be marketed in order to compete with that of other self-proclaimed expert voices. Second, and drawing on research conducted with drivers themselves, this research proposes that these marketing strategies are being deployed for the benefit of a public which actually sees itself as emancipated from such external sources of expertise and able to claim expert status in its own right. The findings are of potential relevance to any policy maker, practitioner or pressure group seeking to use a risk narrative to legitimate or oppose a policy stance.
TL;DR: The concept of "dignity" has always played an important role in the opinions written by members of the US Supreme Court in capital punishment cases as mentioned in this paper, however, the justices have failed to agree about either the type or nature of dignity involved.
Abstract: The concept of 'dignity' has always played an important role in the opinions written by members of the US Supreme Court in capital punishment cases. However, the justices have failed to agree about either the type or nature of dignity involved. This article identifies and analyzes the three main categories of dignity that have appeared in the justices' death penalty opinions. Justice Brennan's concurrence in Furman v. Georgia (1972) is used to explore the abolitionist argument that capital punishment cannot constitutionally coexist with respect for innate human dignity. By contrast, Justice Kennedy's majority opinion in Roper v. Simmons (2005) argues that human dignity is not threatened by a heavily regulated death penalty. Finally, Chief Justice Roberts's opinion in Baze v. Rees (2008) focuses our attention on an institutionalized formulation of dignity that emphasizes respect for the dignity of the State that employs the death penalty. The Supreme Court's dialogue on death penalty dignity is ongoing. Consequently, this article's analysis will aid us when we seek to understand future opinions in which the justices debate the role that the concept of 'dignity' can and should play 'when the State kills'.
TL;DR: In this article, Manning identifies a number of emerging issues in the field of police cooperation, and adopts a rather loose definition of the process, and favors the police view of their own successes.
Abstract: valued but because it is the only way to make a seizure. Lemieux’s Table 14.2 is unclear because it refers to the average size of seizures in arrests. My guess is that there is a low correlation between arrests and size of seizure, and that the variance in size would be such to discount any such ‘average’. Disaggregation of the arrests and the actual size of the seizure might reveal this relationship more precisely. At any rate, efficiency and effectiveness cannot be determined without independent measures of the market – per cent purity, number of dealers, cost per gram, number of users (Manning, 2004: 32–38). Seizures and arrests are very distant surrogates for effect on a drug specific market. While this book identifies a number of emerging issues in the field of police cooperation, it adopts a rather loose definition of the process, and favors the police view of their own successes.
TL;DR: In this article, the author introduced Erving Goffman's classic The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, and shown whether Goffman’s work is generalizable to online communities, and discussed some of the more interesting psychological processes that characterize behaviour in cyberspace.
Abstract: author had introduced Erving Goffman’s classic The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, and shown whether Goffman’s work is generalizable to online communities. Other discussions of what has come to be called ‘Netiquette’ would also have enriched the work. There are many places in terrestrial space places where I, despite having every right to do so, would not venture, because in doing so I would expose myself to the risk of offensive sights or insulting comments. If I had the time and the inclination to hang around in virtual communities, no doubt there are places there too, that I would avoid. To those who are affronted by unseemly conduct in a chatroom, I would bring to mind the doctrine volenti non fit injuria. The author’s contribution lies in his methodology, and in his discussing some of the more interesting psychological processes that characterize behaviour in cyberspace. Whether one is dealing in cyber-fantasyland, or in real cyberspace (such as the intranet of a major corporation or government organization), the technology does appear to lower inhibitions. That art imitates life and vice versa has been noted for some time. It was interesting to learn that one of the participants in the virtual community who had a penchant for sadomasochistic fantasies, struck up an electronic relationship with another participant of compatible interests. They agreed to meet in the real world, where their fantasy became reality and resulted in homicide. The author correctly observes that governments, burdened with more real crime (both terrestrial and electronic) than they can handle, are not likely to concern themselves with insults or sadistic fantasies expressed in chatrooms. Jihadist musings may be a different matter, however. For the time being, if I were of the militant persuasion, I would not presume to be anonymous while online.