Showing papers in "Howard Journal of Criminal Justice in 1999"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors make connections between two different research fields: the What Works? literature on the effectiveness of community programmes in bringing about a reduction in reoffending; and, from the criminal careers literature, the discussion of the wider social processes by which people themselves come to stop offending.
Abstract: This article seeks to make connections between two different research fields: the ‘What Works?’ literature on the effectiveness of community programmes in bringing about a reduction in reoffending; and, from the criminal careers literature, the discussion of the wider social processes by which people themselves come to stop offending. It does this by examining desistance from the point of view of a group of probationers and their supervisors. Reporting the extent to which probationers who were interviewed linked their experiences of supervision to a reduction in their offending, the article discusses the contribution which they saw those experiences as making to changes in their behaviour. Relating these accounts to what is known about the factors which cause people to desist from crime, the article considers the implications for how probation officers might be able to motivate and assist moves towards law-abiding conduct.
306 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a content analysis methodology was used to examine the issue of male rape among prison populations within the United States within the last 40 years, and a scheme of inmate classification was proposed to identify violent sexual aggressors and separate them from the general non-violent prison population.
Abstract: This research utilises a content analysis methodology to examine the issue of male rape among prison populations within the United States. The physical and psychological aspects of rape are described by professionals, victims, and aggressors. The inmate terminology related to prison rape such as Punk and Jocker are defined to show the social structure of the prison sexual subculture. Previous theories of prison rape concerning racism, power, and sexual deprivation are discussed and analysed. Racism perpetrated against white inmates by black inmates is indicated to be the single causal factor in prison rape. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicate a prevalence of predominantly black rapists and white victims nationwide for the last 40 years. The controversial issues of conjugal visits, home furlough release, or allowing homosexual behaviour in prisons are debated as possible solutions to remedy prison sexual assault. The debate concerning the issuance of condoms in prison to prevent the transmission of the AIDS or HIV virus during rape attacks is discussed. The inmate classification system is presented as one viable solution to reduce the number of prison rapes. The scheme of inmate classification is to identify violent sexual aggressors and separate them from the general non-violent prison population. The author also considers separation by racial and ethnic categories since literary evidence shows ‘lack racism'’ to be the common denominator in most prison sexual assaults and rapes of predominantly white inmates.
70 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the responses of a group of women who reported rape in 3 Area (North East) of the Metropolitan Police District during the years 1993 to 1995 with a view to ascertaining their reactions to police processes and to gauging those aspects of their contact with the police which they regarded as particularly positive or negative.
Abstract: In the 1980s, in response to public criticism of police handling of rape cases, changes of style and procedure were initiated by the Metropolitan Police. Other forces followed suit. But there has been little research to monitor the impact of the new regimes. This article looks at the responses of a group of women who reported rape in 3 Area (North East) of the Metropolitan Police District during the years 1993 to 1995 with a view to ascertaining their reactions to police processes and to gauging those aspects of their contact with the police which they regarded as particularly positive or negative. The article suggests that, given the vast increase since the 1980s in the number of rapes being reported annually, particularly in the Metropolitan Police District, a fresh look may need to be given to current police systems.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that despite assertions that they represent radically different approaches to dealing with offenders, risk management and rehabilitation can be understood as complementary as well as competing concepts.
Abstract: This article addresses two trends discernible in the probation service in the last ten years: firstly, the rise of the concept of ‘risk management’ and, secondly, the revival of interest in rehabilitation in the guise of the ‘What Works’ movement. It is noted that, whilst both concepts have received much attention, discussion of their relationship has been limited. This article argues that, despite assertions that they represent radically different approaches to dealing with offenders, risk management and rehabilitation can be understood as complementary as well as competing concepts.
48 citations
TL;DR: The results of a telephone survey of British therapeutic and educational programs specifically for men who are violent towards women partners are presented in this article. But, the findings suggest some resistance has been experienced, most importantly from probation officers and women's groups.
Abstract: The results are presented of a telephone survey of British therapeutic and educational programmes specifically for men who are violent towards women partners. The following issues are considered: the organisational status of projects, funding, systems of referral, resistance to the creation of programmes, relationship with women's refuge organisations and theoretical and ideological orientations. The findings suggest some resistance has been experienced, most importantly from probation officers and women's groups. The programmes are predominantly cognitive-behavioural in orientation and around half of all projects take men as part of a court order. The significance of these findings is discussed in the light of the recent encouraging evaluation of two pro-feminist and cognitive-behavioural criminal justice programmes.
39 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the development of zero tolerance policing in Britain and America and traces the philosophical and theoretical bases of the zero tolerance approach and how they have influenced the practical implementation of a particular view of the police role in society.
Abstract: This article examines the development of zero tolerance policing in Britain and America. It traces the philosophical and theoretical bases of the zero tolerance approach and how they have influenced the practical implementation of a particular view of the police role in society. It is argued that central to the changes in public policing within the wider remit of social control, is an increasingly influential populist dynamic which is transforming political approaches to law and order.
38 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identified two groups of authors in a sample of post-war British autobiographies and identified several key themes, and argued that although problematic, prisoner autobiography should receive more systematic attention as a contribution to the penological archive.
Abstract: The voices of prisoners are seldom heard as contributors to the evaluation of imprisonment. Official discourse is hostile to their accounts. Prisoner autobiography is a small but established genre in prison writing. The article presents a critical introduction to the study of these texts. Two groups of authors are identified in a sample of post-war British autobiographies. Several key themes are identified and it is argued that, although problematic, prisoner autobiography should receive more systematic attention as a contribution to the penological archive.
38 citations
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that prison education policy, too, is in its own kind of chaos, presenting the Prison Service with the dilemma of whether to drive practitioners into the teeth of "correctional models" or one favouring individual prisoner empowerment.
Abstract: ‘Helping those serving long sentences to ‘do’ imprisonment’was the advice given to prison educational practitioners at a recent conference on dispersal prisons. Prisoners on any education courses certainly have an opportunity to ‘do’ something whilst serving those sentences. Education, moreover, presents people in prison with many challenges in the midst of the chaos of the prison. But what kind of education? This paper posits that prison education policy, too, is in its own kind of chaos – presenting the Prison Service with the dilemma of whether to drive practitioners into the teeth of ‘correctional models’or one favouring individual prisoner empowerment. Looking at the implications of these choices within the prison and beyond release for the prisoner, the article ‘breaks the silence’ in the UK on prison education.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine claims as to the cost effectiveness of the police use of informers and question the Audit Commission's limited view of effectiveness based solely on reward money paid out and seek to account for the full costs of running informers.
Abstract: In the context of the rise of proactive and intelligence led policing strategies this article examines claims as to the cost effectiveness of the police use of informers. In particular it questions the Audit Commission's limited view of effectiveness based solely on reward money paid out and seeks to account for the full costs of running informers. These, it is argued, should include all operational and organisational costs associated with recruitment and managing informers. Moreover, as the reality of using informers raises profound ethical problems there is a danger that an increase in their use could further undermine police legitimacy.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the first year of a police divisional domestic violence unit (DVU) operating in response to calls to domestic violence incidents was evaluated, and it was found that the number of domestic violence calls to the unit declined in the division, while those in the six other divisions increased.
Abstract: Since overall changes in crime rates are largely independent of the work of the police, the level of crime per se is not a measure of police performance. Where policing is a response to victimisation, a more appropriate measure would be the level of repeat victimisation. The empirical study is an evaluation of the first year of a police divisional Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) which operated in response to calls to ‘domestic’incidents. In the first year of operation of the DVU, repeat calls to domestic incidents declined in the division, while those in the six other divisions increased. However, this pattern did not hold when ‘all calls’were the measure, so that a potentially beneficial effect would have been missed. The substantive implications for the policing of domestic violence and the use of repeat victimisation as a measure for the evaluation of police crime prevention work are considered.
30 citations
TL;DR: McWilliams as discussed by the authors argued that concern altruistically to give help to all those damaged by the criminal justice process, victims, witnesses, perpetrators and their families alike, would accord with a secularised but morally grounded version of the police court mission.
Abstract: The writing of Bill McWilliams on probation history and practice is briefly reviewed. Bill’s plea for a theoretical moral underpinning for practice would, if answered, make the service less vulnerable to the discrediting of its claims that probation is effective in increasing public protection. These claims are ill-founded, and are only sustainable because of political and criminological disinclination to address the evidence or live with its consequences. The search for a moral underpinning might have led Bill to link probation with current concerns to combat social exclusion. This would involve detailed consideration of the distributive justice–retributive justice nexus and its implications for probation practice. It is argued that concern altruistically to give help to all those damaged by the criminal justice process, victims, witnesses, perpetrators and their families alike, would accord with a secularised but morally grounded version of the police court mission.
TL;DR: Fast-Track as discussed by the authors is a coerced treatment scheme for offenders who are committing property crimes to fund a drug habit, which is a multi-agency initiative between criminal justice agencies and the medical profession, aimed at breaking the link between crime and drug abuse.
Abstract: This article outlines the findings of an evaluation of the Fast-Track programme currently operating in Plymouth and Torbay. Fast-Track is a coerced treatment scheme for offenders who are committing property crimes to fund a drug habit. Treatment for offenders revolves around a multi-agency initiative between criminal justice agencies and the medical profession, which is aimed at breaking the link between crime and drug abuse. The research findings themselves present a picture of a successful programme that enjoys support from all those involved, including the client group. As well as looking at the research findings, the article offers some thoughts on the implications.
TL;DR: The Victim's Charter as discussed by the authors defines crime victims as consumers of criminal justice service, and in the process conceals some of the choices which are open to them and guides them away from collective action.
Abstract: The Citizen'a Charter characterised citizenship primarily in terms of consumer rights, and in doing so failed to take account of the complexity of the issue. Further over-simplification occurred when this limited conception of citizenship was extended to victims of crime. The Victim's Charter attempts to define crime victims as consumers of criminal justice service, and in the process conceals some of the choices which are open to them and guides them away from collective action. The Charter has instead promoted the pursuit of managerialist objectives such as increased regulation of the criminal justice professions by their service users, for example by raising victims' expectations of services without negotiating this with service providers or providing the necessary resources. In the process, services to offenders have had to be cut, and central government has been able to dissociate itself from the consequences.
TL;DR: In the UK, a curfew order with electronic monitoring is currently undergoing trials in three locations in the UK as discussed by the authors, with the aim of assessing the effectiveness and viability of the electronic monitoring of curfew orders if they were to be extended nationally.
Abstract: The high cost of keeping an offender in prison and the inadequacies of other options have led governments to look into community sentencing for a solution. The Criminal Justice Act 1991 sanctioned a new community sentence, a curfew order with electronic monitoring, popularly known as ‘tagging’’. In Britain, this new and controversial form of electronic supervision is currently undergoing trials in three locations. Sophisticated electronic equipment is used for the monitoring of the offenders'whereabouts, recording whether they are present at, or absent from a specified place. One of the aims of the trials is to assess the effectiveness and viability of the electronic monitoring of curfew orders if they were to be extended nationally. This article explores the historical background of the previous trials using electronic monitoring in England, the Criminal Justice Act 1991 with the introduction of community sentences, especially the new curfew orders with electronic monitoring and the current trials, reviews the author’s personal experience of tagging and assesses its viability.
TL;DR: In this paper, an overview of the users' experiences and feelings about being involved in partnership is provided, as well as a discussion of the key issues which influence the way partnership is both constructed and implemented in relation to service provision for such users.
Abstract: Throughout the 1990s this journal has featured articles discussing themes and issues related to probation partnerships with the voluntary sector. A missing element and valid perspective in these articles has been the viewpoint of the service user. In seeking to remedy this omission the author draws on her PhD research, which included interviews with 15 probation service users attending partnership projects. An overview of the users'experiences and feelings about being involved in partnerships is provided, as well as a discussion of the key issues which influence the way partnership is both constructed and implemented in relation to service provision for such users.
TL;DR: In this article, a twelve-week program of sports activities was offered to probation service clients with the objective of reducing offending behaviour in West Yorkshire Sports Counselling (WYSC).
Abstract: West Yorkshire Sports Counselling (WYSC) offered probation service clients a twelve-week programme of sports activities as a medium for counselling, with the objective of reducing offending behaviour. Through an evaluation of West Yorkshire Sports Counselling this article contributes to an understanding of how such projects might work to reduce crime. In the past such projects have been characterised by both poorly developed rationales and poor evaluation. The reasons for this are examined. The understandings gained from West Yorkshire Sports Counselling are related to previous research and theory, from criminology, youth work and psychology. This leads to implications for good practice and a sharper definition of the focus for further research.
TL;DR: In this paper, an evaluation of a crime prevention initiative targeted at older local authority tenants in areas of the city where crime was of particular local concern was carried out, and the evaluation suggests that it was successful in addressing both crime and fear of crime.
Abstract: This paper describes an evaluation of a crime prevention initiative which was targeted at older local authority tenants in areas of the city where crime was of particular local concern Our evaluation suggests that it was successful in addressing both crime and fear of crime Respondents indicated that they were very satisfied with the service and felt safer as a result of it Moreover, recorded burglary statistics revealed a marked reduction It is thus argued that it is possible to reduce the risk and fear of crime among older people without having a detrimental effect on their quality of life Indeed it appears that most respondents were happy to remain in the area and did not see residential care as necessary
TL;DR: The authors examines the events which led to those changes, and the failure of the prison system to acknowledge its own accountability in those events, concluding that the focus on violent women has obscured the role the prison in the generation of conflict, and that the continuing need to consider the specific factors which differentiate women's experiences and prisons from those of men.
Abstract: The ‘re-discovery’of violent women in Canada has resulted in changes to the new and innovative policies for women' federal prisons. The cottage-prison is no longer seen as appropriate for all ‘difficult’ and violent women. This article examines the events which led to those changes, and the failure of the prison system to acknowledge its own accountability in those events. The focus on violent women has obscured the role of the prison in the generation of conflict, and in the second part of the article some of that evidence is considered as well as the continuing need to consider the specific factors which differentiate women's experiences and prisons from those of men.
TL;DR: Although some witnesses benefit from the services provided by the Crown Court Witness Service, namely, the supply of information, the provision of moral support, access to physical facilities such as witness rooms, and liaison with others in the criminal justice system, the Witness Service does little to assist witnesses in giving evidence from the witness box as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although some witnesses benefit from the services provided by the Crown Court Witness Service, namely, the supply of information, the provision of moral support, access to physical facilities such as witness rooms, and liaison with others in the criminal justice system, the Witness Service does little to assist witnesses in giving evidence from the witness box. Despite its good intentions, it does not ameliorate the unpleasantness for witnesses inherent in confrontation between the witness and defendant, the principle of orality, the centrality of witness statements and cross-examination.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the way in which crime is constructed on the internet through police pages and highlight some of the questions which this raises for criminology, highlighting the need for more research in this area.
Abstract: The internet is a rapidly expanding communication medium. It has generated considerable anxiety in relation to what is perceived as the easy availability of pornography and other sexually explicit material. There is a considerable amount of police-based internet activity which constructs crime in particular ways. This article explores the way in which crime is constructed on the internet through police pages and goes on to highlight some of the questions which this raises for criminology.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the Prison Service's cross-posting policy, its key strategy for compliance with the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and found that the confusion and lack of commitment within the Service to this policy, as well as the general misunderstanding of the intent of the law.
Abstract: This article examines the Prison Service's cross-posting policy, its key strategy for compliance with the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. The impact on the development of cross-posting policy of two influential industrial tribunals and a dispute with the prison officers’ union' illustrate the confusion and lack of commitment within the Service to this policy, as well as the general misunderstanding of the intent of the law. Research shows that while administrators have focused on promoting secondary equality programmes, integration has been strongly influenced by sexual stereotyping and an informal and arbitrary application of the deployment policy.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate that specialist systems of warrant enforcement are more likely to ensure effective enforcement of community penalties warrants than non-specialist systems. But they do not consider the role of nonspecialists in the enforcement of such warrants.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that specialist systems of warrant enforcement are more likely to ensure effective enforcement of community penalties warrants than non-specialist systems. The study looked at the way these two contrasting approaches affect the priority given to the execution of community penalties warrants, along with the extent to which enquiries are pursued. This is followed by an examination of the adequacy of monitoring and supervision for warrants enforcement, and of the views of the warrants enforcement staff on any possible transfer of their tasks to civil enforcement agencies. The article concludes by suggesting future policy options to ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness of community penalties warrants enforcement.
TL;DR: The health needs of women imprisoned in England and Wales have not been systematically co-ordinated or evaluated and areas in need of improved service and research are highlighted.
Abstract: The health needs of women imprisoned in England and Wales have not been systematically co-ordinated or evaluated. This review discusses the available literature on the health of women prisoners and highlights areas in need of improved service and research. The importance of taking the opportunity to improve the immediate and long-term health of incarcerated women is emphasised.