Search

The article presents information on the Discussion Paper issued by the Great Britain Home Office in 2015. Topics discussed in the paper include situational crime prevention, crime dtop in England and Wales, and drug misuse. Also being discussed are law enforcement, illicit heroin, and heroin-related acquisitive crime.

The purpose of this article is to evaluate proposals contained in the government's Green Paper Policing: Building Safer Communities Together ( Home Office 2003 ) and the White Paper Building Communities: Beating Crime ( Home Office 2004 ) to re-invigorate the structure of police governance in the UK. After providing a brief overview of New Labour's initial attempts to modernise British policing, I analyse why and how the broader political discourse of ‘new localism’ came to frame the unfolding debate about the need to revitalise police accountability. The article then offers a critical evaluation of the latest Home Office attempt to reorganise the democratic structure of police governance in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to illustrate how recent criminal justice legislation, policy and practice have conspired to hinder the development of a common approach to the sentencing of sex offenders between the courts and the prison and probation services. In consequence, the treatment needs of sentenced sex offenders have been subsumed to the wider goals of system objectives and political agendas. A number of suggestions are made for improving coherence and continuity in both policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of penalty notices for disorder ( PNDs), there has been no clear political statement as to the purpose of the scheme. The findings of a grounded analysis of the relevant parliamentary debates, consultation papers and White Papers on PNDs (which have not received any consideration in the literature thus far) are presented, providing an overall thematic framework within which to understand and assess PNDs. The findings of a critical review of 250 PNDs undertaken by the author are considered in light of this framework, to ask whether, and to what extent, PNDs achieve their aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores three sanctions contained in the 2002 Criminal Justice Bill which follows upon the 2002 white paper Justice for All. The Bill creates a Sentencing Guidelines Council to develop sentencing guidelines, and defines three dispositions applicable to sentences of imprisonment under twelve months: ‘Custody Plus’, the suspended sentence of imprisonment, and the intermittent sentence of imprisonment. These reforms constitute a significant step for the sentencing process in England and Wales, and are in part a response to the 2001 Halliday Report. The changes (among others) may well have an important impact on the prison population in England and Wales, which in October 2002 reached a record level. Since the suspended sentence of imprisonment bears close resemblance to the conditional sentence of imprisonment introduced in Canada in 1996, the article makes comparisons between the two sanctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since October 1992 Scottish courts have been able to make orders for unpaid fines to be recovered by deductions at source from defaulters' income support payments. This paper summarises the findings of research undertaken in an attempt to evaluate the new system and explain the relatively low usage of direct deductions in Scotland in the first year they were available. Perhaps the most significant finding was that at least 84 out of 230 sentencers had deliberately not used direct deductions, for 21 separate reasons; foremost of which (expressed by 30 sentencers) was the belief that direct deductions would cause hardship to defaulters and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aims of this paper are to describe how prison culture affects male and female workers differently, and to consider the implications of this for work with male sex offenders in prison. This paper sets the context of work within prisons both by describing the gender make up of the staff group of the Prison Service of England and Wales and by considering the presence and influence of dominant masculinities within Prison Service establishments. It reports some findings of research which the author has undertaken, and considers the implications for work with sex offenders in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper explores the significance of some contemporary writing on masculinities to the management of male prisons. It argues that the incorporation of gender into discussions of imprisonment is an important development, but that there has been a tendency to focus on prisoners rather than prisons as organisations. Drawing on work which has emphasised the gendered nature of contemporary organisation structure and struggles, the paper examines interactions around masculinity in 'routine' and 'exceptional' types of prison management. The discussion of the routine leads, inter alia, to an examination of the place of the body in struggles over control. The consideration of the exceptional points to the significance of the processual constitution of masculine identity. The emphasis on contestation and constitution is reiterated in the conclusion which connects the approach developed to some contemporary research on female prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper focuses on the recent history and current operation of a well-established multi-agency diversion and crime prevention unit in Northamptonshire in Britain. Four themes are addressed specifically. First, we examine the place of diversionary initiatives in the context of a central government-driven 'get tough on crime' agenda. Second, the local conditions and struggles over the fate of multi-agency diversion in Northamptonshire are outlined. Third, we present an empirical overview of the current rationale and routine work of the Diversion Unit. Fourth, we examine the nature of multi-agency practices on the ground and, in passing, test the claims of the influential academic 'net-widening' and 'denial of justice' theses on multi-agency diversion. In conclusion, we argue that a multi-agency case-driven approach to diversion has emerged in response to the renewed 'culture of severity' around crime control issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent studies of probation's effectiveness have relied largely on reconvictions, but there is widespread interest in other possible measures of impact (for example, on attitudes or on social problems) which might provide more immediate and relevant evaluative information for practitioners. This paper reviews information generated by the CRIME-PICS instrument in the Mid Glamorgan 'STOP' experiment and compares it with reconviction data. Some relationships are identified between components of CRIME-PICS scores and subsequent reconvictions. The paper comments on the potential and feasibility of this kind of instrument in evaluation and makes suggestions about future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents reports and research papers relating to Penal Policy File No. 119, that were published between October and December 2008. Topics discussed include young people and territoriality in British cities, illicit drug use among young people in England and Wales, victims' advocate schemes, electronically monitored curfew requirements, providing criminal offenders with opportunities to learn vocational skills, organised crime in residential neighbourhoods, and neighbourhood policing.

We now have ten years' experience of the sex offender ‘register’ and its requirements that offenders having committed designated offences notify the police every time their address and other details change. In those years the ‘register’ has been strengthened and added to in various ways to make notification an increasingly onerous business. The police have been given new powers to enable them to enter premises. Those on the ‘register’ have been denied early release from prison available to other offenders. This article asks questions about how far we can take the ‘register’ before it becomes less of a public protection measure and more of a punishment in its own right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that legal advice is particularly important for young suspects and pre-trial remand prisoners. We explore the experience of these two groups in accessing legal advice and consider whether it breaches Article 6(3)(c) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), which guarantees the right to consult a lawyer when charged with a criminal offence. We find that, whilst policies may appear compatible on paper, the reality in terms of practice is more problematic. As well as considering the implications of the HRA where contraventions persist, we suggest several reforms which might ensure compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on several publications related to penal policy in Great Britain from January 2001 to March 2001. White paper on the direction of criminal justice policy; Main findings of the study regarding operation of certain police powers under PACE, England and Wales; Findings on the criminal careers of people born in 1953, 1958, 1968, 1973 and 1978.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transnational organised crime is currently regarded as a threat to contemporary political and economic regimes. This paper will query the use of the term transnational, and suggest that a better understanding of organised crime can be gained from interrogating its local manifestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Young people between the ages of ten and 17 inclusive who commit grave crimes are invariably sentenced to be detained under Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. Subsection (1) provides that such children convicted of murder be detained during Her Majesty's Pleasure for an indeterminate period. The two ten-year-old boys convicted of killing James Bulger in 1993 come into this category. Subsection (2) of the 1933 Act provides that such children convicted of other serious crimes, usually involving actual or intended violence, which would attract a sentence of imprisonment of 14 years or more in the case of an adult, be detained for indeterminate periods in excess of the normal custodial limit for that age group. Common examples of this are those sentenced for rape, arson and robbery and those, such as Mary Bell in 1968 who, having been convicted of manslaughter, may be detained for a discretionary life period. This paper draws upon the findings of two research studies (Boswell 1991, 1995) to examine some of the characteristics of this small but singular group of young offenders, notably the population breakdown and the prevalence of background abuse and loss. Reference will be made to the exercise of professional discretion in the sentencing and custodial progressions to which this group is subject. Finally, some pointers for more just, humane and effective practice in this field will be identified.(n1) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The training of officers in the skills associated with interviewing suspects is an issue of concern to the police service at both force and national level. Within the scope of training has arisen a preoccupation with the idea of 'ethical interviewing'. This paper attempts to address some of the fundamental, complex and problematic issues that 'ethical interviewing' entails by focusing on the reasons why an ethical approach might be advocated, the resources available in order to devise an ethical standard and the means by which such a standard may be inculcated in operational police officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effectiveness of the imposed Criminal Justice Act 2003 in improving the criminal justice system in England and Wales. According to the author, the purpose of amending the Act was to improve the management of cases through the courts by involving the Crown Prosecution Service in charging decisions, reforming the system to allocate cases to court and increasing the magistrate's sentencing powers in order to lessen the number of cases in Crown Prosecution Service. The Act is identified as the result of the White Paper Justice for All wherein the government outlined its plans for the criminal justice system by focusing on reforms to both criminal procedure and sentencing.

The article lists several books received by the journal about psychology, as of August 18, 2005.

This article examines the working lives of female prison officers between 1877 and 1939. It documents a relatively under-researched, but important, period in the history of women's imprisonment in England. In doing so it aims to uncover the working lives of female officers, the role and daily duties of officers, the development of training schools for female staff and to understand the ambiguous role of officers in the 'reform' of prisoners during these decades. The research contextualises the work of the female officer within the changing female prison estate and declining female prison population in this period and examines the ways in which gender and class combined in prison work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dartmoor is one of the oldest British prisons still in use. Opened in 1809, it quickly gained a brutal reputation that its later history has done little to dispel. The image of Dartmoor has loomed large in England's penal and cultural past and endures because of its combination of particular architecture, topography and inmate population as well as its unique capacity to invoke, within the public consciousness, an idealised and even mythical representation of all prisons. This article examines how a combination of physical and expressive factors has established and perpetuated the brutal, yet 'darkly glamorous', image of Dartmoor prison and its prisoners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the ongoing changes of the penal structures and practices. The author believes that the changes should not be taken for granted because it is not only aimed at punishing those who committed crime, but it is also a sign of progress in society. Moreover, changes in the penal system of the different countries are also mentioned.

The article presents information on several criminal reports. The Major Challenge: A Thematic Inspection of Major Crime by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report focuses on the police response across England and Wales to the most serious incidents of violence. The report titled Prison Population Projections 2009-2015 England and Wales focuses the prison population in England and Wales from August 2009 to June 2015.

The article discusses various papers published within the issue including an article on public criminology, one on miscarriages of the criminal justice system, and another on improving public confidence.

Lists authors who have contributed to the periodical 'The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice.'

Discusses findings from a study made of Irish Republican Army (IRA) and loyalist vigilante incidents which occurred in Northern Ireland between 1994 and 1996. Increase of paramilitary vigilantism in Northern Ireland in the wake of the 1994 cease-fires; Differences between IRA and loyalist vigilantism; Changes in the nature of vigilantism; Lack of basic knowledge about vigilantism.

Examines the causes and effects of changes in government policies for prisons and correctional institutions in the Netherlands. Landmark change in prison policy following the implementation of the Penitentiary Principles Act of 1999; Launching of the prison building scheme in 1985; Proposals to implement laws emphasizing security and sobriety.

Provides information on several publications on prison and probation services in Great Britain. `Annual Report 1998'; `A Joint Thematic Review by HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation'; `Managing Sickness Absence in the Prison Service.'

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the Penal Policy File No. 70 of Great Britain. Compensation of criminal injuries; Test of criminal legal aid means; Perpetrators of racial harassment and violence.

Abstract: The criminal responsibility of children is on the parliamentary agenda in the Crime and Disorder Bill which contains a provision to abolish the presumption of doli incapax for children aged 10 to 13. This article examines the operation of the presumption of doli incapax and considers issues raised by the proposal for its abolition. It is argued that rather than abolish it, it should be retained and taken seriously as recognition of the protection which the law should be affording to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]