Monthly News Bulletin
Email Bulletin October 2009
Welcome to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' monthly email bulletin, bringing you a roundup of news, research, political developments, events and updates on our work.
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?
Alcohol more dangerous than LSD or Ecstacy - and that's a fact
The latest briefing from the Centre, Estimating drug harms: a risky business?, has received wide-spread media coverage. In this briefing, which is an edited transcript of the 2009 Eve Saville lecture, Professor Nutt discusses drug regulation and control, drugs politics and suggests a way forward on the drugs debate.
Headline of the day goes (of course) to The Sun, with `E `safer than booze - ciggies worse too, says Government drug tsar'. The Daily Mail leads with the same angle as do the quality papers with The Times,The Telegraph, and The Guardian all leading with alcohol being more socially harmful than Ecstasy and LSD.
Professor Nutt was interviewed on Radio Four's flagship news programme Today in the peak 7am to 8am slot and can be heard here for the next six days.
The BBC Five Live Morning phone-in focussed on the briefing - the podcast and the huge blog discussion that followed can be found here.
Professor Nutt was also interviewed live also appeared on BBC Breakfast News and the story was carried on the BBC News website and BBC 1 Extra as a discussion point.
Meanwhile the Guardian on-line carried an edited version of the report for Comment is Free and followed it up with a reply from Robin Murray from the Institute of Psychiatry here at King's College London. His piece is here.
The political response from the Conservative Party, reported in most papers, was made by Shadow Home Office Minister James Brokenshire who said: `Rather than adding clarity to the debate on drug classification, his comments will add confusion.' (hmmm....one senses the hand of a spin doctor in this)
On the other hand Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Shadow offered, among other things, `The Government should either listen to its experts or save money by appointing a committee of tabloid newspaper editors instead'. A view reinforced by John Gaunt's column in The Sun which seemed to be saying both that Professor Nutt might be right `in an academic sense' but also that `He must be sacked immediately'.
Richard Garside, the Centre's Director said `Professor Nutt's briefing gives us an insight into what drugs policy might look like if it was based on the research evidence, rather than political posturing and moralistic positioning. The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies is a strong advocate of research evidence informing policy making and it is delighted to be publishing this very timely and important contribution by one of the country's top drugs experts.'
The Home Office response? `Professor Nutt's views are his own'. Indeed they are, and that's a fact.
Click here to download Estimating drug harms: a risky business?
You can also watch Professor Nutt speaking as a witness at the Home Affairs Committee on the Cocaine Trade here.
DNA - more questions than answers as Government backs down
The Centre collaborated with the Criminal Justice Alliance to hold a seminar on the ongoing policy argument about the DNA database. The seminar heard from Mick Carling of the National Police Improvement Agency and Helen Wallace of Genewatch, with a focus on the purpose and problems of the database. After being forced to reconsider its position by a European Court ruling, the Daily Mail reports that the Government has now been forced by opposition in the Lords into putting the DNA database into the Queen's Speech rather than using 'an obscure Parliamentary rule to change the law'. The seminar heard that the Home Office consultation paper on the DNA database that just retaining the details of all those convicted of an offence `would yield a DNA database numbering some 14,000,000'. This one will run and run...
Cjm editorials - free to view
We are pleased to announce that a number of Criminal Justice Matters articles are now available, free to view, on the Informaworld website. Offering an insight into each of the special themes for issues 71 to 77, the following articles are available for free download:
- Issue 71: Thinking about detention, Dr David Scott
- Issue 72: The ill at ease or the uneasy fit? Prof Betsy Stanko
- Issue 73: Terrorism: emerging critiques, Dr Basia Spalek
- Issue 74: The problem with criminalisation, Christina Pantazis
- Issue 75: Perspectives from North America, Dr Stephanie Hayman
- Issue 76: Children and young people in their own words, Sir Al Aynsley Green
- Issue 77: Exploring penal reform, Jamie Bennett
If you want to read more, please consider joining the Centre as a member to gain full access to the online back catalogue, or direct your institution to subscribe via the Informaworld website.
Other stuff
Richard Garside, director and Roger Grimshaw, research director, met with the Department of Health to discuss effective strategies for tackling gun and knife violence involving young people. Richard also attended an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Penal Affairs meeting discussion on the Transitions to Adulthood Alliance work on young adults in trouble with the law.
Associates Arianna Silvestri and Anna Gilmour attended the British Journal of Sociology lecture by Loic Wacquant on 'Bringing the Penal State Back In'. You can watch Loic's presentation here.
Later that same week, Helen Mills, Rebecca Roberts and Will McMahon heard about Loic Wacquant's books on punishing the poor, advanced marginality and neoliberalism. The event was held by City University and featured contributions from Richard Sparks, Stan Cohen, Nicola Lacey and David Nelkin.
Anna Gilmour and Faye Chapman, project assistant intern, went to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Complex Needs event on Mental Health & Homelessness. Anna also went to hear practitioners sharing good practice at a Women in Prison event.
Richard Garside and Ed Brenton spoke to criminology students of Birkbeck College and would like to welcome those who have signed up for the bulletin.
Also, coming soon...
Risky people or risky societies?
In November, the Centre will publish the first two papers in a three-part series exploring the policy challenges affecting young adults in trouble with the law. The first, written by the Centre's director Richard Garside, critiques the government's reliance on identifying `risky' individuals for targeted interventions. The second, by Dr James McGuire of the University of Liverpool, challenges the view that coercive interventions can be effective.
A date for the diary - Will anyone notice if the Conservatives win?
The Centre's annual event will take place on the evening of Wednesday, 20 January 2010 at King's College London. An invited panel of high profile experts, chaired by Mark Easton of the BBC, will speak on the subject of `Will anyone notice if the Conservatives win? Poverty, inclusion and social order over the next decade'. More details, including how to book, will follow in the November bulletin.
Una Padel Award
Time is running out to make a nomination for this year's Una Padel award. The deadline is Tuesday 3 November, to nominate an individual or organisation you feel is making a difference in criminal justice, check out the website.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS
`Criminalizing' Poverty
A piece from Tracy Velazquez, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute, Washington DC, on how public policies are resulting in the `over-incarceration of low-income' people in North America. It can be read here.
Communities in recession: the impact on deprived neighbourhoods
From the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, this report explores the impact of the current recession on disadvantaged communities and what we can learn from evidence from previous recessions.
10 reasons to stop prison expansion
From Communities of resistance: www.co-re.org, presenting the alternative view to those touted at party conferences in the last month!
The justice gap: Community justice in Liverpool
Jon Robins visits an experiment in criminal justice in Liverpool, which the government has announced will not be rolled out despite claims of success. Watch this clip here.
Child neglect, experiences from the frontline
A report by the charity Action for Children reveals that `More children show signs of neglect' with 10 per cent of teachers, nursery carers, nurses and doctors reporting an increase in child neglect. The full report can be accessed here.
IN THE NEWS
Government's disturbing plan to make inquests secret
Helen Shaw, co-director of Inquest and a trustee at the Centre talks about the implications of proposed amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill. Mail on Sunday (24/10/09)
Armed police patrols leap in the dark
The Centre's Roger Grimshaw calls for a review of plans to have armed police on London's streets. London Evening Standard (26/10/09)
The people vs Wall Street
Bear Stearns bankers on trial in first criminal case of the credit crunch. Independent (15/10/09)
Working mothers 'don't harm their children's development' reveals
`Despite public opinion to the contrary' there is little evidence that having a working mother during infancy harms a child's mental development, according to this study from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the Institute of Education. Guardian (18/10/09)
Police have stopped me 100 times...and I work for them
A member of the Met's Black Independent Advisory Committee has been stopped and searched more than 100 times over two decades. Daily Mail (16/10/09)
QUOTEs OF THE MONTH
`We represent the whole town. We don't take that lightly. Last year, crime rates are less when we win and more people go to work on a Monday.'
Owen Coyle, manager of Burnley Football Club, leading the way for crime reduction
'The elevation of security paranoia to attack our constitution for purely party political advantage was a particular disgrace in the Blair years.'
Ken Macdonald, QC,Director of Public Prosecutions, 2003-2008