Embargo: 00.01 hours, Monday, 2 March 2009. Crime and justice in Obama's America - lessons for the UK? (02/03/09)
Criminal justice policies and practices in north America and their influence on Britain are critically examined in the 20th anniversary edition of Criminal Justice Matters, the magazine of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London, published today.
In recent years many initiatives adopted in the UK, such as drug courts, gang disruption programmes and `zero tolerance' policing have come from across the Atlantic. The magazine features a wide range of contributions that critically examine the effectiveness of these policies.
Other articles focus on key trends in north America that are being replicated in the UK such as the high number of people from minority ethnic communities that enter the criminal justice system. There are also contributions which highlight less punitive approaches that have impacted on reducing the number of children locked up in Canada and probation adopting less of an enforcement approach in some parts of America.
Some highlights include:
The Boston `Operation Ceasefire' gang disruption project is scrutinized by Anthony Braga and Christopher Winship of Harvard University. They note that a critical feature of the programme has been the involvement of social service agencies and community groups that provided `much-needed "carrots" to balance the law enforcement "sticks"'. They argue that engaging the community and creating `a sense of joint ownership of the youth violence problem' is critical to the project's success.
Dawn Moore, Assistant Professor in the Department of Law at Carleton University, Ottawa argues that drug courts have not been as successful as many suggest. She notes that the courts provide social support after a drug addict is criminalized arguing that `Perhaps the reasons why DTCs have questionable success rates is that they are, in effect, closing the barn door after the horse has run'.
Maurice Punch, visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, examines zero tolerance policing arguing that it is a `vacuous sound bite that can seriously distort policing'. He calls for it to be `banned from policy discourse' and that in general policy makers should be `more wary of adopting criminal justice hypes from the USA'.
Professor Elliot Currie looks at what he calls `the deep and continuing crisis' within the American criminal justice system as a result of high levels of violence and over crowded prisons. He considers why the crisis has not provoked a strong public response suggesting there is a `paradoxical complacency about the state of crime and justice' because it has become `increasingly concentrated among people and in places...almost wholly lacking in significant political influence'.
Professor Jonathan Simon examines how crime has dominated the political agenda in America arguing that the war on terror is the continuation of a ` national obsession with security against personal violence that dates back four decades'.
He suggests that this might change under President Obama if he chooses to disinvest in the war on crime to fund economic recovery and energy independence.
Stephanie Hayman, assistant professor in Criminology at the University of Alberta, the guest editor of this issue, said:
'Canada and the United States might share a common border, but each country has a distinctive approach to crime and the politics of law and order, as was evident in their respective recent elections. This edition of CJM assesses the ways in which North American criminal justice policies emerge in their home jurisdictions; are possibly developed by their neighbour; and then almost inevitably influence the UK and other countries.'
Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said:
'All too often practitioners and policy makers have looked across the Atlantic to find solutions to the most pressing crime problems of the day. But as this issue of cjm shows this is not always the most effective way to make policy. The contributions provide a more critical and considered look at the north American experience as that is long over due.'
ends
Contact:
Will McMahon, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 020 7848 1688 or 07968 950 223
Notes to editors:
- Criminal Justice Matters is the quarterly magazine of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent charity based at King's College. The views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. To view this issue of Criminal Justice Matters, visit the Informaworld website.
- The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies is an independent charity based at King's College London. It was established in 1931 and aims to inform and educate about all aspects of crime and the criminal justice system from an objective standpoint. It encourages and facilitates healthy debate and understanding of the complex nature of issues concerning crime.
- The full list of articles is as follows:
EDITORIAL - Twenty years on
Enver Solomon introduces this issue of cjm.
TOPICAL ISSUES AND COMMENT
Choice versus crisis: how Scotland could transform thinking about prisons and punishment
Sarah Armstrong and Fergus McNeill consider a new opportunity to change how penal reform is managed and how the public is engaged.
The quiet revolution: the rise and rise of out-of-court summary justice
Rod Morgan asks if the greater use of out-of-court summary sanctions is desirable and if there are sufficient safeguards in place.
Disciplining women: gender, silence and anti-social behaviour
Caroline Hunter and Judy Nixon draw attention to evidence that suggests anti-social behaviour is a gendered issue.
Holding the police to account
Barry Loveday assesses proposals to make the police more locally accountable and empower local communities.
Untangling the fear of crime
Jonathan Jackson, Emily Gray and Stephen Farrall explore recent approaches to the fear of crime.
THEMED SECTION: PERSPECTIVES FROM NORTH AMERICA
Perspectives from North America
Stephanie Hayman reviews the contributions to this themed section.
American nightmare: how forty years of governing through crime have reshaped American democracy
Jonathan Simon links the war on crime to the war on terror and considers if President Obama will chart a new course.
The murky world of `Fusion Centres'
Torin Monahan critiques the emergence of data-sharing `Fusion Centres' intended to reduce crime and prevent terrorism.
An unchallenged crisis: the curious disappearance of crime as a public issue in the United States
Elliott Currie dissects the `deep and continuing crisis' within the American criminal justice system.
Critical policy analysis, power and restorative justice
George Pavlich takes a critical look at restorative justice practices in Canada.
Incarceration and communities
Todd Clear considers the impact of high rates of incarceration on crime prevalence in poor American neighbourhoods.
Disparate treatment
Amanda Petteruti reviews the startling over-representation of African Americans and other minority communities at each stage of the criminal justice process.
The drug treatment court movement
Dawn Moore reflects on the structure of Drug Treatment Courts in North America and assesses their achievements.
Reducing child imprisonment in Canada
Anthony Doob and Jane B Sprott examine the imprisonment rates of young Canadians following the introduction of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in April 2003.
What can cities do to prevent serious youth violence?
Anthony A Braga and Christopher Winship consider Boston's Operation Ceasefire and the ways in which the model might be implemented in other communities affected by youth violence.
Wary neighbours: North American reflections on guns, crime and social order
James Sheptycki examines the use of guns in crime and suggests that there has been a `pistolization' of civil society.
Effective community punishments in the United States:probation
Faye Taxman outlines a radical `shared decision' model of probation that operates to empower offenders.
Zero tolerance of zero tolerance
Maurice Punch offers a personal view of `zero tolerance', suggesting that it is a vacuous sound-bite that can seriously distort policing.
IN FOCUS
My story: young people talk about the trauma in their lives
Roger Grimshaw describes a new Centre for Crime and Justice Studies research project supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
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