Exploring penal reform (14/09/09)
Is penal reform working?
Strategies for penal reform are placed under critical scrutiny in the September issue of Criminal Justice Matters, the magazine of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London.
Articles in this edition also highlight a range of issues including ignorance surrounding child sexual abuse; deaths caused by the `corporate pandemic' in the context of conservative economic policies; the mental distress inflicted on Muslim men held without charge; and, the negative impact of recent reforms on probation practice.
Edited by Jamie Bennett, Governor of HMP Morton Hall, the themed section of cjm explores strategies for reforming - and in some cases, abolishing - different aspects of the criminal justice system. Highlights include:
- Penal reform: a history of failure: J M Moore of University of the West of England, Bristol, looks back at the history of reform and traces the causes of its perpetual failure.
- Reform or abolition?: US academic and co-founder of `Critical Resistance', Julia Sudbury argues for a more radical approach to penal reform and calls for the dismantling of the `prison industrial complex'.
- Controlling the voluntary sector: Andy Benson and John Hedge argue that voluntary sector services are increasingly becoming controlled by the state and compromising their independence.
Other topical and comment articles focus on:
- Social murder and conservative economics: Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson describe the phenomenon of `social murder' and claim that conservative economic policies and corporate activities are routinely responsible for many deaths in what they describe as a `corporate pandemic'.
- The forgotten detainees: Victoria Brittain tells the story of Muslim men held prisoner by the British state and highlights the failure of the legal system to protect them and their families. Brittain accuses the British state of illustrating `British racism and Islamaphobia at the official level, encouraged across the media'.
- Child sexual abuse: Bernard Gallagher is critical of public ignorance regarding abuse and calls for a government led public education campaign similar to road safety initiatives.
Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies said:
`Despite all the energy and commitment of criminal justice reformers over recent years, the outlook is bleak. Prison numbers have grown dramatically, as has the number of people subject to criminal justice interventions more generally. This has all taken place against the backdrop of official falls in crime levels, which should have resulted in fewer people, not more, being targeted.
`The articles in this issue raise important questions about the future of criminal justice reformism and the challenges of developing a compelling vision for change.'
ends
Contact: Richard Garside, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 020 7848 1688 or 07989 474 610
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.
- Is published in partnership with Routledge, part of the Taylor Francis publishing group. The magazine is edited by Rebecca Roberts (senior policy associate) of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. To view this issue of Criminal Justice Matters, click here. It will be visible through this link until Monday 14 September 2009.
- 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 - Rebecca Roberts introduces this issue of cjm.
TOPICAL ISSUES AND COMMENT
Social murder and conservative economics
Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson argue that conservative economics have led to a more dangerous society.
The forgotten detainees
Victoria Brittain describes the mental distress inflicted by the British state on Muslim men held without charge.
Child sexual abuse: informed or in fear?
Bernard Gallagher is critical of public ignorance.
Restructuring NOMS and reducing cultural divides between prisons and probation: a cautionary note
Philip Whitehead warns that recent reforms have had a negative impact on the work of probation.
THEMED SECTION - EXPLORING PENAL REFORM
Exploring penal reform
Jamie Bennett introduces the themed section and reviews the contributions.
Penal reform: a history of failure
J M Moore looks back at the history of reform and traces the causes of its perpetual failure.
Reform from within: the Grendon example
Peter Bennett discusses how people working within the criminal justice system can walk a line between conformity and change.
Reforming prisons: the role of inspection
Anne Owers discusses the role of the Prisons Inspectorate as a means of achieving reform.
Research as reform?
Alison Liebling examines how research may have the potential to shape progressive change.
Resistance as reform: direct action through prisoner movements, legal activism and the radical penal lobby
David Scott describes how prisoners are not only the subjects of reform but are active participants in the process.
The media and reform: the case of Banged Up
David Wilson discusses the reform potential of popular media focussing on the TV series Banged Up.
No claim, no gain: law and litigation as a tool for reform
Simon Creighton examines the success and limitations of forcing changes through litigation.
Reform or abolition?: using popular mobilisations to dismantle the `prison-industrial complex'
Julia Sudbury examines how grassroots campaigning is set to transform criminal justice in the US.
Penal abolitionism: a different kind of reform
Justin Piché describes how abolitionist views can arise from the experience of working within the system.
Bringing the penal voluntary sector to market
Mary Corcoran explores the effects of increased marketisation on the voluntary sector.
Criminal justice and the voluntary sector: a policy that does not compute
Andy Benson and John Hedge argue that voluntary sector services are becoming increasingly controlled by the state and compromising their independence.
Landmark reforms
Prominent commentators present what they believe to be major reforms in criminal justice.
IN FOCUS
An unsurprising disappointment?
Helen Mills assesses the Community Order and Suspended Sentence Order.
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