News

Accountability gap needs challenging, new report

Monday, 23 November 2015

There is an accountability gap at the heart of major British institutions, according to a new report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies today. The report, Challenging state and corporate impunity: Is accountability possible?, includes contributions from a number of key activists engaged in holding institutions to account, such as Suresh Grover and Tony Bunyan.

In his piece, Suresh Grover warns that the UK is in danger of 'sleepwalking into an authoritarian state' and calls for an open, politically active, response to challenge institutional racism within policing. Tony Bunyan highlights how European governments have created shadow security structures outside of existing European legal frameworks. This includes unaccountable teams to spy on those suspected of having extreme views. 

Also in the report:

  • David Whyte argues that corruption cannot be prevented by focussing on the individual rather than the institutions.
  • Sarah Lamble writes on community based approaches for ensuring greater accountability.
  • Ewa Jasiewicz reflects on the potential for journalism to support movements promoting international accountability.

The report draws on speeches given to a conference in June, organised by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool. 

Will McMahon, deputy director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies said:

'There is a growing accountability gap at the heart of key British institutions that needs to be challenged. This report offers important insights about how activists and academics, by working together, might better hold powerful institutions to account.'