Our June bulletin is out now
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?
Empower women. Resist injustice. Transform lives.
The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, in collaboration with Women in Prison, has issued a call to action this month to: Empower women, resist injustice and transform lives. The statement was drawn up as part of the Justice Matters for Women initiative with the support of a working group. The statement calls for collaborative working to 'challenge structural inequality and eradicate punishment and control in women's lives'.
Speaking out in support of the initiative, Davina James-Hanman, Director of Ava said ‘We have wasted too much money and too many lives. It's time for a radical rethink and a system that really delivers justice for all of us'. Liz Hogarth said, ‘At last – a real chance to escape the bonds of the criminal justice ‘silo’ debates on what needs to be done ‘to’ and ‘for’ women to change their lives and ameliorate the impact of the harms experienced. It is surely time to shift the focus: to challenge and change the structural inequalities that constrain and damage women’s lives, preventing those harms and negative outcomes in the first place’. To read the full call to action and offer your support, click here.
You can find out who else has signed our call to action and their reasons for doing so in their own words here. Thank you to everyone who has supported it so far and please help us to spread the word.
Justice Matters in Criminal Justice Matters
As featured in our May bulletin, cjm 96 is now available to view. Guest edited by the Centre's Deputy Director, Will McMahon, the special focus is on Justice Matters, our three year initiative promoting the development of social alternatives to criminal justice interventions. The themed articles are available for free download.
And the winner is....
We are delighted to announce that Andrew Henley of Keele University is the winner of our essay prize. Entrants were invited to write about what criminal justice institution, or aspect of policy or practice, they would want to see abolished. Andrew's essay, entitled 'Abolishing the stigma of punishments served', argues for the abolition of the routine requirement to declare criminal convictions. The competition was organised in partnership with the British Society of Criminology. The full article will be published in Criminal Justice Matters magazine and he will receive a bursary to attend the forthcoming British Society of Criminology conference in Liverpool in July.
Out and about
Roger Grimshaw, Research Director, attended the launch by The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) of its London Academic Observatory for Policing and Crime. This network will contribute to debating policy and assist MOPAC to harness the best evidence for the delivery of crime reduction and criminal justice improvements in London. Senior Policy Associate, Rebecca Roberts, also attended the Policing Global Cities - Gangs Summit.
Crime reduction policies
The House of Commons Justice Committee released their report on crime reduction policies and called on the government to 'question whether taxpayers’ money is used in ways most likely to reduce future crime and victimisation, including evaluating that spent on custodial sentencing, and develop a longer-term strategy for the use of resources in this manner'. Richard Garside, the Centre's director, responded to the report: 'I am pleased that the Justice Committee has picked up on our call for a serious look at downsizing our bloated criminal justice system, rather than merely imposing salami slicing cuts on already overworked staff. In our submission to the Committee we argued that there was considerable scope for a reduction in criminal justice spending, if this reduction is complemented by a comparable reduction in the size and scope of the criminal justice agencies affected.' To find out more about the Committee's report and our submission, click here.
Support don't punish
Our Director Richard Garside was one of more than 80 individuals and organisations who signed an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for a review of the UK's approach to illegal drugs. The letter was organised by drugs charity Release and published as part of the Global Day of Action, to raise awareness of the harms caused by the war on drugs.
HAVE YOU SEEN?
A 'scar on the nation'
Frances Crook, CEO of the Howard League for Penal Reform says the women's prison estate is a 'scar on the nation' and calls for the abolition of women's imprisonment. This is part of our 'I would give up' series under the Justice Matters initiative. Later in the year we will be developing this further with an 'I would build...' series, inviting contributors to explain how we should build communities, economies and services to create a society in which current criminal justice institutions are no longer necessary.
Ask an expert
David Faulkner, in a comment piece on our website, argues that the Government needs to adopt a more understanding and respectful approach to expertise if criminal justice reforms are to improve. David will be expanding on his comments at our event, 'The challenges facing an incoming government' on 23 September 2014.
Northern Ireland's toxic legacy
With Matt Baggott, the outgoing Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, arguing that the force should no longer be responsible for investigating deaths during the Northern Ireland civil conflict, Maurice Punch of King's College London and the London School of Economics, discusses the prospects for an amnesty in a comment piece on our site.
Study this
The July 2014 issue of the British Journal of Criminology is available (subscription only). Articles cover a wide range of topics including cover neighbourhood worries about violence in London, hate crime with an emphasis on subcultures, procedural justice and legitimacy in Australian policing. This issue also includes the winner of the Radzinowicz Memorial Prize, and book reviews by Pat Carlen and John Lea, among others.
From chaos to culture
Jim Rose, Director of Social Care at The Fostering Foundation, looks at the achievements over the past 15 years, and the changes still to be made in young offender institutions.
Caught out
Mike Guilfoyle writes of the importance of a probation officer using professional discretion when handling a complex case.
HOT DATES
On the margins
Professor Belinda Carpenter of Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, will present research on the coroners court system in Australia, in particular how it affects families of victims who are overwhelmingly from marginalised populations. Organised in partnership with Inquest, the event will be held on Tuesday 15 July 2014 at the Centre's Meeting Space in London. For more information and to book, visit the event page.
The violence of austerity
This roundtable event on Wednesday 10 September 2014 will consider how austerity has produced structural violence experienced by both communities and individuals. It will focus on health, housing, poverty, and the impact of austerity on violence against women. The line up includes; Dr Sarah Steele - Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Queen Mary, University of London; Dr Vickie Cooper - Liverpool John Moores University; Ewa Jasiewicz - Fuel Poverty Action; and Heather McRobie - Open Democracy. Book your place here.
The challenges facing an incoming government
On Tuesday 23 September David Faulkner of the University of Oxford and a former senior civil servant, will be discussing the criminal justice challenges facing the incoming government following the 2015 General Election. Drawing on his new book, Servant of the Crown, David will offer a rare insight into the inner workings of Whitehall, highlighting policy successes and failures and considering what the future may hold for criminal justice reform. Those attending the event will receive a 25% discount for David's book. For more information and to book, visit the event page.
Policing - is there an alternative?
Professor Tim Hope of the University of Salford and Waqas Tufail of the Northern Police Monitoring Project and University of Liverpool will challenge default ‘policing first’ strategies and ask whether policing is crowding out more innovative, just and effective policy and practice solutions to creating a safer society. The event will take place at The Meeting Place at our offices in London on Wednesday 22 October 2014. Book your place here.
IN THE NEWS
Putting the past behind you
The Supreme Court has ruled that past minor cautions and convictions should not have to be disclosed in criminal record checks, and in future will remain part of a protected private life.
On the edge
Prisoners are being left unfed, drugs are openly smoked and the regime is chaotic at G4S-run Oakwood prison, according to a letter by a concerned relative in the June edition of the newspaper, Inside Time. The letter echoes many of the concerns raised by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, in his inspection report on Oakwood published in October 2013. Read more.
Secure colleges
Chris Grayling was blasted over plans for 'Victorian-style' corporal punishment on young people in prison after the Joint Committee on Human Rights published criticisms of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.
Making a killing
Private contractors have made a 'quick killing', pocketing hundreds of millions of pounds of profits as part of PFI contracts, reports The Independent.
How to get rid of a crisis? Sell it off
Mark Leftly in The Independent, describes how Chris Grayling is pushing ahead with reforms to probation despite widespread dissent and criticism.
NUMBERS OF THE MONTH
10,000 - The number of additional suicides estimated to have occurred in Europe and North America, due to the economic crisis.
1.5 million - The number of people criminalised for drugs possession in the UK over the past 15 years.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
'I want to put on record my abhorrence at the idea of the giant children’s prison. Not one of the witnesses we heard from spoke favourably about it. I know that it is being packaged as an educational establishment, but there is nothing in the Bill to tell us that there will be qualified teachers and social workers or anything about the level of education that the children will be offered...I also find the fact that there was no commitment for qualified teachers extremely worrying, and it confirms to me that the college is just a holding borstal, rather than an educational establishment as it is described.' Sarah Champion MP, speaking at a parliamentary debate on the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, 17/06/14.