Time for a radical rethink on crime, argues new report (30/10/06)
At a time of unprecedented scrutiny of the criminal justice system, the Crime and Society Foundation today publishes a collection of essays examining what impact - if any - criminal justice agencies have on crime levels.
Entitled 'Does criminal justice work?', the report includes contributions from a range of politicians, opinion formers, campaigners and academics. While offering distinctive perspectives and proposals, the seven experts are agreed that an effective approach to crime reduction must look beyond the criminal justice system, to the wider social and economic policies that lie behind crime trends.
In the leading article, Richard Garside, Acting Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, argues that because the criminal justice system only resolves a tiny fraction of the offences that are committed, it is largely irrelevant as a means of controlling crime. This means that attempts to improve the functioning of the system, including the kind of crisis management measures recently announced under the Government's `Operation Safeguard', can only have a marginal impact on crime rates.
Richard Garside said:
`The simple fact is that the criminal justice system only has a marginal impact on levels of crime. The Home Secretary's depressingly predictable response to the latest prisons crisis - build more prisons, deport more foreigners, tinker with early release - is just the latest instance of the Government's blinkered approach to dealing with crime.
`It is time for a fundamental reassessment of how we can best reduce crime and enhance safety and security. Crime is the result of social and economic policy, and that is where we must look for an effective response.'
Ends
Contact:
Sean Roberts - 020 7848 1687; 07817 383 898
Richard Garside - 020 7848 1679; 07989 474 610
Will McMahon - 020 7848 1695; 07968 950 223
Notes to editors
- `Does criminal justice work? The Right for the wrong reasons debate', edited by Richard Garside and Will McMahon, is published by the Crime and Society Foundation on October 30, 2006. The monograph comprises a series of articles by the following authors:
Richard Garside, Acting Director, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies;
Professor Ian Loader, Director, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford;
Geoff Dobson, Deputy Director, Prison Reform Trust;
Rob Allen, Director, International Centre for Prison Studies;
Professor Joe Sim, Liverpool John Moores University;
Edward Garnier MP QC, Conservative Shadow Home Affairs Minister;
Professor Ian Loader, Director, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford;
Nick Clegg MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.A pdf version of `Does criminal justice work?' is available here (Adobe PDF, 483KB).
- The Crime and Society Foundation is a social policy and criminal justice think tank based at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London. The Foundation stimulates debate about the role and limits of criminal justice and enhances understanding of the foundations and characteristics of a safer society.
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