Centre for Crime and Justice Studies Ebulletin – December 2013

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WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

BOOK NOW: How violent is Britain?
Following on from the hugely successful 'How corrupt is Britain?' conference earlier this year, we are delighted to announce the sequel: 'How violent is Britain?'. Organised in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and taking place on Friday 16 May 2014, we will be exploring how state, institutional and corporate violence in Britain should be tackled. To check out the stellar list of speakers and book your place now, visit the event webpage. Price: £20 waged, £5 low income. Venue: University of Liverpool. 

It's all about the money
Helen Mills, Research Associate at the Centre, has written a comment piece on our website examing the rationale behind the Ministry of Justice's Transforming Management of Young Adults in Custody proposals. It is primarly about housing the current prison population at a cheaper cost, Helen argues, rather than aiming to incarcerate fewer people.

A 'cruel hoax'
The Centre's Director Richard Garside argues in his latest comment piece for our website that the 'Troubled Families' programme is doing little to address the problems faced by families in crisis and 'is little short of a cruel hoax'. Meanwhile, Troubled Families supremo Louise Casey gave an interesting interview to The Guardian in which she emphasised the role of nurture in helping families in crisis. She also talked about her embarrassment at being secretly recorded giving an expletive-ridden speech to senior police officers in 2005, which later appeared on the front page of The Daily Mail.

Justice still matters
Richard Garside has posted an update on our Justice Matters initiative, calling for partners to work with us to downsize criminal justice, build alternatives and transform current policy and practice. We have a members only event on 5 February, followed by a partners event on 24 March (open to all). Register now to avoid disappointment. 

All wrapped up - December cjm
The December issue of Criminal Justice Matters magazine is out and focusing on the question: How corrupt is Britain? It is edited by Dr David Whyte of the University of Liverpool. You can download his introduction here. Prem Sikka calls for a curtailment of corporate power while in the topical issues section Malcolm Torry explores the benefits system and law breaking.

HAVE YOU SEEN?

All we want for Christmas is yoooou
Did you know that our work is only possible through the individual generosity of our members and supporters? If you like what we do and want to give us a Christmas present, how about making a donation? We value all amounts, large, small or somewhere in between.

Our lovely office space...
We have office space to let to like-minded organisations. Transport links are excellent: Euston, King's Cross and Westminster in 15 minutes; Waterloo in 7 minutes. All spaces have access to shared kitchen facilities. We also offer discounted rates on meeting room hire. For more information check out this page.

Anti-gang strategy unevidenced and contradictory
Jon Shute and Juanjo Medina of the University of Manchester argue that the government's 'Ending gang and youth violence' strategy is a 'shameful and appalling' waste of taxpayers' money.

Procedural rights in Europe - being left behind
Ed Cape, Professor of Criminal Law and Practice at the University of the West of England and one of our trustees argues that the coalition Government's negative attitude to fair trial rights and attacks on legal aid and lawyers risks undermining international respect for the UK's legal system.

Yule won't want to miss this
The January issue of the British Journal of Criminology is now available. Article topics cover (among others): sex work and trafficking; restorative justice conferences; gun ownership and violence. The issue also includes a tribute to outgoing Editor in Chief Professor Pat Carlen by the new Editor in Chief, Professor Sandra Walklate. Sandra highlights Pat's 'rigorous, intellectually honest and constructive' approach. Under her leadership, Sandra writes, the British Journal of Criminology has become 'one of the first outlets of choice for the criminology community both inside and outside the United Kingdom'. You can read Sandra's tribute to Pat here.

Our Christmas crackers
Published back in 2008, Criminal Obsessions: Why harm matters more than crime, is still hitting the top spot on our website and is the most downloaded publication. The most viewed article in Criminal Justice Matters magazine is 'The social study of serial killers' by Kevin Haggerty and Ariane Ellerbrok. Our most viewed comment piece currently is by Rebecca Roberts: 'Is criminal justice a form of violence against women?'. Mike Guilfoyle, writing on Works for Freedom, ponders the consequences of the probation sell off. 

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS....

A real equality before the law
In a comment piece on our website Pat Carlen argues that most criminal prisoners have, prior to their imprisonment, usually been so disadvantaged that they have nothing to which they can be advantageously rehabilitated. They are returned to their place in society, but from that disadvantaged place they are repeatedly returned to prison.

What will it take to heal?
In a post on the Reclaim Justice Network site, Nicole Vosper looks at how we can work for a society in which prisons are redundant.

Do they know it's Christmas?
Chris Goulden, head of the poverty team at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has posted 10 charts on poverty in the UK on Buzzfeed. We think they're worth a look. 

Electronic monitoring - moving into 'social care'?
Following the announcement that Capita will be taking over the criminal justice electronic monitoring contracts from G4S and Serco, Kate Belgrave speculates that private tagging companies could look to extend tagging technology into the social care sector.

IN THE NEWS......

'Best in the business' bidding for probation work
The governmant has announced that 30 bidders have passed the first stage of a competition to win regional probation service contracts. According to the Ministry of Justice press release the organisations involved are 'the best in the business'.

Bah humbug
Justice Minister Chris Grayling announced (again) that community sentences are set to include a 'punitive element', in a further bid to burnish his 'tough on crime' credentials. Mr Grayling also appeared in front of the Justice Committee to give evidence on the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda. He fielded criticism on the breakdown of talks with the Unions and the contents of a leaked risk register, among other things.

Mistletoe and crime 
Professor Mike Hough of Birkbeck, University of London and a member of the Crime Statistics Advisory Board has told the Public Administration Committee that falls in police recorded crime levels were partly explained by the police misrecording crime data. A few days later the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Tom Winsor, told the Home Affairs Committee that is was 'almost certain' that the police fiddled crime figures.

Prisons: the nightmare before Christmas?
Earlier in the month, Elfyn Llwyd MP described plans for a super prison in Wrexham as a 'nightmare'. The Northern Echo has raised concerns about the closure of 'high performing' prisons, and in The Lancet, stark data has been published on self harm in prisons, particularly the high rates among women. Read all about it here. The Chief Inspectors of Prison and of Probation also released a report, branding the government's prisons policy dysfunctional. 

Probation Institute announced 
Following months of speculation, the Ministry of Justice has announced the establishment of a new Probation Institute. The new Institute is a partnership between the Probation Chiefs Association, the Probation Association, Napo and UNISON.

NUMBERS OF THE MONTH

13 million - The number of people in poverty in the UK, according to research conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

80% - The chance of operational failure of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda, according to a leaked risk register.

£100 million - The reported value of new prison maintenance contracts.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

'The problem with any belief that we are pretty much all equal, that there are no special little Nicks and Boris’s just waiting to be discovered, is that once you begin to accept the thesis that we are all created pretty much equal you have to then start to question almost everything about the society you live in. You are also denied an obvious route to revolution, by saying: “follow me everyone, I know the way”. Your potential followers would simply retort: “what’s so special about you?”'

Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford in response to comments by Mayor of London Boris Johnson on IQ and equality.

This bulletin was compiled and edited by Jordan Beaumont and Rebecca Roberts.

For comments and feedback email rebecca.roberts@crimeandjustice.org.uk.