Our February eBulletin is now out
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?
Living without criminal justice
Inspired by campaigns such as Stoptober and Movember, we are challenging people to think about which parts of criminal justice practice or policy they could do without. You can read more about the thinking behind this and how to contact us with your suggestions here.
Punishing women
As part of our Justice Matters for Women project, Helen Mills and Rebecca Roberts from the Centre, and Laurel Townhead of Women in Prison have posted a series of comment pieces on our website this month. We explored why the call to downsize criminal justice is so difficult for reformers; the punishment of women; criminal justice failure and violence against women; and asked whether Lady Justice is blind - or blinkered? Click here for a full list of articles and info on the project.
Dying inside
Our Director Richard Garside was a co-signatory to a letter organised by INQUEST and published in The Daily Telegraph, calling for an independent review into the way children and young people in conflict with the law are treated. You can read the letter and find out more on why the independent review is needed on the Centre's website. A review into young adults' deaths in custody has since been announced, which INQUEST both welcomes and damns for its 'shameful' exclusion of under 18s from consideration.
In da House
Richard Garside has written for The House Magazine's policy review of the government's plans to privatise probation and introduce 'payment by results', arguing that 'the Government’s plans will founder on the rocks of implementation'. You can download the review here.
A minor technological advance for mankind ... a giant leap for CCJS
This month we set up a YouTube channel and have posted two videos. Helen Mills explains the thinking behind the Justice Matters for Women project and Richard Garside outlines the thinking behind the Justice Matters initiative as a whole. Over the coming months we'll be posting more interviews about our projects and clips from events.
Adding the final touches
We are currently buffing, shaping, polishing and perfecting Volume Three of UK Justice Policy Review (UKJPR), which is out in March. Previous volumes in the UKJPR series covered criminal justice and welfare developments across the UK between May 2010 and May 2012 and are free to download from our website. Volume Three updates the story to May 2013. There'll be more on UKJPR 3 in our March bulletin.
Criminal Justice Matters: Electronic monitoring
The March 2014 issue of Criminal Justice Matters will be out in the next few weeks. The themed section, edited by Professor Mike Nellis, will take a critical look at the use of electronic monitoring in the UK and abroad.
EVENTFUL
Justice Matters partners event
As part of our three year Justice Matters initiative, we are holding a partners roundtable event on Monday 24 March 2014, for those who want to find out more or are interested in supporting or helping to develop the initiative. You can register for this free event here.
Just Images
Professor Eamonn Carrabine of the University of Essex will be talking about the power of images in shaping our understanding of harm, suffering and violence on Monday 28 April 2014. Eamonn's talk will range over the rich history of crime and harm photography and will be illustrated by lots of images. It is based upon his Radzinowicz Memorial Prize winning article in the British Journal of Criminology. Register to attend on the events webpage.
Conference: How violent is Britain?
As we go to press, Moazzam Begg, one of our speakers at the 'How Violent is Britain' conference in Liverpool, remains under what his supporters claim is a politically motivated arrest. Book your place today and hear Moazzam Begg and a stellar line up of speakers discuss how state, institutional and corporate violence should be tackled. At only £20 for waged, and £5 for low income delegates it's a bargain.
Human rights in prisons in the UK and Europe: what would the highest standards look like?
On 27 June 2014 we will be holding an event at HMP Grendon to consider how to improve conditions and human rights in prison. The day will be divided into three parts, aimed at practitioners, prisoners, their friends and families, and prison administration staff. To register and for details please go to the events page.
HAVE YOU SEEN?
Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains, Virgin Police?
Professor Ed Cape, of UWE Bristol, in a piece on the Centre's website, warns of the dangers of the police becoming involved in private investigations and prosecutions. It follows a case in which the Metropolitan Police Authority agreed to help Virgin Media Ltd to pursue a private prosecution against people selling television set-top boxes in return for a cut of the proceeds.
The tale of Carlos
Mike Guilfoyle, a former probation worker, reflects on authors Brotherton and Barrios's book Banished to the Homeland, with an account on one of his former charges, Carlos, who had been caught between the mesh of criminal justice and immigration. This piece is available on the Works for Freedom website.
Supersize prison in the wrong place
Also writing for Works for Freedom, Robert Shaw argues that the decision to build a new supersized prison near Wrexham is the 'wrong decision for the wrong reason'. It is being built in an area where the proportion of places is not equal to the population of the area. This means it will most likely take prisoners from London or the South East, something that goes against recommendations on prison placements.
British Journal of Criminology- March 2014 issue out now
Issue 54 of the British Journal of Criminology is now available and includes articles on child sex abuse; Walmart's impact on local crime rates; crime cartography; the paradoxes of security arrangements in South Africa; cannabis use; measuring punitiveness; adolescent cooperation with the police; marketisation of policing; burglary; and hate crime. Wow! The book reviews also look worth a read.
Prison Service Journal- January 2014 issue out now
Issue 211 of the Prison Service Journal is now available from the Centre's website and includes a focus on the contradictory expansion and contraction of the prison system.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS
When probation workers become debt collectors
This film produced by Human Rights Watch on for-profit probation work in the United States gives a worrying glimpse into the possible future of probation work in England and Wales. Meanwhile, BBC Radio's File on Four programme investigated the government's plans to privatise probation. They didn't find many people who supported the plans. Listen to it via our website.
Once a thief, always a thief?
Baille Aaron of Spark Inside gave a TEDx talk last year on resisting the label of 'offender' for people who have been convicted for offences. You can watch the video of the talk here. This video sparked an interesting debate on the Centre's Twitter feed, which we have collected here.
IN THE NEWS...
Police custody unsuitable for mental health patients
A ‘crisis care concordat’ signed by 22 national organisations, including the Department of Health, the Home Office and the charity Mind, says police custody should not be used because mental health services are not available, and police cars and other vehicles should not be used as ambulances to transfer patients.
'Inequality harms us all'
Research published in Paediatrics journal has linked inequality to child maltreatment. Data from US counties have shown a relationship even after adjusting for poverty, education levels, people receiving public assistance and racial or ethnic make up. Elsewhere, Bill Kerry, argues in the New Statesman that to tackle mental health problems the government needs to urgently tackle inequality rather than focus on expensive and complicated solutions. Read more here.
Probation officers appeal against new jobs
'Hundreds' of probation officers are said to be appealing against the jobs they have been given in advance of plans to privatise probation. It is expected to increase as more staff are informed about changes to their jobs and locations of work. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said the number of appeals was a 'tiny fraction' of what he had expected.
Scottish police back hi-tech sobriety bracelets
The Herald has reported that police are supporting the introduction of bracelets that can detect alcohol consumption, claiming that they would be a 'valuable tool'. They also argue that 'GPS monitoring would have the capacity to build in to the management of an individual those parts of their life that are currently unsighted, for example daily movements, places frequented, anchor points'. In reports from California, concerns have been raised about the use of GPS bracelets and the challenges facing probation workers in dealing with the flood of data.
'Marxist' UN housing report
A United Nations report into housing in the UK, which calls for a suspension of the 'bedroom tax' as it leaves people in 'tremendous despair', was dismissed by housing minister Kris Hopkins as 'Marxist diatribe'. Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps dismissed the author of the report, Raquel Rolnik, as a 'woman from Brazil'.
NUMBERS OF THE MONTH
£300 million - The fine that the EU is likely to impose on the UK for failing to to meet 2010 targets to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels.
66,000 - Estimated number of girls in the UK that have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation.
5 million < - Estimated vehicle stops by police that were not officially recorded according to Stopwatch.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“We don´t have any magic recipes, we have found that repression alone does not solve the problem and have decided to try an alternative way to steal the market from drug trafficking” President José Mujica commenting on Uruguay’s legislation to control cannabis supply.
IMAGES OF THE MONTH
The US based Prison Culture website has collected powerful images depicting the Prison Industrial Complex on their Pinterest page here.
We also came across a good infographic on the myths of benefit fraud.