Publication

cjm 77: Exploring penal reform

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

This themed section has Jamie Bennett as the guest editor, examining strategies for reforming, and in some cases abolishing, different aspects of the criminal justice system.

Contributors include US activist and academic Julia Sudbury and former prison governor David Wilson. 

There are a variety of articles on topical issues, including a critique of neo-conservative economic policies by Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson as 'social murder', an article by journalist Victoria Brittain on racism and islamophobia by the British state and an article by Bernard Gallagher calling for a public education campaign on child sexual abuse.

More on

alternatives to custody
reform sector strategies
penal policy

In this edition

Editorial

Rebecca Roberts introduces this issue of cjm

By Rebecca Roberts

Social murder and conservative economics

Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson argue that conservative economics have led to a more dangerous society

By Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson

The forgotten detainees

Victoria Brittain describes the mental distress inflicted by the British state on Muslim men held without charge

By Victoria Brittain

Child sexual abuse: informed or in fear?

Bernard Gallagher is critical of public ignorance

By Bernard Gallagher

Restructuring NOMS and reducing cultural divides between prisons and probation: a cautionary note

Philip Whitehead warns that recent reforms have had a negative impact on the work of probation

By Philip Whitehead

Exploring penal reform

Jamie Bennett introduces the themed section and reviews the contributions

By Jamie Bennett

Penal reform: a history of failure

J M Moore looks back at the history of reform and traces the causes of its perpetual failure

By J M Moore

Reform from within: the Grendon example

Peter Bennett discusses how people working within the criminal justice system can walk a line between conformity and change

By Peter Bennett

Reforming prisons: the role of inspection

Anne Owers discusses the role of the Prisons Inspectorate as a means of achieving reform

By Anne Owers

Research as reform?

Alison Liebling examines how research may have the potential to shape progressive change

By Alison Liebling

Resistance as reform: direct action through prisoner movements, legal activism and the radical penal lobby

David Scott describes how prisoners are not only the subjects of reform but are active participants in the process

By David Scott

The media and reform: the case of Banged Up

David Wilson discusses the reform potential of popular media, focusing on the TV series Banged Up

By David Wilson

No claim, no gain: law and litigation as a tool for reform

Simon Creighton examines the success and limitations of forcing changes through litigation

By Simon Creighton

Reform or abolition? Using popular mobilisations to dismantle the ‘prison-industrial complex’

Julia Sudbury examines how grassroots campaigning is set to transform criminal justice in the US

By Julia Sudbury

Penal abolitionism: a different kind of reform

Justin Piché describes how abolitionist views can arise from the experience of working within the system

By Justin Piché

Bringing the penal voluntary sector to market

Mary Corcoran explores the effects of increased marketisation on the voluntary sector

By Mary Corcoran

Criminal justice and the voluntary sector: a policy that does not compute

Andy Benson and John Hedge argue that voluntary sector services are becoming increasingly controlled by the state and compromising their independence

By Andy Benson and John Hedge

Landmark reforms

Prominent commentators present what they believe to be landmark reforms in criminal justice

By Vivien Stern, Anita Dockley, Matt Wotton, Jamie Bennett and Stephen Shaw

An unsurprising disappointment?

Helen Mills assesses the Community Order and Suspended Sentence Order

By Helen Mills