Confident Communities in a Secure Britain


Book Description

This five year plan should be read in conjunction with the Strategic plan for the criminal justice system (ISBN 010162882x) to see how the Home Office will take forward its objectives. It is in four main sections: the strategy for reducing crime, drug abuse and insecurity; building cohesive communities; managing migration; managing the Home Office. Amongst the measures is a greater focus on the more prolific offenders, an increased use of tagging and an expansion of treatment places for drug users. There will also be an investment of £800 million to integrate IT systems and there is a plan to introduce biometric ID cards by 2008.




Securing an urban renaissance


Book Description

This collection adds weight to an emerging argument that suggests that policies in place to make cities better places are inextricably linked to an attempt to civilize, pacify and regulate crime and disorder in urban areas, contributing to a vision of an urban renaissance which is perhaps as much about control as it is about the broader physical and social renewal of our towns and cities. The book has three key themes: the theories, strategies and assumptions underpinning the securing of 'Urban Renaissance'; the agendas of current urban policy in the field of crime control; and, thirdly, the role of communities within these agendas. The book provides focused discussions and engagement with these issues from a range of scholars who examine policy connections that can be traced between social, urban and crime policy and the wider processes of regeneration in British towns and cities. The book also seeks to develop our understanding of policies, theories and practices surrounding contemporary British urban policy where a move from concerns with 'urban renaissance' to those of sustainable communities clearly intersect with issues of community security, policing and disorder. Providing a rare disciplinary crossover between urban studies, criminology and community studies, Securing an Urban Renaissance will be essential reading for academics and students in criminology, social policy and human geography concerned with the future of British cities and the political debates shaping the regulation of conduct, crime and disorder in these spaces.




Institutionalizing Restorative Justice


Book Description

This new book aims to explore the key issues and debates surrounding the question of the incorporation and institutionalisation of restorative justice within existing penal and criminal justice systems, an increasingly pressing issue given the rapid spread of restorative justice worldwide at both national and international levels. In doing so it aims to build bridges between those concerned with the practical institutionalisation of restorative justice on the one hand, and those engaged in more theoretical aspects of penal development and analysis on the other. It offers conceptual tools and a theoretical framework to help make sense of these developments, reflecting expertise drawn from analysis of developments in Europe, North America and Australasia.




Securing Respect


Book Description

Over recent years, the Government focus on anti-social behaviour has been replaced by a focus on respect. Tony Blair's 'Respect Action Plan' was launched in January 2006, Gordon Brown has spoken of duty, responsibility, and respect for others, and the Conservatives have launched their 'Real Respect Agenda'. Within government, the respect agenda has a cross-departmental influence, but like anti-social behaviour before it, 'respect' has not yet been tightly defined. And what is it about the contemporary UK that sees respect as lacking, that in order to tackle anti-social behaviour we first need to 'secure respect'? Until now, there has been little attention in the academic and policy literature on the Government's push for respect. Securing respect contains ten essays from leading academics in the field that consider the origins, current interpretations and possible future for the Respect Agenda. The contributors explore various policy and theoretical discourses relating to 'respect', behavioural expectations and anti-social behaviour. The book follows the five key themes of: respect in context; young people and children; communities and families; city living; and issues of identity and values. Securing respect is inter-disciplinary, linking theory and practice, and will be of value to practitioners, academics and students with interests in criminology, socio-legal studies, social policy, urban geography, housing, social history, sociology and landscape.




50 Facts Everyone Should Know About Crime and Punishment in Britain


Book Description

Are you the kind of person who watches crime drama and real-life crime documentaries on television? Are you fascinated by the twists and turns of justice and the law? But how much do you really know about key issues in crime, crime control, policing and punishment in the UK? This exciting, dynamic and accessible book, written by leading experts, presents 50 key facts related to crime and criminal justice policy in Britain. Did you know that, contrary to public belief, in the UK a life sentence does actually last for life? And that capital punishment in the UK was abolished for murder in 1965 but the Death Penalty was a legally defined punishment as late as 1998? Offering thought-provoking insights into the study of crime, this fascinating “go to” book is packed with facts and figures revealing the myths and realities of crime in contemporary Britain.




Transforming Probation


Book Description

Written by an established author in the field, this book explores the politics of modernisation and transformation of probation in the criminal justice system. It is unique in drawing upon innovative social theories and moral perspectives to analyse changes in the probation service by including data from quantitative and qualitative empirical research. This highlights the challenges to, but also support of, the platform of modernisation that culminated in the transformative Rehabilitation Revolution. Providing critical tools for the reader to use in their own work and studies, it makes a timely contribution to criminal justice and probation theory and uniquely provides insights into what representatives of other organisations think about probation – from the outside looking in.




The consumer in public services


Book Description

This book challenges existing stereotypes about the 'consumer as chooser'. It shows how we must develop a more sophisticated understanding of consumers, examining their place and role as users of public services. The analysis shows that there are many different 'faces' of the consumer and that it is not easy to categorise users in particular environments. Drawing on empirical research, The consumer in public services critiques established assumptions surrounding citizenship and consumption. Choice may grab the policy headlines but other essential values are revealed as important throughout the book. One issue concerns the 'subjects' of consumerism, or who it is that presents themselves when they come to use public services. Another concerns consumer 'mechanisms', or the ways that public services try to relate to these people. Bringing these issues together for the first time, with cutting-edge contributions from a range of leading researchers, the message is that today's public services must learn to cope with a differentiated public. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of social policy and public administration. It will also appeal to policy-makers leading 'user-focused' public service reforms, as well as those responsible for implementing such reforms at the frontline of modern public services.




Communities, Identities and Crime


Book Description

"Communities, identities and crime provides a critical exploration of the importance of social identities when considering crime, victimisation and criminal justice." "The book incorporates a broader theoretical focus, exploring identity theory, late modernity, identity constructions, communities and belongingness. The author also raises important theoretical and methodological issues that a focus upon social identities poses for the subject discipline of criminology." "The book is essential reading for postgraduate students of criminology, criminal justice, social policy, sociology, victimology and law. Undergraduate students and criminal justice practitioners will also find the book informative and researchers will value its theoretical and policy focus."--BOOK JACKET.




Child Welfare and Social Policy


Book Description

This book provides an essential one-stop introduction to the key concepts, issues, policies and practices affecting child welfare, with particular emphasis on the changing nature of the relationship between child welfare and social policy. No other book brings together such a wide selection of material to form an attractive and indispensable teaching and learning resource. Child welfare and social policy provides readers with an historical overview of child welfare in England and Wales; high quality contributions from leading authorities in the field; discursive introductions to each section that set individual chapters in the broader context of childhood studies and case study material to bring discussions to life. Key topics covered include morality and child welfare; relations between law, medicine, social work, social theory and child welfare; children's rights and democratic citizenship and children as raw material for 'social investment'. Child welfare and social policy is invaluable reading for students and academics in social policy, sociology, education and social work. It is also a useful resource for health and social work professionals wishing to follow current debates in theory and practice.




Developments in Social Work with Offenders


Book Description

Explains the organisational and legislative changes that have occurred in social work and probation across the UK in the past 10 years.