British Journal of Criminology - Advance Access

Families Shamed: The Consequences of Crime for Relatives of Serious Offenders

Christian, J. — 2008-05-15

LEGALIZING PROSTITUTION: Morality Politics in Western Australia

Weitzer, R. — 2008-05-15

There is now a sizeable literature examining moral panics and moral crusades in various societies, yet the literature is largely centred on the dynamics of panics and the social forces promoting them, while devoting almost no attention to the state. The state may play a key role in the process—either fanning or defusing popular alarm over a problem. In some panics, the state becomes an arena of struggle, or morality politics, between forces that promote and challenge claims regarding some social evil. The process of legislating morality provides a unique opportunity to examine the state as a dynamic actor in its own right. The article examines this in the context of the recent debate over legalizing prostitution in Western Australia.

DOES SERIOUS OFFENDING LEAD TO HOMICIDE?: Exploring the Interrelationships and Sequencing of Serious Crime

Soothill, K., Francis, B., Liu, J. — 2008-05-08

The interrelationships between serious types of crime have been neglected. Focusing on those convicted of arson (n = 45,915), blackmail (n = 5,774), kidnapping (n = 7,291) and threats to kill (n = 9,816) in England and Wales (1979–2001), we examine the specialization and sequencing of these crimes in relation to the risk of subsequent homicide. All four offences have a heightened likelihood of subsequent homicide compared to the general population. Arson, blackmail and threats to kill have a similar homicide risk (0.8 per cent) after a 20-year follow-up; in contrast, kidnapping has a higher likelihood (1.0 per cent). Sequencing is also relevant, with those convicted of more than one type of serious offence being at higher risk of a homicide conviction. Additionally, there is evidence of specialization (particularly for arsonists) among serious offenders who recidivate.

PRISONERS OF THE SUN: The British Empire and Imprisonment in Malta in the Early Nineteenth Century

Scicluna, S., Knepper, P. — 2008-05-03

The ‘birth of the prison’ has been linked to replacement of the ancient regime and the emergence of industrial, capitalist society. But this explanation gives insufficient attention to the role of the British Empire in diffusion of the prison as an institution and the continuing role of the sovereign in its political message. This essay focuses on the establishment of the prison at Corradino, in Malta, from initial plans in the 1830s through to its inaugural year in 1850. Drawing on archival materials in London and Malta, we explore the role of British social attitudes in empire-making and prison construction. Specifically, we explore the making of colonial prison policy, the architecture of the prison and colonial social hierarchy, the role of Catholic ritual in prison discipline, beliefs about ‘race’ and criminality, and the significance of prison labour in a non-industrial context. Building Her Majesty's prison in Malta made it impossible for the Maltese to forget that they were subjects of a sovereign and not citizens in their own republic.

Transformations of Policing. Edited by Alistair Henry and David J. Smith (AldershotAshgate, 2007, 336pp. {euro}55.00)

Mehigan, J. — 2008-04-28

PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF WORK-RELATED FATALITY CASES: Reaching the Outer Limits of 'Populist Punitiveness'?

Almond, P. — 2008-04-02

A significant body of literature has examined the role of public attitudes in shaping the contemporary politics of law and order, and suggested that a state of ‘populist punitiveness’ now exists, whereby policy is made in response to harsh and punitive public attitudes towards crime issues. This paper will explore these issues within the context of regulatory and corporate offending. A qualitative investigation into public attitudes towards work-related fatality cases demonstrated that these cases are regarded as serious, but that attitudes regarding punishment in this context are only partially ‘punitive’. Demands for significant penalties are underpinned by rationality rather than a desire for revenge, casting into doubt the applicability of populist punitive accounts of lawmaking in this area.

PUNISHING PERSISTENCE: Explaining the Enduring Appeal of the Recidivist Sentencing Premium

Roberts, J. V. — 2008-03-18

All jurisdictions—whether common or civil law—punish repeat offenders more severely. In this sense, the Recidivist Sentencing Premium is as universal as the principle of proportionality. Retributive sentencing theorists fall into two camps: one group rejects the use of previous convictions at sentencing while the second assigns a very limited role for criminal antecedents. This article explores the issue and proposes a culpability-based justification for considering previous convictions at sentencing. According to this proposal, previous convictions justify more severe treatment in the way that premeditation is used as an aggravating circumstance. Offenders who plan their crimes and offenders with previous convictions should be considered more blameworthy and hence worthy of harsher punishments. This model is considered with reference to community views of sentencing.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: The Relationships between Conviction Trajectories of Fathers and their Sons and Daughters

van de Rakt, M., Nieuwbeerta, P., de Graaf, N. D. — 2008-03-18

This study elaborates on the relationship between convictions of fathers and the development of convictions of their offspring over the lifespan. Unique official data from the Netherlands Criminal Career and Life Course Study (CCLS) are used to investigate the intergenerational transmission of criminal behaviour (8,085 sons and daughters and an observation period of over 40 years). Trajectory modelling and growth curve analysis are used to establish (1) differences between the criminal careers of children from different groups of fathers and (2) differences within the groups of children in the development of their individual criminal careers. The findings demonstrate that children of convicted fathers are much more likely to be convicted themselves in comparison to those whose fathers have never been convicted. Also, children of highly persistent fathers tend to commit more delinquent acts in every phase of their lives than children of law-abiding fathers. An additional analysis shows the existence of four distinct trajectory groups (non-delinquents, moderate desisters, early desisters and chronics) amongst the children.

From Threat To Promise: Nightclub 'Security', Governance and Consumer Elites

Hadfield, P. — 2008-03-05

Drawn from an ethnographic investigation of Central London's contemporary nightclub scene, this paper seeks to map previously obscure elements of the private governance of ‘security’ and the wider network of ‘nodes’ which govern Britain's night-time economy (NTE). Attention to the constitution and operation of nodes and the interfaces between them provide insight into the co-production of particular forms of social order and situated meanings of the term ‘security’. The paper identifies a criminogenic NTE in flux, driven by entrepreneurial zeal, a stratified consumer culture and forms of regulatory closure that conspire to exacerbate underlying tendencies toward social exclusion in the night-time city.

Failure To Launch: Why Do Some Social Issues Fail to Detonate Moral Panics?

Jenkins, P. — 2008-02-29

A ‘moral panic’ is characterized by such themes as the novelty of a particular menace, its sudden explosive growth, and the menace it poses both to accepted moral standards and to vulnerable groups and individuals. Some problems, however, apparently have all the features that would generate a self-feeding media frenzy, and, yet, they do not do so. I will explain this absence of panic by examining the issue of internet child pornography. The failure to construct the problem in ‘panic’ terms reflects the technological shortcomings of law-enforcement agencies, which force them to interpret available data according to familiar forms of knowledge, rather than comprehending or publicizing new forms of deviant organization. This lack of awareness then conditions the nature of political investigation and media coverage.