British Journal of Criminology 52(3)

British Journal of Criminology, May 2012: Volume 52, Issue 3

Five Spaces of Cultural Criminology
Keith J. Hayward

This article offers some reflections on the nature and role of space and spatial analysis in criminology. It proceeds in two parts. It starts by comparing and contrasting the spatial legacy of the Chicago School of sociology—seen by most as the progenitors of environmental criminology—with the general approach to space adopted by cultural geographers. The second part breaks new ground for criminology by positing five new areas—or ‘spaces’—of engagement that offer alternative ways of interpreting the relationship between space and crime, the ultimate aim being to challenge contemporary criminologists to think differently about how space is conceptualized and utilized within our discipline.

Just Images: Aesthetics, Ethics and Visual Criminology
Eamonn Carrabine

The last few years have seen a remarkable visual turn in criminology and this article explores some of the implications of this renewed interest in the power of images. It begins by setting out influential sociological understandings of aesthetics, before turning to the distinctive ethical questions posed by visual representations of harm, suffering and violence that feature so prominently in these multi-mediated times. These arguments are then developed in relation to the documentary photography tradition, as it explicitly confronts the relationships between aesthetics, ethics and justice, in ways that a visually attuned criminology has much to learn from, not least since contemporary practitioners have become increasingly aware that they have certain social responsibilities towards the subjects they photograph, while remaining committed to anthropological exploration, moral commitment and political reform.

The Political Economy of Neighbourhood Homicide in Chicago: The Role of Bank Investment
María B. Vélez and Kelly Richardson

The urban political-economy perspective contends that the actions of elites have made certain neighbourhoods susceptible to deleterious conditions. We draw on this logic to argue neighbourhoods that are winners of the political economy of place are rewarded with relatively higher levels of home mortgage lending and thus enjoy lower levels of homicide. Neighbourhoods that are the losers of the political economy receive relatively little bank lending and have relatively higher levels of homicide. We find that Chicago neighbourhoods during the mid-1990s experience lower homicide per capita rates if banks have awarded them relatively higher home mortgage loan dollars and they are surrounded by relatively higher infusions of home mortgage loan dollars. Results underscore the importance of economic elites in providing resources like home mortgage lending capital to neighbourhoods.

The Crime and Punishment of Somali Women’s Extra-Legal Arrival in Malta
Alison Gerard and Sharon Pickering

This article looks at Somali women’s experiences of extra-legal border crossing of the European Union’s southern border. Based on qualitative interviews with women who have travelled irregularly to Malta, and key state and non-government organization stakeholders, this article considers the layers of exile and vulnerability engendered by Malta’s attempts to secure the EU border. The article traces the gendered and racialized processes of immobilizing irregular migrants through legal and administrative policies of mandatory detention and the Dublin II Regulation, and through social and economic policy in Malta. The article concludes that border control operating at the point of arrival both contains and punishes women, even when they are legally accepted and released, keeping women suspended in a constant ‘state of arrival’.

The Delta Creeks, Women’s Engagement and Nigeria’s Oil Insurgency
Temitope Oriola

The on-going insurgency in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria continues to have serious consequences for oil workers, corporations and the global oil market. In spite of the growing interest in arguably the greatest existential threat to the Nigerian state since the Civil War of 1967–70, scant scholarly attention has been paid to the Delta creeks and the fundamental roles performed by women in the insurgency. This paper interrogates the space represented by the creeks as the home territory of insurgents in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta. Using interview and focus group data garnered from 42 insurgents and five other sets of actors, I analyse the operational significance and symbolism of the creeks and its processual social sorting. In addition, I demonstrate the dichotomous relationship of women to the creeks. Women constitute a major source of reconnaissance, spiritual fortification, among other roles, but are concurrently considered eewo or abomination by male insurgents. Although academic analysis has been overwhelmingly concerned with the supportive roles and non-violent protests of women, the Delta women are actively engaged in the on-going violent repertoires of protest.

Triadization of Youth Gangs in Hong Kong
T. Wing Lo

In Hong Kong, youth gangs are heavily influenced by triad societies, and the present article examines how young people are ‘triadized’ through three main channels during their participation in gang activities. First, the spider’s web structure absorbs young people into the gang and then ties them into a triad big brother and follower relationship. Second, triad elements and knowledge are transmitted via routine activities of the youth gang. Third, the tacit but very much enforced norms and controls of a youth gang lead its members to conform to triad commands and assimilate triad values. It is concluded that triadization of youth gangs provides new blood to triad societies that continue to survive across different generations over time.

Making sense of Going Straight: Personal Accounts of Male Ex-Prisoners in Hong Kong
Michael Adorjan and Wing Hong Chui

While most research on desistance targets Western contexts, we offer a point of comparison through an examination of the experiences of a selected group of male ex-offenders upon their discharge from prison in Hong Kong. To achieve this aim, this qualitative study gives a detailed account of Hong Kong ex-prisoners’ accounts of desistance. Semi-structured interviews focusing on prisoner re-entry were conducted with 23 Hong Kong Chinese ex-prisoners. Particularly salient themes to explain the process of going straight in Hong Kong were the importance of social support and family, as well as religion. Ex-prisoners were particularly critical of the rehabilitative efficacy of Hong Kong’s prisons as well as post-supervision programmes. These criticisms were related to concerns regarding Hong Kong’s competitive and materialistic culture delimiting efforts to desist from crime.

Anti-Social Behaviour, Community Engagement and the Judicial Role in England and Wales
Jane C. Donoghue

A problem-solving approach to anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases has recently been embedded into magistrates’ courts in England and Wales. This approach incorporates core components of the Anti-Social Behaviour Response Court (ASBRC) model and is underpinned by principles of community justice. This article summarizes some of the main findings of an 18-month ESRC-funded study that investigated how far the ASBRC model has been absorbed into mainstream courts in England and Wales. This research suggests that courts have not embedded community justice principles, nor have they altered their focus to incorporate a significant degree of liaison with the community. The article concludes with some observations on the implications of the findings for the development and enhancement of community engagement and community justice principles.

The Life Sentence and Parole
Diarmuid Griffin and Ian O'Donnell

Taking the life sentence as the new ‘ultimate penalty’ for many countries, this paper explores the factors associated with the release of life-sentence prisoners on parole. The Republic of Ireland is selected as a case study because it is in the unusual position of being influenced by European human rights norms as well as by the Anglo-American drive towards increased punitiveness. As an apparent outlier to both the human rights and punitive approaches, or perhaps as a hybrid of sorts, the relative impact of the two models can be elucidated. The article also provides an example of how small penal systems can be resistant to broader trends and the value of directing the criminological gaze upon countries where it seldom falls.

The Impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on Policing in England and Wales
Karen Bullock and Paul Johnson

This article explores the impact of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998 on the police service of England and Wales. It draws upon qualitative data produced during interviews with police personnel to provide the first empirical study of the influence of the HRA on the police service at an organizational level and on the day-to-day working practices of police officers. Whilst the fundamental aim of the HRA is to protect and enhance citizens’ rights and freedoms, we argue that there is little evidence to suggest that it has promoted a greater awareness of, and respect for, human rights amongst police officers. Rather, the HRA has become institutionalized by the police service into a series of bureaucratic processes that, although requiring conformity by officers, do not encourage active consideration of human rights issues. Instead of shaping police work to make it more responsive to human rights, bureaucratic processes are used by officers to legitimize and justify their existing practices. Focusing on ‘risks’ rather than ‘rights’, officers satisfy the ‘tests’ introduced by the HRA through an assessment of the dangers posed by particular individuals and crime types and the resource implications of effectively managing them. An important result of this is that the HRA is not used to achieve a balance between individual rights and community interests, but becomes a framework for mandating police decision making and protecting officers from criticism and blame.

Reconfiguring Security and Liberty: Political Discourses and Public Opinion in the New Century
Christina Pantazis and Simon Pemberton

The debate about the relationship between security and liberty has intensified in liberal democracies since September 2001. In this article, we argue that corrosive legislative developments in UK counter-terrorism have been made possible by the emergence of a centre-right political consensus that discursively ‘trades’ the freedoms of the ‘minority’ or ‘Muslim Other’ for the protection of the ‘law-abiding majority’. This consensus has drawn on, as well as been shaped by public opinion. Our review of the polling data suggests, public opinion is supportive of the shift towards authoritarianism. We conclude by considering possible future strategies to unravel the ‘populist politics’ that have dominated in recent years.