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This book offers a scholarly and lively introduction to comparative criminal justice. It considers the state of crime globally and examines and reflects on the ways different countries and jurisdictions deal with the main stages in the criminal justice process, from policing to systems of trial, to sentencing, and punishment.

Prisoners often talk about their prison experience using spatial metaphors such as weight and depth. Imprisonment is frequently described as 'deep', with prisoners reporting feeling 'submerged' or 'buried alive'. But what about its opposite? Can we consider a prison experience that not only lacks these experiential qualities but could in fact be felt and described as 'shallow'? What characteristics would such a shallow prison experience have? In order to investigate this I spent time in Iceland's two open prisons. Both are very small with about 20 prisoners, run with few staff, set in rural, scenic settings and lack most of the features typically associated with imprisonment. In these prisons, I found that in essence, shallowness is both sensorily and interactively experienced. These shallow prisons allow for a range of sensory experiences of which prisoners are typically deprived, and for interactivity in the sense of the outside world permeating the prison in a range of ways. I, therefore, conclude that shallowness comes with its own positive characteristics so that it is more than the absence of depth. In addition, such arrangements are likely to reduce the pains associated with imprisonment considerably.

AbstractPrison visits by academics are controversial. While they can provide an insight into penal practice, prisoner researchers warn against such visits as spectacles of degradation. In this article I examine the value of a series of prison visits for comparative research. Drawing on my own experiences and those of, among others, John Howard and John Pratt, I argue that prison visits, if ethically conducted and reflectively considered, offer benefits for investigating comparative penal practice. They can consider the self‐presentation of the prison, material conditions (including the sounds, smells and the sights), and possibly, where the script allows it, a glimpse beyond the façade of official prison discourse. As such, they have merit, in particular in the early stages of a comparative project.

Abstract: Criminal justice policy in the Netherlands has traditionally been characterised by a great deal of stability but recent crises have fuelled a public mood of discontent and disarray. The most notable event in this regard has no doubt been the assassination of populist politician Pim Fortuyn in May 2002. This article discusses some of these crises, the governmental response to them, and examines how criminal justice is evolving under an emerging Dutch‐style Garlandian social discourse of crime and security.

1. Globalisation and criminology : an agenda of engagement / Francis Pakes -- 2. The challenge of globalisation for comparative criminal justice / David Nelken -- 3. Globalisation and criminology : the case of organised crime in Britain / Daniel Silverstone -- 4. Crimes of globalization as a criminological project : the case of international financial institutions / David O. Friedrichs and Dawn L. Rothe -- 5. Policing international terrorism / Mathieu Deflem and Samantha Hauptman -- 6. Policing in peace operations : change and challenge / Bethan Greener -- 7. Two profiles of crimmigration law : criminal deportation and illegal migration / Juliet P. Stumpf -- 8. Exporting risk, deporting non-citizens / Leanne Weber and Sharon Pickering -- 9. Borderworld : biometrics, AVATAR and global criminalization / Ben Muller -- 10. Globalisation, mass atrocities and genocide / Susanne Karstedt -- 11. Parochialism and globalisation : the rise of anti-immigration parties in Europe / Francis Pakes.

There is no doubt that globalisation has profound effects on crime, justice and our feelings of security, identity and belonging. Many of these affect both the making of laws and the breaking of laws. It has been argued however that criminology has been too provincial, focusing as it often does on national laws and issues, whilst others have said that globalisation is the stuff of international relations, global finance and trade, not of criminology. This book disputes this by asserting that criminology has a firm place in this arena and globalisation offers the discipline a challenge that.

This article deals with recent pieces of legislation in that have impacted on policing in England and Wales, and a piece of legislation currently under consideration. The common theme of these laws is that they do not really empower the police, but rather renders them with more responsibilities. ; Straipsnyje nagrinėjami galiojantys teisės aktai, reglamentuojantys policijos veiklą Didžiojoje Britanijoje ir Velse, taip pat analizuojami šiuo metu rengiamų policijos veiklą reglamentuojančių teisės aktų projektai. Keliama pagrindinė problema – minėtieji įstatymai nesuteikia policijai tiek įgaliojimų, kiek reikalaujama atsakomybės už jų įgyvendinimą. Ši nuostata skatina skirti dėmesio policijos socialinei paskirčiai, kad būtų atkurtas visuomenės pasitikėjimas policija, siekiant atnaujinti ir api-brėžti sąžiningumo, integralumo ir kompetentingumo principus Didžiosios Britanijos ir Velso policijos veikloje. Straipsnyje analizuojamos kai kurios visuomenės pasitikėjimo policija mažėjimo priežastys, t. y. teisėtumo pažeidimai kitos rasės žmonių atžvilgiu, piliečių skundų prieš policiją skaičiaus didėjimas ir pan. Visuomenės pasitikėjimas policijos tarnybomis labai priklauso nuo įstatymų, nustatančių policijos kompetenciją viešosios tvarkos apsaugos ir socialinės kontrolės srityje. Čia tobulinami bei keičiami policijos konsultavimosi su visuomene bei policijos bendravimo su visuomene principai. Kita svarbi nuostata, kurią reikėtų tobulinti, yra policijos valdymo principų ir naujai suprantamos policijos misijos įtvirtinimas priimamuose teisės aktuose. Nauji įstatymai reikalauja, kad kiekviena policijos įstaiga kiekvienais metais pateiktų išsamų savo veiklos efektyvumo planą ir plano vykdymo ataskaitą. Straipsnyje gana plačiai nagrinėjamas 2002 metais priimtas Policijos reformos įstatymas, kuriame įtvirtinami pagrindiniai policijos įgaliojimai, galintys daryti įtaką nusikalstamumui ir socialinei netvarkai. Daroma išvada, kad socialinės krizės pasireiškia daugelyje valstybių, todėl Didžiosios Britanijos bei Velso valstybės privalo perimti ten galiojančią policijos veiklos praktiką ir ją pritaikyti naujai priimamuose įstatymuose.

The Netherlands has traditionally been known for having perhaps the mildest prison policy of the Western world in terms of prisoner numbers and prisoner treatment. However, over the last 15 to 20 years a dramatic change has taken place. The number of detention years has steadily increased since 1985; subsequently an extensive prison building scheme was launched, which resulted in more than double the number of prison cells. The landmark change in prison policy is probably completed by the coming into force of the Penitentiary Principles Act 1999 [ Penitentiare Benginselenwet] (Ministry of Justice 1997b), that became law on 1 January 1999. The new legislation re‐prioritises Dutch prison policy, by emphasising security and sobriety. This article examines causes and effects of these developments.

Although crime is a hot topic in the media, the everyday reality of crime is often very different from its onscreen or tabloid portrayal. Most crime is neither violent nor morbid; most offenders are not psychopaths, and although prison generally does not work, there may well be other, less punitive but more constructive interventions that are actually quite effective. This book exposes some of the most prevalent myths about crime and criminal behaviour, and provides the reader with up-to-date knowledge on crime and offending behaviour.

This book provides an accessible introduction to the increasingly popular subject of criminal psychology. It explores the application of psychology to understanding the crime phenomenon, criminal behaviour,solving crimes, the court process and punishment rehabilitation. It will be an invaluable resource for anybody taking courses in this field, in particular students taking the criminal psychology/forensic psychology components of the main A-level psychology specifications. The book is fully in line with the new A-level specifications being taught from September 2009. Each chapter includes cas

AbstractThis article seeks to examine the exact status of Iceland in light of the Nordic penal exceptionalism thesis. This thesis considers that punishment in the Nordic countries is fundamentally more benign than that in Anglophone countries (Pratt 2008a, 2008b). Yet from this perspective the remote Nordic country of Iceland remains overlooked. That is unfortunate as, at first sight, there is much to be intrigued about: Iceland's prison rate is very low; Iceland is small and homogeneous which may offer cultural or structural pre‐conditions for a positive penal system. Its penal estate is tiny with a small number of very small prisons. In addition, Iceland has a history of low crime rates and a tradition of lenient sentencing practices. All this makes it interesting to consider whether the penal exceptionalism thesis (Pratt and Eriksson 2011) actually extends to Iceland. To what extent does Iceland fit the Nordic mould of penal practice?

Abstract: Many criminal justice mental health diversion and liaison teams are under threat of extinction. Nacro (2005) notes a steady decline in their number, despite the fact that these schemes in principle provide a valuable service and can fit any social inclusion or crime preventative agenda. In order for such teams and schemes to thrive they need to be strengthened urgently, a point concurred with by Jack Straw when he asked Lord Bradley to undertake a review into mental health diversion as a means of reducing the prison population. But before these schemes can thrive they must survive. We, therefore, argue that research into their sustainability is required and here we introduce a tool we developed (MHEP‐AC) that is now in use for that purpose.