Whose Criminal Justice? : State or Community?

All the editors and contributors to this book are members of The University of Birmingham's 'Community and Criminal Justice Group' (BCCJ Group). Drawing on the different disciplines of law, criminology, forensic psychology, social work and public management, they explore the shifts and progress made in criminal justice in England and Wales over the past two decades and highlight the possibilities and pitfalls for the future. The overarching theme of the book is the balance between the role of central government in creating and shaping the regulatory framework of criminal justice and the potential for communities at local level to become more involved and to exercise more responsibility for themselves in responding to crime and anti-social behaviour in their midst. These twin dynamics are explored in the two main sections of the book. In Part I (The Regulatory State) through a series of case-studies, the authors examine how the central state has sought to address the risks and problems associated with crime and anti-social behaviour in modern times. They consider the new context for law and order which arose during the period under consideration and ask how and why new sanctions were put in place to regulate particular kinds of behaviour. They also highlight some of the unintended consequences, notably the criminalisation of more people. Then in Part II (Empowered Communities as Stakeholders in Criminal Justice) the book explores the potential for local communities playing a greater role in addressing the problems of crime and anti-social behaviour in their own neighbourhoods. In this section of the book the authors also consider the prospects for crime reduction through a more 'localist' approach in which citizens and communities play a more active part in a 'big society'. The book provides a timely and topical stock-taking of key issues and challenges within criminal justice. Through an exploration of the relative strengths and limitations of 'centrist' and 'localist' approaches to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, it also offers a prescription of principles and priorities for a way forward. Reviews 'A riveting book which identifies the main criminal justice issues that need to be addressed by the government': Internet Law Book Reviews 'This is an extremely comprehensive text that has been written and constructed in an accessible way for students of this subject. The focus on risk, risk management and actuarialism in Chapter three provides a well-rounded and persuasive discussion over the extent of control and risk strategies. The issue of rights and liberties is maintained as a dominant thread throughout and readers are presented with a critical enagement with the practical, political and conceptual realities of modern criminal justice': Paul Taylor, University of Chester 'This collection represents a timely discussion of one of the key issues facing criminal justice over the next decade: namely how to reconcile the new drive for localism with the need to ensure fairness and efficiency in an increasingly complex criminal justice system': Stephen Shute, Head of Sussex University Law School 'Policy makers and practitioners would do well to reflect on the wisdom that is contained in this book': David Faulkner, University of Oxford Centre for Criminological Research.

The University of Birmingham Community and Criminal Justice Group: Established in 2008, The BCCJ Group began life by chance when two academic colleagues - one a forensic psychologist, the other a public management specialist - began talking to each other on their daily train commute into the University of Birmingham. Recognising the considerable, but much dispersed, expertise and interest in criminology, criminal law and justice across the Birmingham campus, for example, in the Schools of Law, Social Policy, Government and Society, Psychology, Economics and Medicine, the idea was to form a cross-campus and cross-disciplinary group to exchange ideas, develop joint research projects, organize conferences and other events together and, by working closer together, helping to highlight and promote Birmingham's exceptional expertise in the field of community and criminal justice. The initiative was strongly supported and driven forward by the efforts of Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Stephen Shute, who was then Director of Birmingham's Institute of Judicial Administration. Since then, the Group has hosted an annual conference for doctoral researchers and staff; it has encouraged and supported staff collaborations on various research bids, and most recently, it has provided the authorship for an edited book 'Whose Criminal Justice: State or Community?' (to be published in 2011 by Waterside Press). For further information on the Birmingham Community and Criminal Justice Group, please contact: Anthony Beech, Professor of Criminological Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 7215 or a.r.beech@bham.ac.uk or John W Raine, Professor of Management in Criminal Justice, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 5008 or j.w.raine@bham.ac.uk or Andrew Sanders, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, School of Law, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 6318 or a.h.l.sanders@bham.ac.uk or Basia Spalek, Reader in Communities and Justice, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, tel: 0121 414 8027 or b.spalek@bham.ac.uk Contributors Shamila Ahmed is a Doctoral Researcher in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Anthony Beech is Director of the Centre for Forensic and Criminological Psychology and Professor of Criminal Psychology in the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham. Mark Blandford is a Detective Constable with the Staffordshire Police Public Protection Unit and Associate of the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham. John Child is a Lecturer in Law at Oxford Brookes University. He was a Doctoral Researcher and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in the Law School, University of Birmingham. Katherine Doolin is Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration and Lecturer in the Law School, University of Birmingham. Jessica Elliott is a Lecturer in Law at the University of the West of England. She was a Doctoral Researcher and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at the Law School, University of Birmingham. Kathryn Farrow is a Lecturer in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Nathan Hughes is a Teaching and Research Fellow in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Adrian Hunt is a Lecturer in the Law School, University of Birmingham. Paul Keasey is a Chief Inspector with West Midlands Police and Doctoral Researcher in the Institute of Local Government Studies, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham. Gill Kelly is an Independent Trainer at KWP and Associate of the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Zahira Latif is a Doctoral Researcher in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Theresa Lynch is a Doctoral Researcher and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in the Law School, University of Birmingham. David Prior is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. John Raine is Professor of Management in Criminal Justice and Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham. Andrew Sanders is Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology in the Law School, University of Birmingham. Basia Spalek is a Reader in Communities and Justice in the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham. Bernadette Wilkinson is an Independent Trainer at KWP and Associate of the Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham.