Criminal Justice - Risk (chapter 4)

risk society
1. Since the 1970s, discourse of risk has extended to global concerns for security and safety. Perception more threatening, out of control. images of risk everywhere
  1. eg terrorism, identity theft, pollution
  2. 'Pessimistic awareness of the dangers inherent in our social world' (Drake and Muncie, 2010)
2. Beck (2002) characterised by local and global ambiguity, insecurity and fearfulness, leading to a 'riskmanagement' approach to crime and justice
  1. communities and identities more fragmented, collapse in traditional orderings
    1. experts and politians cannot be trusted, nobody knows - insecurities
3. Contradiction of risk society
  1. also defined by efforts to manage risk (O'Malley, 1998)
    1. renewed search for order and stability
    2. 'Joined-up' modernisation of various state agencies
      1. Families, communities and businesses have role; states has begun to govern 'at a distance' - Rose, 2000
    3. shift from prevention of crime to management of risk - crime is normal (Hughes, 1998)
      1. risk factors
        scientific, measurement to predict the future in terms of known probabilities
        Evidence based policy
        Actuarialism
        The classification of populations according to their assumed level of risk of future offending/reoffending.
        Early Intervention
        A core policy implication of the belief that crime can be anticipated in advance.
        eg certain children should be targeted for crime prevention initiatives before an offence has taken place.
        Miniumal intervention and maximum diversion rather than early intervention
        Feeley and Simon (1992)
        'new penology'
        purpose of disciplinary forms of intervention now containment.
        O'Malley (1992) notes managing risk is held by individuals who are able to insure/ invest in security measures
        setting of targets, structures in place to measure success to know 'what works'
        'what works'
        legitimises interventions designed to reduce offending,; led by evidence not ideology
        plan for crime reduction
        less about 'curing' an offender, more of identifying factors leading to criminal behaviour
        can identify likely offenders; particular people places subjected to increased surveillance, potential victims know where to avoid
        studies reveal correlations, patterns and links, but not causes
        Cambridge Study
        family factors
        indivdual factors
        Environmental factors
        Farrington (2007) 30+ studies over last 60 years
        Webster et al (2006) 50% high risk using cambridge methodolgy, standardised risk negate complex dynamics
      2. cycle of risk is perpetual
        Erikson and Haggerty ( 1997) cultivates insecuriities
        Expert knowledge /always risk aware
  2. Accept and embrace uncertainties, debate, scruitinise how/where/who (Beck 1992)
  3. Opens up new opportunities, and re-thinking of traditional political agendas (Giddens, 1994)
Power
1. Who has power to deine what 'risk' is and who the 'risky people are'
  1. visible street crime targeted to exclusion of other types of ctime such as corporate crime
Harm/violence
1. intervention on basis of risk can be seen to include and protect the 'deserving' while excluding and marginalising 'problem populations
2. Farrington (2006) study of young peoples 'risk of offending' characteristics used to idenify (and target) young people on basis what thet might do in the future. Furter studies suggest risk based assessments not always reliable and targeting by police is the greatest risk factor
3. Risk factor prevention paradigms'
  1. doesn't say about harmful behaviours not recorded
  2. Can't be applied to understanding of crimes powerful and state crime
  3. Focus on particular threats to safety and security
  4. Focuses on what factors are linked, but not how/why linked
4. typically re-inforces rather than transforms inequality
Local /Global
1. risk can have many meanings, vary across time, place and people
2. actuarialism connects with global processes, neo-liberal, market driven policies, legitimises reponse to trouble populations
3. Longitudinal studies gloablly have confirmed cluster of individual , familiy and community circumstances are associated with esimates of criminal behaviour
  1. Farrington (2000) 'globalisation of knowledge'
Crime Science
1. A school of criminology emerging in 2001 concerned with the application of scientific principles to aid in the detection and prevention of crime and disorder.
  1. eg forensic science, crime mapping, and psychology and computer science
Modernity
1. Industrialisation to the 1970s which it was thought that social problems could be addressed through positivist science and rationality.
Linked to criminal justice system
1. Policing, crime, crime policy, prisons, victimisations, personal safety
used in social, financial and political contexts to refer to the calculability or prediction of a potential harm or hazard
Brown and Pratt (2000) - risk has become a central concept for the discipline of criminology
1. number of perspectives - legal, political, psyschological, sociological, geographical
Hybrid Strategies
1. Putitive sovereignty - only 'deserving' are free from interventions
  1. Eg Zero-Tolerance policing, asbo, increased rates of imprisonment
2. Community safety, greater responsibisation
  1. eg, safety partnerships, community policing

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Criminal Justice - Risk (chapter 4)

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