Crime Risk And Insecurity

Just what is the "fear of crime" and how does it impact upon the lives of the citizens of late modern societies? This book presents work on the questions of fear, anxiety, risk and trust - both as problems of everyday living and as key themes in the culture and politics of western societies.

This book presents new empirical and conceptual work on the questions of fear, anxiety, risk and trust - both as problems of everyday living and as key themes in the culture and politics of contemporary Western societies. The volume includes contributions from distinguished social researchers from Britain, the United States, Germany and Italy and will be of interest to academics and students in the areas of criminology and sociology.

'Crime in an Insecure World' investigates the alarming trend across Western societies of treating every imaginable source of harm as a crime. The book explains why selected issues of national security, social security, corporate security and domestic security are at the top of the political agenda.

Concerns over insecurity have become central issues in political debates across Europe and the western world, and crucial changes have followed in the wake of these concerns. This book contributes to an understanding of these developments.

Concerns over insecurity and questions of safety have become central issues in social and political debates across Europe and the western world. Crucial changes have followed as a result, such as a redefinition of the role of the state in relation to policing - a central theme of this book - and an explosion in the growth of private policing. These developments have, in their turn, heightened feelings of insecurity and safety, particularly where populations have become increasingly mobile and societies more socially fragmented, culturally diverse and economically fragmented. Responses to insecurity now increasingly inform decisions made by governments, organisations and ordinary people in their social interactions. This book makes a key contribution to an understanding of these developments, approaching the subject from a range of perspectives, across several different disciplines. The three parts of the book look at broader theoretical and thematic issues, then at cross-national and pan-European developments and debates in European governance, and finally explore specific examples of local issues of community safety and the broader implications these have. Leading figures in the field draw upon criminological, legal, social, and political theory to shed new light on what has become one of the most intractable problems facing western societies.

This book examines our contemporary preoccupation with risk and how criminal law and punishment have been transformed as a result of these anxieties. It adopts an historical approach to examine the development of risk control measures used across the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada - particularly since the 1980’s - with the rise of the "security sanction". It also takes a criminological and sociological approach to analysing shifts in criminal law and punishment and its implications for contemporary society and criminal justice systems. Law, Insecurity and Risk Control analyses the range and scope of the ‘security sanction’ and its immobilizing measures, ranging from control over minor incivilities to the most serious crimes. Despite these innovations, though, it argues that our anxieties about risk have become so extensive that the "security sanction" is no longer sufficient to provide social stability and cohesion. As a consequence, people have been attracted to the ‘magic’ of populism in a revolt against mainstream politics and organisations of government, as with the EU referendum in the UK and the US presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016. While there have been political manoeuvrings to rein back risk and place new controls on it, these have only brought further disillusionment, insecurity and anxiety. This book argues that the "security sanction" is likely to become more deeply embedded in the criminal justice systems of these societies, as new risks to both the well-being of individuals and the nation state are identified.

Crime control has risen rapidly up the social and political agendas to become a central feature of western societies. This book is concerned with issues arising from these developments. Top criminologists from Britain, the USA and Australia explore the links between crime and risk through a range of themes, from the depiction of crime in the media to the dilemmas of policing, to the new punitiveness of criminal justice systems and the custodial warehousing of the poor and excluded.

Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice takes students through the evolution of risk technology devices, processes, and prevention. This seminal text unpacks technology’s influence on our understanding of governance and social order in areas of criminal justice, policing, and security. With a foreword by leading scholar Kevin Haggerty, the collection consists of three sections that explore the impact of big data, traditional risk practices, and the increased reliance on technology in criminal justice. Eight chapters offer diverse examples that are linked by themes of preventative justice, calculability of risk, the theatre and reality of technology, and the costs of justice. With both national and international appeal, this vital resource is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in criminology, police studies, or sociology.