The New Politics of Crime and Punishment Edited by Roger Matthews and Jock Young The N ew Politics of Crime and Punishment The New Politics of Crime and Punishment edited by Roger Matthews Jock Young B Routledge Taylor & Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK First published by Willan Publishing 2003 This edition published by Routledge 2011 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (8th Floor) Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © the Editors and Contributors All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence permitting copying in the UK issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. ISBN 13:978-1-903240-92-2 (hardback) ISBN 13:978-1-903240-91-5 (paperback) British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset by TW Typesetting, Plymouth, Devon Contents Editors' Preface About the contributors 1 New Labour, crime control and social exclusion Jock Young and Roger Matthews 1 2 Winning the fight against crime? New Labour, populism and lost opportunities jock Young 33 3 Institutional racism in policing: the Macpherson report and its consequences John Lea 48 4 Youth justice in England and Wales John Pitts 71 5 It's the family, stupid: continuities and reinterpretations of the dysfunctional family as the cause of crime in three political periods Jayne Mooney 100 6 Drugs: the great cannabis debate Catriona Woollier and Betsy Thom 111 The New Politics of Crime and Punishment 7 Urban regeneration and crime reduction: contradictions and dilemmas Lynn Hancock 8 The politics of policing: managerialism, modernization and performance Denise Martin 9 Of crowds, crimes and carnivals Patrick Slaughter 10 Probation into the millennium: the punishing service? Anthony Goodman 11 Rethinking penal policy: towards a systems approach Roger Matthews Index Editors’ Preface The political climate in the United Kingdom has changed dramatically over the past decade, and the expectation has been that this would result in a significant shift in government policy on crime and punishment. This expectation has in part been met, although the nature of the changes which have taken place are not always those that were expected. When New Labour swept to power in 1997 it was widely anticipated that this would lead to a less punitive, more informal and community- based approach, which would place greater emphasis on crime prevention and addressing the causes of crime, particularly since there was growing evidence of a decrease in most forms of crime. The popular slogan 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime', which was coined by Tony Blair, signalled his desire to make New Labour the party of 'law and order' and his commitment to take crime seriously, because he believed that this issue was a priority for the electorate. During the first period of administration there was a predictable emphasis on young people, who increasingly came to be seen as responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. There was also a growing focus on the protection of victims as well as the development of inter-agency partnerships and 'evidence-based' policy. There was a clear commitment to increasing police numbers and to addressing growing concerns about police effectiveness, particularly following the publication of the Macpherson Inquiry and claims about institu­ tional racism. At the same time, the continuing increase in the number of people imprisoned led many critics to claim that New Labour had in fact adopted a largely Conservative agenda, and that in their The New Politics of Crime and Punishment attempt 'to get tough on crime' they had moved increasingly to the right. In the first few years of the new century, however, the assessment of government policy has become more diverse and more positive. The passing of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) has increasingly been identified as a watershed in policy, by its linking of crime with disorder and its placing them both within a broader framework of community safety. This, in turn, has broadened the focus from crime control to issues of social and distributive justice. It has also involved a realignment of the major regulatory agencies, with responsibility for crime control and community safety shifting increasingly to local authorities. Within this changing context, crime and disorder are increasingly linked to issues of urban decline and regeneration. This broadening of the focus of intervention has resulted in a growing interest in the dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion. The main objective of this book is to examine these developments and to assess their significance. In doing so the authors are faced with the perennial task of distinguishing rhetoric from reality and appearan­ ces from underlying processes. A cursory examination of recent policy, however, indicates that the Labour government is no longer offering 'more of the same' and simply trying to outdo its Conservative predecessors. In fact, there is a growing realization that New Labour is now moving in a different direction, involving different priorities, methods and objectives. A more complex and differentiated strategy is emerging, which no longer simply mimics 'get tough' policies, but which is in the process of developing a more diverse approach, which will undoubtedly have profound consequences not only on 'law' and order' but also on social life in this country in general. All of the contributors to this volume have a close association with Middlesex University. The criminology group at Middlesex have regularly contributed over the past two decades to the ongoing debates on the politics of crime and punishment, and have attempted to contribute to the development of policy. It is also 30 years since the Masters Programme in Criminology was introduced at Middlesex, and a number of those who have studied on this pioneering course are now involved in developing and implementing the policies discussed in this volume. About the contributors Anthony Goodman is a Principal Lecturer at Middlesex University. He has extensive experience of probation practice and teaching, and a special interest in the changing nature of probation practice, which was the subject of his doctorate. He is currently researching the effect of parenting programmes on young offenders. Lynn Hancock is Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the Open University. She was Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Middlesex University 1997-2002, and Lecturer in Criminology at Keele University, 1993-96. She held a Leverhulme Special Research Fellowship between 1996 and 1998 at Keele University and Middlesex Universities respect­ ively. The research entitled 'Neighbourhood Change, Crime and Urban Policy' was published in her book Community, Crime and Disorder: Safety and Regeneration in Urban Neighbourhoods (Palgrave, 2001). Her current research interests focus on urban/neighbourhood change and crime, community responses to crime and disorder, and public attitudes towards criminal justice. John Lea is Professor of Criminology at Middlesex University. He is author (with Jock Young) of What Is to Be Done about Lazv and Order (Pluto Press, 1993). He has published on issues such as postmodernism in criminology ands racism in criminal justice agencies. His most recent book is Crime and Modernity (Sage, 2002). Denise Martin is a doctoral student at Middlesex University research­ ing Best Value in the Police Service. She previously worked as a ix