Some new and useful reports

A comprehensive review of the Youth Justice Board has just been released. Read more about it here.

Thanks to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies for some news of the following reports:

The reality behind the ‘knife crime’ debate

This report, by the Institute of Race Relations looks at knife crime, to provide a factual response to the ‘moral panic’ created by the media. The report claims that the media relies on ‘snapshots’ of young people carrying knives, which are based on a very small minority. The full report can be viewed here.

Women and Justice- Seeing Double: Realising Rights

This report looks at the problems faced by women of ethnic minorities in the prison system. It highlights the racial and sexual discrimination that they face and suggests some ways in which the situation can be improved by criminal justice authorities. The full report can be viewed here.

Probation Resources, Staffing and Workloads 2001-2008

The Centre published this report initially in April 2008. Its aim was to examine changes in probation service budgets, caseloads and workloads throughout the period 1997-2007. In this revised edition we have amended and clarified data in the report using new information available since spring 2008. The report can be found here.

Coercion and punishment of young people counter-productive

This second briefing paper in a series of three exploring the policy challenges affecting young adults in trouble with the law was published on Friday 26 February. Written by James McGuire, Professor of Forensic Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and one of the most cited experts in the field, ‘Comparing coercive and non-coercive interventions – Transition to adulthood’ argues that ‘the expectation that the problem of offending by young people can be solved by coercion and control is essentially illusory’ and that ‘if one steps back and examines the available evidence dispassionately, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the policy of resorting to coercive methods is in large measure counter-productive.’ The paper can be read in full here.

Job: Oxford Centre for Criminology

CENTRE FOR CRIMINOLOGY, FACULTY OF LAW

Fixed-term 2.5-year Research Officer

Salary: £28,983–35,646 per annum

The Centre for Criminology is looking for a Research Officer to work on a 30-month study funded by the ESRC examining the problem of adolescent-to-parent violence. The project is directed by Dr. Rachel Condry. We are looking for a person with the skills and experience to play a full and active part in undertaking, analyzing and writing-up the research. The person appointed will be responsible for the day-to-day management and oversight of the project, including managing the collection of data; coding and analysis; and writing outputs based upon the research.

We are looking to appoint someone who has, or is very soon to complete, a doctorate in criminology, sociology or a related social science discipline, or who has equivalent research experience. The postholder will be expected to have knowledge and experience of conducting, analyzing and writing up qualitative research. The person appointed will be organized, efficient, able to conduct research with sensitivity, and capable of taking their own initiative and solving problems. He or she will be expected to work without close supervision, and have the ability or potential to produce high quality outputs for the academic and professional community. This is an exciting opportunity for an able and enthusiastic social scientist to develop their knowledge, skills and career following the completion of a doctorate.

The post is based in the Manor Road Building, Manor Road, Oxford and is full-time for 30 months. The Centre hopes to fill the vacancy from 1st August 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Further particulars may be obtained on the web at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/fp/ or from Sarah Parkin, Centre for Criminology, Manor Road Building, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ (email sarah.parkin@crim.ox.ac.uk, tel. + 44 (0)1865 274448). Applications should include a detailed CV together with a letter explaining why you are interested in the job and how you meet the selection criteria. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Dr. Rachel Condry; email: r.condry@surrey.ac.uk 01483 683766. The closing date for applications is Thursday 8th April; it is planned to hold interviews on Monday 26th April 2010.

The University of Oxford is an equal opportunities employer.

Irish Criminology Conference

6th NORTH/SOUTH IRISH CRIMINOLOGY CONFERENCE

21 – 22 JUNE 2010

UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER, BELFAST CAMPUS

CALL FOR PAPERS

The 6th North/South Irish Criminology Conference will be hosted by the School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy at the University of Ulster, Belfast Campus on Monday, 21 June and Tuesday, 22 June 2010.

Abstracts:

If you are interested in presenting a paper at the conference, please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words to criminologyconference@ulster.ac.uk by Thursday, 1 April 2010.

Abstracts should include the proposed title of the presentation, the name(s) of the author(s), affiliation, email address and phone number. Notification of acceptance will be provided by Friday, 30 April 2010.

Registration and Conference Dinner:

If you would like to register for the conference, please email criminologyconference@ulster.ac.uk by Friday, 30 April 2010. Please indicate in your email if you would like to attend the complimentary conference dinner in Belfast City Hall on 21 June.

There is no registration fee for the conference.

Website:

http://www.socsci.ulster.ac.uk/policy/conference/index.html

Lectureship at the University of Liverpool

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
School of Sociology and Social Policy
LECTURER IN SOCIOLOGY AND/OR SOCIAL POLICY (2 POSTS)
£36,715 - £46,510 pa
We are seeking to appoint two qualified and enthusiastic individuals to
permanent lectureships in Sociology and/or Social Policy. You will have an
established record of research excellence in any substantive area of
Sociology and/or Social Policy (including Criminology). You will also share
our commitment to quality and innovation in learning and teaching.
Candidates with interests and experience in teaching qualitative and/or
quantitative research methods will be particularly welcome.
Job Ref: A-571782/EG
Closing Date: 26 April 2010
For full details, or to request an application pack, visit:
http://www.liv.ac.uk/working/job_vacancies/academic/A-571782.htm
Email: mailto:jobs@liv.ac.uk
Tel 0151 794 2210 (24 hr answerphone) please quote job ref in all enquiries.

PhD Criminology Conference

The second Annual Postgraduate Criminology Conference will be held at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge on 30th Sept and 1st Oct and we are pleased to announce a call for papers. Criminology is a wide ranging topic encompassing multiple themes and approaches and we welcome papers on any topic related to the field of criminology. However, we are particularly interested in papers that explore ‘new approaches’ to criminology. This might involve an area which has received little attention, a previously unused methodology or a melding of disciplines and methods.

Keynote Speakers (TBC):

• Prof. Ian Loader (University of Oxford)

• Prof. Shadd Maruna (Queens University, Belfast)

• Prof. Mike Ross (University of Texas)

The conference will include a panel run by keynote speakers on a PhD related topic, informal panel sessions and formal papers, as well as the opportunity to display a poster of your work. Please send the title of your paper and a 300 word abstract, or poster proposal to: Crim-conference-abstracts@lists.cam.ac.uk

Deadline for submissions: 7^th May 2010

If you wish to only register your interest to display a poster, then please make this clear on your submission.

The conference will incur a small registration fee (ca. £20) which will include a conference dinner. There will be a small bursary for speakers which will be distributed on a needs basis- more details of this to come.

Please see the conference website for more details: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~crimphds/

The Proliferation of Prisons

Hat tip: the Global Sociology Blog.

This video shows the proliferation of prisons in the US made by Paul Rucker As the glob soc says, a timeline would be nice (although you could say that the abstract nature of the video adds to its appeal), and it's a bit long but I love the way the audio links in with the movement. I also like the way the outline of the US slowly appears as more and more prisons get created- if only the subject of hyper-imprisonment wasn't so depressing...

Marriage vs PhD cartoon

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1296

Stockholm Criminology Symposium: June 2010

The 2010 Stockholm Criminology Symposium will take place June 14-16 at City Conference Center (Norra Latin) in Stockholm. It is an annual event featuring over 500 attendees from close to 40 countries.

The Symposium is organized by the Swedish National Council of Crime Prevention on behalf of the Swedish Government.

Focus on PolicingOne of the two themes for 2010 is Improving Policing and will feature a broad selection of innovative approaches and police methods, as well as research findings from different parts of the world.

It has also become a tradition that the Stockholm Criminology Symposium presents a large number of panels under the theme Contemporary Criminology. This theme covers a broad range of areas of criminology and crime policy and provides an updated overview of the current state of the knowledge.

For more information, go to the website for the symposium.

Call for papers: the anthropology of mass incarceration

Call For Papers -- American Anthropological Association Annual Meetings
2010,*

*New Orleans, LA*

PANEL TITLE:  The Anthropology of Mass Incarceration:  Global Ethnographic
Perspectives on Prisons and Policing
Organizers:
-         Karen G. Williams (CUNY Graduate Center, kwilliams2@gc.cuny.edu)

-         Andrea Morrell (CUNY Graduate Center, andreamorrell@yahoo.com)

-         Stephanie Campos (CUNY Graduate Center, scampos@gc.cuny.edu)


PRELIMINARY ABSTRACT:

In the United States, we now have more than two million people incarcerated
in our jails and prisons and the number of people in prisons is growing in
many parts of the world.  From the export of U.S. zero-tolerance policing to
the criminalization of immigrants across Europe, there are increasing
numbers of people across the globe under the surveillance of the state both
on the street and behind bars. What role does the expansion and maintenance
of prisons have in production and reproduction of inequalities based on
race, class, and gender?  How is the state finding new ways to police
people's conduct or enforce new ways of self-governance?  How do we
understand the circulation of people through prisons and jails and across
borders and the constraints put on an individual's circulation by the
carceral state?  The scholars on this panel study various aspects of what
has been called the “carceral state”—from the challenges of “re-entry” into
free society upon release from prison, to women incarcerated in Peruvian
jails, to the role of prisons in urban development in small cities in the
U.S.  We seek panelists whose ethnographic work explores the purposes and
consequences of mass incarceration around the world.  In particular, we
invite papers that explore the political economy of prison expansion and
papers that combine activism and research.  Possible topics may include:


-New theorizations of the “prison industrial complex”

-Urban development and the “War on Crime”

-The Criminalization of Poverty

-The War on Drugs

-Race and Racism, Crime, and Justice

-Ethnographies of incarcerated or people formerly incarcerated
- Ethnographies of youth and/or LGBT people within the criminal justice
system

Prospective panelists should send abstracts (250 words max), title of the
paper, and organizational affiliation to kwilliams2@gc.cuny.edu,
andreamorrell@yahoo.com, scampos@gc.cuny.edu by March 20, 2010.

Call for Papers

History of Psychology

Call for Papers: Psychology, Politics, and Public Policy

History of Psychology invites manuscripts for a special issue on the
historical intersections of psychology, public policy, and politics. The
goal of the special issue is to examine the ways in which public policy and
politics have been influenced by the discipline and profession of Psychology
and how, in turn, the discipline and profession have been shaped by public
policy and politics.

We are open to any public policy domain (e.g., mental health and healthcare;
public health and disaster relief; education and welfare; transportation and
safety; defense and law enforcement) and interested in papers that engage
politics broadly conceived.


We particularly welcome articles that address policy and psychology issues
in diverse national contexts beyond the United States of America.

Psychology is used here to indicate the discipline and profession of
psychology, as well as the use of psychological insights and expertise by
the public.

The submission deadline is September 15, 2010.

The main text of each manuscript, exclusive of figures, tables,
references, or appendixes, should not exceed 35 double-spaced pages
(approximately 7,500 words). Initial inquiries regarding the special issue
may be sent to Wade Pickren (wpickren@psych.ryerson.ca).

Papers should be submitted through the regular submission portal for
History of Psychology (http://www.apa.org/journals/hop/submission.html) with
a cover letter indicating that the paper is to be considered for the special
section.

You be the judge- online exercise

Here's something to waste a few minutes with. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform has created an online exercise where you can 'be the judge' in that you watch a trial online and then sentence the defendant. You can then compare your sentence with a real magistrate's decision.

Do it here: http://ybtj.cjsonline.gov.uk/

I watched the criminal damage case and imposed the same sentence as the magistrate although I think it is a bit harsh. It was interesting to see that the majority of people who had done the exercise gave him a more lenient sentence than the magistrate.