Mike Hough

Although criminal justice systems vary greatly around the world, one theme has emerged in all western jurisdictions in recent years: a rise in both the rhetoric and practice of severe punishment at a time when public opinion has played a pivotal role in sentencing policy and reforms. Despite the differences among jurisdictions, startling commonalities exist among the five countries-the U.K., USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand-surveyed here. Drawing on the results of representative opinion surveys and other research tools the authors map public attitudes towards crime and punishment across countries and explore the congruence between public views and actual policies. Co-authored by four distinguished sentencing policy experts, Penal Populism and Public Opinion is a clarion call for limiting the influence of penal populism and instituting more informed, research-based sentencing policies across the western world.

Renowned criminologist Mike Hough illuminates the principles and practices of good policing in this important analysis of the police service’s legitimacy and the factors, such as public trust, that drive it. As concern grows at the growth in crimes of serious violence, he challenges conventional political and public thinking on crime and scrutinises strategies and tactics like deterrence and stop-and-search. Contrasting ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ approaches to policing and punishment, he offers a fresh perspective that stresses the importance of securing normative compliance. For officers, students, policy makers and anyone who has an interest in the police force, this is a valuable roadmap for ethical policing.

This Brief presents the first major release of findings from the Third International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3). ISRD is a major international research collaboration that now covers some 35 countries. It surveys young people aged 12 to 16 in their schools, asking about their experience of crime – both as offenders and as victims – and about their attitudes to crime and justice and about their home and school life. ISRD1 was carried out in 1991-1992 and ISRD2 in 2006-2008. ISRD findings presented here cover the 27 ISRD3 countries for which data are already available, with a total sample approaching 63,000 young people. For most of these countries, the samples are drawn from two major cities.This volume provides key findings on self-reported offending and on victimization.Chapter 1 set the scene, and describes the background to ISRD3. Chapter 2describes the methods used in the survey; respondents complete the ISRD questionnaire either in paperformat or – increasingly – using a standardized internet program. Chapter 3 covers key findings on self-reported offending, including the important finding that preparedness to disclose offending varies according to cultural context. Chapter 4 presents findings on victimization, including important new findings on hate crime and the use of parental violence, as well as coverage of more conventional forms of crime. A final chapter summarizes the results and draws out their implications.This Brief will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice,as well as related fields such as sociology, public policy, and psychology. Due tothe groundbreaking methodological analyses provided, this Brief is essential reading to all who conduct or use internationally comparative and global survey research.

This title presents the findings of the Policing for London project, an independent investigation into policing in London in the wake of the death of Stephen Lawrence and the subsequent MacPherson Report. The main aim of the project was to identify the factors the police in London needed to consider in order to deliver an equitable and effective service to the people of London in the 21st century. The book sets out the findings of this project in terms of what Londoners wanted and needed for their policing, whether the Metropolitan Police was aware of the public's expectations, whether they met these expectations, and to examine how policing in London could be improved in the future. It also identifies a number of key policy issues in the light of its findings - for example in relation to the centralisation or devolution of decision making, specialisation of function, performance management, policing philosophies and partnership, and the need to regain the confidence of ethnic minority groups. In identifying the key issues facing policing in London this book provides a vital blueprint for addressing the question of police reform in the country as a whole - at a time of intense debate and concern about the future role of the police.

The Government has introduced new powers for tackling anti-social behaviour, such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). This study examines how the new powers are being used, and what people think about them. Its findings will advance strategic thinking on the issue. Through empirical research - combining a national survey with in-depth fieldwork in three neighbourhoods experiencing high levels of ASB - it develops principles for effective responses to problems of anti-social behaviour. The report is aimed at politicians, civil servants and practitioners with responsibility for tackling problems of anti-social behaviour. It will also be of interest to academics.

This report presents the findings from one of the first evaluations of a British programme to integrate drug and alcohol treatment with mental health services, and education, training and employment support - the 'From Dependency to Work (D2W)' programme. It provides an invaluable insight into the challenges and difficulties of integrating services in this way and highlights important lessons for central and regional government on funding and working with the voluntary sector to deliver services. With the recent launch of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), designed to get statutory and voluntary sector agencies working together to tackle the social factors associated with drug misuse and crime, stakeholders across the country will need to develop effective multi-disciplinary working in this field. This report provides all those involved, from a strategic level to frontline practitioners, with a clearer understanding of the issues.

This report presents the findings from the first national, representative survey of public attitudes to youth crime and youth justice in England and Wales. Significantly, it highlights that most people are demonstrably ill-informed about youth crime and youth justice issues. It also carries clear policy implications in relation to both public education and reform of the youth justice system. Youth crime and youth justice is essential reading for academics, researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the fields of criminal justice, criminology, social policy, social work and probation. Researching Criminal Justice series Crime and justice are issues of central political and public concern in contemporary Britain. This exciting new series presents top quality research findings in the field. It will contribute significantly to policy and practice debates and aims to improve the knowledge base considerably. The series will be essential reading for politicians and policy makers, academics, researchers and practitioners. For other titles in this series, please follow the series link from the main catalogue page.