The 8-month prison sentences handed down to former MP Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce this week have revived, once again, public debate about the nature, function, and overuse of incarceration as a criminal punishment. Here I look at some of the functions of prison, and apply these functions to the case of Huhne …
There has been much public conversation in recent months around the role of the victim in criminal justice proceedings. I have witnessed first-hand how those who advocate an equal, balanced approach – one that respects the rights of both the offender and the victim – can be misconstrued as “anti-victim prejudice”
This is the second of a three-part series examining how criminologists can better engage what Jock Young has called ‘the criminological imagination’. The authors consider developments in the UK, USA and Canada and argue that criminology faces both external and internal challenges that constrain how crime is interpreted and how criminologists communicate their work
Media reports into the recent child abuse scandal that is threatening the BBC’s reputation as a credible news broadcaster make several assertions that those involved are ‘paedophiles’. However, this definition may or may not be valid if we consider the scientific and psychiatric definitions of ‘paedophilia’.
This is the first in a three-part series examining the basis on which criminologists can better engage what Jock Young has called ‘the criminological imagination.’
In the UK at present, claimants of rape have the right to public anonymity, meaning that anybody who reveals the identity of a person who claims to be the victim of rape faces criminal prosecution. This right of anonymity is not extended to defendants, despite the Government suggesting that it should be back in 2010. …
At the recent Conservative Party conference, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced his new “two strikes and you’re out” policy. Basically put, if you’re found guilty of two offences that both carry a prison sentence of 10 years or more, you will be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Last week on the BBC show, Sunday Morning Live, Lord Ramsbottom used a metaphor to compare prisons to acute hospital wards – places that should only ‘admit’ those with the highest amount of need.
There’s been a lot in the news over the past few months about the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Naturally, the developments in tourism, infrastructure, and increased participation in sport are all widely cited. However, upon reading a recent paper from The Psychiatrist, describing a scheme in which a sporting initiative has helped …
Over the past week or so, I have become involved in a number of debates about various topics, during which I have tried to present the case for something other than the “lock them up and throw away the key” approach to criminal justice. This case has largely been rejected, and instead I have personally …
Prevalence rates of mental illness in UK prisons are estimated at 90% (Mental Health Foundation, 2011), with comparisons between the prevalence of these common mental health diagnoses within forensic settings and the general population indicate that mental illness is significantly more prevalent among offender groups than in the general population.
Yesterday saw the sentencing of Derby man Mick Philpott, his wife Mairead, and friend Paul Mosley for the manslaughter of the Philpott’s six children in a house fire last May. Continue reading »
As many regular readers and followers on Twitter will know, I have spent the vast majority of the last 2 years completing an MSc in Forensic Psychology. Thus far it’s gone pretty well, with my grades being consistently above 70% and therefore being on course for a distinction classification for the overall Master’s programme. This … Continue reading »
As the issue of mental disorder has come to the forefront of our collective consciousness thanks to recent tragic examples of crimes being committed by people with a history of mental health problems, here is a look at what mental illness actually is. Continue reading »
Charlie Brooker’s excellent television series Black Mirror continued last Monday night with an episode that made exponentially more sense wen watching a second and third time. Continue reading »
