Joanna Shapland – författare

Originally published in 1988, Policing by the Public opened up an entirely new field within criminology and the sociology of deviance. The authors focus on the nature of informal social control in both villages and urban centres to show the kinds of policing people do for themselves, within their communities, in an endeavour to curb crime and deviance.

Taking as the basis for their study both a rural and an urban community, Joanna Shapland and Jon Vagg are able to counter many of the existing myths about these areas. Beginning with a description of the kinds of problems people experience in their own neighbourhoods, they explore who watches what, who intervenes, and the stereotypes of ‘troublesome’ people and situations that emerge. This study sheds important light on the nature of concern and fear about crime and disorder, the use people want to make of the police and, significantly, the kind of policing they get.

Policing by the Public made a major contribution to contemporary international debate about informal mechanisms of social control at the time. It offered a new approach to thinking about policing that will still be of interest not only to criminologists, sociologists, police and policymakers, but also to anyone who is curious about how his or her area actually worked.

Originally published in 1988, Policing by the Public opened up an entirely new field within criminology and the sociology of deviance. The authors focus on the nature of informal social control in both villages and urban centres to show the kinds of policing people do for themselves, within their communities, in an endeavour to curb crime and deviance.

Taking as the basis for their study both a rural and an urban community, Joanna Shapland and Jon Vagg are able to counter many of the existing myths about these areas. Beginning with a description of the kinds of problems people experience in their own neighbourhoods, they explore who watches what, who intervenes, and the stereotypes of ‘troublesome’ people and situations that emerge. This study sheds important light on the nature of concern and fear about crime and disorder, the use people want to make of the police and, significantly, the kind of policing they get.

Policing by the Public made a major contribution to contemporary international debate about informal mechanisms of social control at the time. It offered a new approach to thinking about policing that will still be of interest not only to criminologists, sociologists, police and policymakers, but also to anyone who is curious about how his or her area actually worked.

Over the last decade there has arisen considerable disquiet about the relationship between criminal justice and its publics. This has been expressed in a variety of different ways, ranging from a concern that state criminal justice has moved too far away from the concerns of ordinary people (become too distant, too out of touch, insufficiently reflective of different groups in society) to the belief that the police have been attending to the wrong priorities, that the state has failed to reduce crime, that people still feel a general sense of insecurity.

Governments have sought to respond to these concerns throughout Europe and North America but the results have challenged people''s deeply held beliefs about what justice is and what the state''s role should be. The need to innovate in response to local demands has hence resulted in some very different initiatives. This book is concerned to delve further into this contested relationship between criminal justice and its publics. Written by experts from different countries as a new initiative in comparative criminal justice, it reveals how different the intrinsic cultural attitudes in relation to criminal justice are across Europe.

This is a time when states'' monopoly on criminal justice is being questioned and they are being asked on what basis their legitimacy rests, challenged by both globalization and localization. The answers reflect both cultural specificity and, for some, broader moves towards reaching out to citizens and associations representing citizens.

Over the last decade there has arisen considerable disquiet about the relationship between criminal justice and its publics. This has been expressed in a variety of different ways, ranging from a concern that state criminal justice has moved too far away from the concerns of ordinary people (become too distant, too out of touch, insufficiently reflective of different groups in society) to the belief that the police have been attending to the wrong priorities, that the state has failed to reduce crime, that people still feel a general sense of insecurity.

Governments have sought to respond to these concerns throughout Europe and North America but the results have challenged people''s deeply held beliefs about what justice is and what the state''s role should be. The need to innovate in response to local demands has hence resulted in some very different initiatives. This book is concerned to delve further into this contested relationship between criminal justice and its publics. Written by experts from different countries as a new initiative in comparative criminal justice, it reveals how different the intrinsic cultural attitudes in relation to criminal justice are across Europe.

This is a time when states'' monopoly on criminal justice is being questioned and they are being asked on what basis their legitimacy rests, challenged by both globalization and localization. The answers reflect both cultural specificity and, for some, broader moves towards reaching out to citizens and associations representing citizens.

In recent years attention has switched from how adolescents are attracted into crime, to how adults reduce their offending and then stop – the process of desistance. There are now around a dozen major longitudinal and in-depth studies around the world which have followed or are following offenders over their life course, charting their offending history and their social and economic circumstances.

The book is the first to offer a global perspective on desistance and brings together international leading experts in the field from countries including the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, the USA, and Australia to set out what we know about desistance, and to advance our theoretical understanding. Drawing on leading studies, this book sets the academic agenda for future work on desistance and examines the implications and potential positive effects of this research on desistance processes among current offenders.

Global Perspectives on Desistance is divided into three sections:

Comprehensive and forward-thinking, this book is ideal for students studying criminology, probation and social work, social policy, sociology, and psychology. It is also essential reading for academic criminologists, sociologists, and policy makers and practitioners working in corrections and reform.

In recent years attention has switched from how adolescents are attracted into crime, to how adults reduce their offending and then stop – the process of desistance. There are now around a dozen major longitudinal and in-depth studies around the world which have followed or are following offenders over their life course, charting their offending history and their social and economic circumstances.

The book is the first to offer a global perspective on desistance and brings together international leading experts in the field from countries including the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, the USA, and Australia to set out what we know about desistance, and to advance our theoretical understanding. Drawing on leading studies, this book sets the academic agenda for future work on desistance and examines the implications and potential positive effects of this research on desistance processes among current offenders.

Global Perspectives on Desistance is divided into three sections:

Comprehensive and forward-thinking, this book is ideal for students studying criminology, probation and social work, social policy, sociology, and psychology. It is also essential reading for academic criminologists, sociologists, and policy makers and practitioners working in corrections and reform.