Police detention is the place where suspects are taken whilst their case is investigated and a case disposal decision is reached. It is also a largely hidden, but vital, part of police work and an under-explored aspect of police studies. This book provides a much-needed comparative perspective on police detention. It examines variations in the relationship between police powers and citizens’ rights inside police detention in cities in four jurisdictions (in Australia, England, Ireland and the US), exploring in particular the relative influence of discretion, the law and other rule structures on police practices, as well as seeking to explain why these variations arise and what they reveal about state-citizen relations in neoliberal democracies.

This book draws on data collected in a multi-method study in five cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the US. This entailed 480 hours of observation, as well as 71 semi-structured interviews with police officers and detainees. Aside from filling in the gaps in the existing research, this book makes a significant contribution to debates about the links between police practices and neoliberalism. In particular, it examines the police, not just the prison, as a site of neoliberal governance.

By combining the empirical with the theoretical, the main themes of the book are likely to be of utmost importance to contemporary discussions about police work in increasingly unequal societies. As a result, it will also have a wide appeal to scholars and students, particularly in criminology and criminal justice.

Police detention is the place where suspects are taken whilst their case is investigated and a case disposal decision is reached. It is also a largely hidden, but vital, part of police work and an under-explored aspect of police studies. This book provides a much-needed comparative perspective on police detention. It examines variations in the relationship between police powers and citizens’ rights inside police detention in cities in four jurisdictions (in Australia, England, Ireland and the US), exploring in particular the relative influence of discretion, the law and other rule structures on police practices, as well as seeking to explain why these variations arise and what they reveal about state-citizen relations in neoliberal democracies.

This book draws on data collected in a multi-method study in five cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the US. This entailed 480 hours of observation, as well as 71 semi-structured interviews with police officers and detainees. Aside from filling in the gaps in the existing research, this book makes a significant contribution to debates about the links between police practices and neoliberalism. In particular, it examines the police, not just the prison, as a site of neoliberal governance.

By combining the empirical with the theoretical, the main themes of the book are likely to be of utmost importance to contemporary discussions about police work in increasingly unequal societies. As a result, it will also have a wide appeal to scholars and students, particularly in criminology and criminal justice.

Police custody acts as an important gateway to the criminal justice process. Much is at stake here for both staff and suspects as what happens in police custody can have important consequences further down the line. This book offers a timely contribution to research on police custody, which has been largely neglected for the last decade, and it is the first to examine the growing role given to civilians employed by the police or by private security companies within police custody areas.

The book draws on a mixed-method study of two custody areas, one publicly-run, and the other largely privately-run. This empirical analysis explores anew suspects’ experiences of police custody from arrest to charge, including their access to due process rights such as phone calls, legal advice and detention reviews, as well as shedding light on the hitherto unexplored working relationships between the police, civilian police staff (public and private), legal advisers, doctors, appropriate adults and drug workers.

These findings on the police custody process are used to examine pertinent socio-legal and theoretical matters connected to due process, the role of the police in policing, as well as procedural justice and legitimacy.

The book integrates issues which are topical and of utmost empirical, theoretical and political significance, meaning that it is likely to have a broad appeal to students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in the criminal justice process, policing and the sociology of law.

Police custody acts as an important gateway to the criminal justice process. Much is at stake here for both staff and suspects as what happens in police custody can have important consequences further down the line. This book offers a timely contribution to research on police custody, which has been largely neglected for the last decade, and it is the first to examine the growing role given to civilians employed by the police or by private security companies within police custody areas.

The book draws on a mixed-method study of two custody areas, one publicly-run, and the other largely privately-run. This empirical analysis explores anew suspects’ experiences of police custody from arrest to charge, including their access to due process rights such as phone calls, legal advice and detention reviews, as well as shedding light on the hitherto unexplored working relationships between the police, civilian police staff (public and private), legal advisers, doctors, appropriate adults and drug workers.

These findings on the police custody process are used to examine pertinent socio-legal and theoretical matters connected to due process, the role of the police in policing, as well as procedural justice and legitimacy.

The book integrates issues which are topical and of utmost empirical, theoretical and political significance, meaning that it is likely to have a broad appeal to students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in the criminal justice process, policing and the sociology of law.

Police detention is the place where suspects are taken whilst their case is investigated and a case disposal decision is reached. It is also a largely hidden, but vital, part of police work and an under-explored aspect of police studies. This book provides a much-needed comparative perspective on police detention. It examines variations in the relationship between police powers and citizens’ rights inside police detention in cities in four jurisdictions (in Australia, England, Ireland and the US), exploring in particular the relative influence of discretion, the law and other rule structures on police practices, as well as seeking to explain why these variations arise and what they reveal about state-citizen relations in neoliberal democracies.

This book draws on data collected in a multi-method study in five cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the US. This entailed 480 hours of observation, as well as 71 semi-structured interviews with police officers and detainees. Aside from filling in the gaps in the existing research, this book makes a significant contribution to debates about the links between police practices and neoliberalism. In particular, it examines the police, not just the prison, as a site of neoliberal governance.

By combining the empirical with the theoretical, the main themes of the book are likely to be of utmost importance to contemporary discussions about police work in increasingly unequal societies. As a result, it will also have a wide appeal to scholars and students, particularly in criminology and criminal justice.

Police detention is the place where suspects are taken whilst their case is investigated and a case disposal decision is reached. It is also a largely hidden, but vital, part of police work and an under-explored aspect of police studies. This book provides a much-needed comparative perspective on police detention. It examines variations in the relationship between police powers and citizens’ rights inside police detention in cities in four jurisdictions (in Australia, England, Ireland and the US), exploring in particular the relative influence of discretion, the law and other rule structures on police practices, as well as seeking to explain why these variations arise and what they reveal about state-citizen relations in neoliberal democracies.

This book draws on data collected in a multi-method study in five cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the US. This entailed 480 hours of observation, as well as 71 semi-structured interviews with police officers and detainees. Aside from filling in the gaps in the existing research, this book makes a significant contribution to debates about the links between police practices and neoliberalism. In particular, it examines the police, not just the prison, as a site of neoliberal governance.

By combining the empirical with the theoretical, the main themes of the book are likely to be of utmost importance to contemporary discussions about police work in increasingly unequal societies. As a result, it will also have a wide appeal to scholars and students, particularly in criminology and criminal justice.

Police custody acts as an important gateway to the criminal justice process. Much is at stake here for both staff and suspects as what happens in police custody can have important consequences further down the line. This book offers a timely contribution to research on police custody, which has been largely neglected for the last decade, and it is the first to examine the growing role given to civilians employed by the police or by private security companies within police custody areas.

The book draws on a mixed-method study of two custody areas, one publicly-run, and the other largely privately-run. This empirical analysis explores anew suspects’ experiences of police custody from arrest to charge, including their access to due process rights such as phone calls, legal advice and detention reviews, as well as shedding light on the hitherto unexplored working relationships between the police, civilian police staff (public and private), legal advisers, doctors, appropriate adults and drug workers.

These findings on the police custody process are used to examine pertinent socio-legal and theoretical matters connected to due process, the role of the police in policing, as well as procedural justice and legitimacy.

The book integrates issues which are topical and of utmost empirical, theoretical and political significance, meaning that it is likely to have a broad appeal to students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in the criminal justice process, policing and the sociology of law.

Police custody acts as an important gateway to the criminal justice process. Much is at stake here for both staff and suspects as what happens in police custody can have important consequences further down the line. This book offers a timely contribution to research on police custody, which has been largely neglected for the last decade, and it is the first to examine the growing role given to civilians employed by the police or by private security companies within police custody areas.

The book draws on a mixed-method study of two custody areas, one publicly-run, and the other largely privately-run. This empirical analysis explores anew suspects’ experiences of police custody from arrest to charge, including their access to due process rights such as phone calls, legal advice and detention reviews, as well as shedding light on the hitherto unexplored working relationships between the police, civilian police staff (public and private), legal advisers, doctors, appropriate adults and drug workers.

These findings on the police custody process are used to examine pertinent socio-legal and theoretical matters connected to due process, the role of the police in policing, as well as procedural justice and legitimacy.

The book integrates issues which are topical and of utmost empirical, theoretical and political significance, meaning that it is likely to have a broad appeal to students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in the criminal justice process, policing and the sociology of law.