Simon Hallsworth - Böcker

This book offers a new way of understanding harm in modern society. Rather than treating violence as the result of breakdown or failure, it argues that many forms of harm are built into the very systems designed to organise and protect social life. Laws, institutions, technologies, and policies can produce damage not by malfunctioning but by working exactly as intended.Drawing on examples ranging from zones of suspended legality and emergency governance to the theatrical display of political power, the book shows how violence is woven into the normal operation of states and organisations across different regions of the world. It combines theoretical insight with concrete analysis to reveal how systems that promise security and progress often depend on sacrifice, waste, and destruction. The book also proposes a new framework for studying harm that moves beyond traditional approaches in criminology and social science. By rethinking criminology’s spatial topography and by attending to how institutions “feel,” it provides readers with tools for analysing contemporary problems such as state violence, border control, technological governance, and systemic inequality.Written as an exercise in criminologicalnoir, wide-ranging in scope, yet clear in argument, The Architecture of Violence speaks to readers interested in power, society, and the hidden structures that shape everyday life.

This book offers a new way of understanding harm in modern society. Rather than treating violence as the result of breakdown or failure, it argues that many forms of harm are built into the very systems designed to organise and protect social life. Laws, institutions, technologies, and policies can produce damage not by malfunctioning but by working exactly as intended.Drawing on examples ranging from zones of suspended legality and emergency governance to the theatrical display of political power, the book shows how violence is woven into the normal operation of states and organisations across different regions of the world. It combines theoretical insight with concrete analysis to reveal how systems that promise security and progress often depend on sacrifice, waste, and destruction. The book also proposes a new framework for studying harm that moves beyond traditional approaches in criminology and social science. By rethinking criminology’s spatial topography and by attending to how institutions “feel,” it provides readers with tools for analysing contemporary problems such as state violence, border control, technological governance, and systemic inequality.Written as an exercise in criminologicalnoir, wide-ranging in scope, yet clear in argument, The Architecture of Violence speaks to readers interested in power, society, and the hidden structures that shape everyday life.

Street crime remains high on the public and political agenda, and is frequently the subject of media attention and concern. This book aims to provide a detailed and accessible account of the phenomenon, placing the subject in its theoretical, historical and political context. It addresses the question of how serious a problem street crime really is, and why it has become such a hot political issue. The book draws upon contemporary debates about the supposed presence of an emerging underclass, and in particular the 'criminalisation' and 'racialisation' of black communities with whom it has come to be particular associated in the public mind. The author then develops a framework of analysis which focuses upon the relationship of three key variables: the production of motivated offenders, the availability and suitability of victims, and a study of the limits inherent in current control strategies. Finally, the book concludes that a successful prevention strategy requires an agenda for revitalising the public sphere in inner city areas --rather than reliance policies of situational crime prevention, zero tolerance policing and increased punishment.

Street crime remains high on the public and political agenda, and is frequently the subject of media attention and concern. This book aims to provide a detailed and accessible account of the phenomenon, placing the subject in its theoretical, historical and political context. It addresses the question of how serious a problem street crime really is, and why it has become such a hot political issue. The book draws upon contemporary debates about the supposed presence of an emerging underclass, and in particular the 'criminalisation' and 'racialisation' of black communities with whom it has come to be particular associated in the public mind. The author then develops a framework of analysis which focuses upon the relationship of three key variables: the production of motivated offenders, the availability and suitability of victims, and a study of the limits inherent in current control strategies. Finally, the book concludes that a successful prevention strategy requires an agenda for revitalising the public sphere in inner city areas --rather than reliance policies of situational crime prevention, zero tolerance policing and increased punishment.

Throughout much of the western world more and more people are being sent to prison, one of a number of changes inspired by a 'new punitiveness' in penal and political affairs. This book seeks to understand these developments, bringing together leading authorities in the field to provide a wide-ranging analysis of new penal trends, compare the development of differing patterns of punishment across different types of societies, and to provide a range of theoretical analyses and commentaries to help understand their significance. As well as increases in imprisonment this book is also concerned to address a number of other aspects of 'the new punitiveness': firstly, the return of a number of forms of punishment previously thought extinct or inappropriate, such as the return of shaming punishments and chain gangs (in parts of the USA); and secondly, the increasing public involvement in penal affairs and penal development, for example in relation to length of sentences and the California Three Strikes Law, and a growing accreditation of the rights of victims. The book will be essential reading for students seeking to understand trends and theories of punishment on law, criminology, penology and other courses.