Posts Tagged Crime
Crime, Poverty and Imprisonment
Posted by Nick Cowen in Crime on 28/09/2011
By David Fraser
The Secretary of State for Justice, Ken Clarke, has claimed that recent falls in crime have occurred at a time of increased prosperity. He concluded that therefore the way to reduce offending rates further was to improve prosperity levels generally, and added that there was no link between imprisonment and crime. However, such arguments are not only contradicted by recent empirical research, but by decades of experience from the UK and other countries.
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#Londonsburning
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 20/09/2011
By Tom Hall
For a few dramatic days in August 2011 the twin pillars of law and order seemed on the verge of collapse as an epidemic of riots and vandalism spread across the United Kingdom. The question of how a small protest against apparent police brutality in Tottenham could spark upheaval as far afield as Huddersfield has given rise to a number of competing explanations.1 Significantly, many commentators and politicians have homed in on the role of social networking and its relationship with Generation Y. Given Twitter and Facebook’s past form – many have labelled the Arab Spring the “Facebook Revolution” – it is worth seriously considering their effects on Generation Y. This article will tackle the interrelated questions of whether social media caused the UK riots (including Twitter, Facebook, and Blackberry messenger) and, if so, whether these platforms should be suspended from use during times of crisis.
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Ill-Advised Advice Opt Out
Posted by Carolina Bracken in Civil Liberty, Crime, European Union, Human Rights, Immigration on 16/09/2011
Successive governments have been censured for ensnaring the UK in unwanted, unwarranted EU legislation. Given the vigour with which the country has repeatedly signed up to obligations of spurious merit, it is particularly disheartening to see the Government opt out of a Directive that has the potential to assist some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
Don’t legislate from the hip
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 18/08/2011
Everyone is keen emphasise how the English riots change everything. But one of the worst things that the Government and policy-makers could do in reaction to the riots is overreact.
Lending Support
Posted by Carolina Bracken in Civil Liberty, Crime, European Union, Human Rights on 25/05/2011
Although 30 million Europeans fall victim to crime each year, at an annual cost of some €250 billion, support for victims in the EU has long been woefully inadequate. However, extensive reform proposals published by the European Commission last week take important strides towards towards establishing a basic minimum level of care for victims of crime, and are undoubtedly deserving of praise.
Letter of the Law
Posted by Carolina Bracken in Crime, Politics on 13/05/2011
Thousands of criminal suspects will be charged by post under a new Home Office scheme to cut police red tape. The announcement comes as part of a catalogue of initiatives designed to save 2.5 million hours of police time each year. However, whilst the need for bureaucratic reform is long overdue, plans to increase police responsibility may well prove impossible given the swingeing financial cutbacks faced by the force.
