New Article: ‘The Art of Separating Out: Zones of Qualification and the Production of Illicit Economies in Johannesburg’s City Improvement Districts’

Abstract: While the illicit economy is generally conceived of as either a pre-existing outside reality or the product of governmental discourse, this article proposes to shift attention away from “the illicit economy“ towards the practices that constitute it. Building on actor-network theory, it studies the practices through which the illicit economy is produced in zones [...]

Table of Contents Alert: Criminology & Public Policy 11 (2)

See below for some of the latest articles published in the latest edition of Criminology & Public Policy 11 (2) Getting deterrence right?: Evaluation evidence and complementary crime control mechanisms Anthony A. Braga Crime as Pollution: Lessons from Environmental Regulation Daniel S. Nagin Some Problems with Place-Based Crime Policies Dan A. Black and Kyung Park [...]

How Poor Leadership Undermines the Work of the South African Police Service

Abstract :  There can be little doubt that the many examples of senior officers being implicated in criminal activity and corruption is eroding both public trust and police morale. Furthermore, it is demonstrative of the extent to which effective leadership is lacking in the SAPS. The leadership problem starts with who is appointed as the most [...]

‘Circulation of Security Models in Southern African Cities: Between Neoliberal Encroachment and Local Power Dynamics’

Abstract :   This symposium focuses on the circulation of security governance models in cities of Southern Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Windhoek and Maputo). It consists of three articles analysing at different scales (regional, national and intra-urban) the circulation of specific neighbourhood-based solutions to security issues, such as road closures, gated residential developments and business [...]

Summoning the Superheroes

Travis, J. (2011) Summoning the Superheroes: Harnessing Science and Passion to Create A More Effective and Humane Response to Crime. Key Note Address. Washington D.C.:The National Press Club. Judge Hughes, Marc Mauer, dear friends: I am honored to have been invited to deliver this keynote address as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Sentencing [...]

The Fantastical World of South Africa’s Roadblocks

Marks, M. (2011) ‘The Fantastical World of South Africa’s Roadblocks: Dilemmas of a Ubiquitous Police Strategy’, Policing and Society 21(4): 408-419. Roadblock operations are a very prominent feature of the policing landscape in South Africa. They are increasingly being employed as a tactic for crime reduction and as a mechanism for reassuring the public that [...]

Establishing Police Authority and Civilian Compliance in Post-apartheid Johannesburg

Steinberg, J. (2011) ‘Establishing Police Authority and Civilian Compliance in Post-apartheid Johannesburg: An Argument from the Work of Egon’, Policing and Society Advanced Access. Egon Bittner’s seminal insight is that a precondition of democratic policing is a demand for it among the general population. What happens when that demand is absent? What happens, in other [...]

Neighborhood Accountability Boards

Schiff, M., G. Bazemore and M. Brown. (2011) ‘Neighborhood Accountability Boards: The Strength of Weak Practices and Prospects for a ― “Community Building” Restorative Model’, Journal of Law and Policy 36(17): 17-46. In the mid-1990s, restorative justice practices became known to a number of criminal and juvenile justice practitioners and justice reform advocates. While the [...]

Problems of Power in the Design of Indicators of Safety and Justice in the Global South

Stone, C. E. (2011) ‘Problems of Power in the Design of Indicators of Safety and Justice in the Global South’, Indicators in Development Safety and Justice April. In matters of government, indicators are instruments of power. They are not merely this, for indicators can also be sources of insight and pride, promoting good governance through [...]

Policing a Plurality of Worlds

Hills, A. (2011) ‘Policing a Plurality of Worlds: The Nigeria Police in Metropolitan Kano, Northern Nigeria‘, African Affairs Advanced Access. The prevention of inter-communal conflict in cities where multiple religious and secular norms and processes affect the delivery of security and justice is a major challenge for governments and residents. Most analyses of conflict prevention [...]