Police Custody: Governance, Legitimacy and Reform in the Criminal Justice Process

Police custody is the gateway to the criminal justice process, meaning that there is much at stake for staff and suspects. This book offers a timely contribution to research on the police custody process, 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 suspects experiences of police custody from arrest to charge and relationships between the police, civilian police staff (public and private), legal advisers, doctors, appropriate adults and drug workers. The findings on the police custody process are used to explore deeper theoretical issues connected to the role of the police in policing, as well as procedural justice and legitimacy, including issues of due process, access to legal advice and length of detention. The book integrates issues which are of current empirical, theoretical and political significance. It will be of interest to students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in the criminal justice process and policing.