The Management of Change in Criminal Justice Who Knows Best?

This book explores the critical questions of how and why criminal justice policies emerge, and examines how criminal justice policy is understood and applied by practitioners. It questions whether diversity in implementation implies policy failure or a sign of healthy activism among local practitioners.

The contributors reflect upon policy change in historical periods - including criminal justice under Thatcher, community service in the 1970s, and youth justice in the 1980s - specific regions of the United Kingdom, and contentious contemporary issues such as the 'transformation' of rehabilitation, payment by results, multi-agency work on prolific offenders, and the reform of youth courts. The contributions in this volume also analyse the management of criminal justice policy implementation, particularly surveying managerialism in the courts, consistency and fairness in out-of-court disposals, and prison policy. Important critiques of long-standing policy issues are offered with a focus upon anti-social behaviour, 'troubled families', and the role of the 'community' in criminal justice. With contributions from leading researchers, practitioners and policymakers in criminology and criminal justice, this book is essential reading for those interested in the management of change in criminal justice.

Martin Wasik is Emeritus Professor of Law at Keele University, UK, and is a Recorder of the Crown Court.
 
Sotirios Santatzoglou is Teaching Fellow of Law at Keele University, UK.

1. Introduction; Sotirios Santatzoglou and Martin Wasik

PART I: MAKING POLICY CHOICES
2. David Faulkner; The Beginning or the End of an Era? Politics and Punishment under Margaret Thatcher's Government
3. Roger Smith; Troubled, Troubling or Troublesome? Troubled Families and the Changing Shape of Youth Justice
4. Rose Broad and Jon Spencer; Understanding the Marketization of the Probation Service Through an Interpretative Policy Framework
5. Jessica Jacobson; 'Community' Knows Best? Community Involvement in Criminal Justice
6. Rob Allen; Continuity and Change in Prisons

PART II: DEVELOPING POLICY THROUGH PRACTICE
7. Sotirios Santatzoglou; 'We Were the System': Practitioners' Experiences and the Juvenile Justice Mosaic During the 1980s
8. John Harding; From Planning to Practice: Pioneering Community Service Orders in England and Wales
9. Katrina Morrison; The Management of Community Justice Services in Post-Devolution Scotland: The Battle for Central and Local Control
10. Stewart Field, Developing Local Cultures in Criminal Justice Policy-Making: The Case of Youth Justice in Wales
11. Theresa Lynch; Regulating Street Sex Workers: A Reflection on the Use and Reform of Anti-Social Behaviour Measures

PART III: MANAGING POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
12. Penelope Gibbs; Managing Magistrates' Courts: A Loss of Local Control
13. Martin Wasik; The Crown Court: Unified Structure or Local Justice?
14. Alexandra Wigzell and Chris Stanley; The Youth Court: Time for Reform?
15. Anne Worrall and Mary Corcoran; Integrated Offender Management: A Microcosm of Central and Local Criminal Justice Policy Turbulence
16. Peter Neyroud and Molly Slothower; Wielding the Sword of Damocles: The Challenges and Opportunities in Reforming Police Out-of-Court Disposals in England and Wales