Introduction

Hamerton, Christopher and Hobbs, Suzanne (2014) Introduction. In, The Making of Criminal Justice Policy. 1 ed. Oxford. Routledge, pp. 1-21. (doi:10.4324/9781315798080).

Abstract

Outrage, frustration, curiosity and surprise have led many people into the study of crime and justice. It might be a newspaper article describing a punishment that seems unduly lenient, or a statement about the mental health of prisoners, or a rise in the number of children in detention. Something, though, triggers a concern that will not go away. Consternation at the apparent lack of ‘common sense’ in justice is as good a reason as any to stimulate inquiry. Once the process of asking questions begins, critical analysis of the system follows, and this inevitably leads to views about what is wrong and how to change the system, to improve it or at the very least refine the way it does what it does. It might even lead to a conclusion that something is as good as it can be. This book adopts a policy- oriented approach to criminal justice that connects the study of criminology to the wider study of British government, public administration and politics. Throughout, we focus on key debates and competing perspectives on how policy decisions are made. With this in mind, we will be asking you to consider the groups, organisations and individuals who have a stake in a particular policy issue, and will explore how different stakeholders in criminal justice and punishment mobilise power to influence policy. Inevitably, we will be encouraging you to think about how some groups emerge as ‘winners’ and others as ‘losers’ in relation to a specific policy area.

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Contributors

Author: Christopher Hamerton

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