Crime In England Research Articles

Public Responsiveness to Declining Crime Rates in the United States and England and Wales

Abstract During much of the second half of the twentieth century, public opinion in both the United States and Britain became more punitive as crime rates rose. These shifting public attitudes had a profound influence on criminal justice policies. What is less understood is how public attitudes in these countries have responded to declining crime rates since the early-1990s. To understand how the public reacts to declining crime rates, we focus on crimes recorded by the police as well as data on actual victimisation. We also draw on more than 4,000 national survey questions to construct measures of public concern about crime and support for punitive criminal justice responses. Our analyses illustrate parallels in the crime drop measured by victimisation surveys in the two countries (with recorded violent crime in England and Wales the exception to this overall trend). The over-time patterns in public concern about crime and punitive sentiment are more complex, with the US public becoming less punitive (in line with declining crime rates) while the British public’s concern with crime appears more in tune with actual crime rates. Given the distinct social, political and institutional settings offered by the two countries, the parallel dynamics of crime and the mixed response of public opinion help illustrate the importance of the comparative analysis of crime and its effects on society as well as the importance of considering multiple measures of public opinion related to crime and punishment.

‘Trapped in the trap’: Exploring Music Therapists’ clinical engagement with the current discourse around UK Drill

This article investigates Music Therapists’ experience and understanding of UK Drill. As a recently emerged sub-genre of Rap, its graphic lyrics have been linked to increases in gang activity and violent crime in the United Kingdom, while simultaneously voicing the experiences of marginalised black, working-class people. This has fuelled wider debate around censorship and diversity, tensions within which are explored in this article in a review of the literature on Rap and music therapy. The review suggests that while the therapeutic use of UK Drill may be contraindicated, to exclude the genre from music therapy is problematic from a socio-political perspective. This debate is then explored through semi-structured interviews with two white Music Therapists with experience of working with young people who want to use UK Drill in their music therapy sessions. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three themes are discussed: research participants’ descriptions of their perception of the therapeutic components of UK Drill, their perspectives on the psychosocial context of UK Drill and their negotiating questions of identity when working with UK Drill. Findings suggested a complex role for UK Drill in music therapy. While the ethical and clinical necessity of not excluding UK Drill from sessions was established, so were a number of challenges posed for Music Therapists looking to integrate it into their practice. Research participants were also found to be emotionally desensitised to UK Drill’s graphic lyrics. This is argued to represent an underlying anxiety towards UK Drill’s intense emotional expression, which was further suggested by the absence of open consideration towards clients’ racial identities. The findings are considered in the context of wider diversity issues within the profession. They also signal the need for a more socially cognisant music therapy practice, with greater open consideration paid towards the client’s racial identity by white Music Therapists.

Education and social care predictors of offending trajectories: A UK administrative data linkage study.

ObjectivesTotal annual costs of crime in England and Wales is estimated at £50bn.The age-crime curve indicates that criminal behavioural peaks in adolescence and decreases in adulthood. Life-course persistent offenders begin to behave antisocially early in childhood and continue this behaviour into adulthood. By contrast, adolescent-limited offenders exhibit most of their antisocial behaviour during adolescence, with a minority continuing to offend into adulthood. However, evidence suggests that this curve conceals distinct developmental trajectories. Prospective cohort study data has highlighted distinct risk factors for these offending trajectories, but this research is limited because of small sample sizes for disadvantaged groups, selection bias and infrequency of data collection. ApproachThe current study began in February 2022 and is one of the first to use UK linked national crime and education records. The aim is to: (1) establish the offending trajectories of individuals between the ages of 10 and 32 years following their first recorded conviction or caution using national crime records; and (2) develop prediction models of these offending trajectories using administrative education and social care data. ResultsIn my talk, I will share findings on the offending trajectories identified and present some early results on the key education and social care drivers of the offending trajectories. ConclusionsFindings from the project have the potential to identify previously unknown, or confirm lesser known, offending trajectories using real world data based on the UK population. It may also lead to the detection of previously unknown risk or protective factors for offending, which has implications for early intervention and could help inform criminal justice system responses to early antisocial behaviour.

The Role of Victim Advocacy in Criminal Justice Reform in England and Wales

The victims of volume crime in England and Wales are aided by a major institution, Victim Support, but their voices are rarely heard when policy matters are discussed. Many victims of traumatic crimes are organized and purposeful, but they have not come together into a united front. It is the English and Welsh groups supporting abused women, groups amounting to a social movement, that have made the most visible impression on the politics of criminal justice reform at a time when there were widely publicized killings of women and a bill on domestic violence was passing through Parliament at the end of 2021.

Preliminary investigations using Recover Latent Fingerprint Technology on unfired ammunition and fired cartridge cases

Previous studies have identified the potential benefit of the disulfur dinitride (S₂N₂) process to operationally relevant substrates. However, the majority of this work was conducted on prototype equipment that had substantial differences to the commercialised system (Recover Latent Fingerprint Technology (LFT)) in terms of design and chemical delivery. This paper evaluates the performance of Recover LFT on a problematic exhibit encountered within a fingerprint enhancement laboratory: unfired and fired ammunition. Three pseudo-operational experiments involving non-groomed, naturally handled fingermarks were conducted on the most commonly encountered types of ammunition used in crime in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition, Recover LFT was compared against Superglue Fuming followed by Basic Yellow 40 (BY40) Fluorescent Dye Staining (a commonly used alternative) to ascertain if the process provides added benefit to fingermark recovery rates. The results show that fingermark visualisation on small calibre cartridge cases remains difficult with few marks achieving enough ridge detail for comparison. However, this paper also shows that the novel Recover LFT process, which is still in its infancy and requiring optimisation, is no worse than currently implemented visualisation processes and is therefore worth further investigation.

Editorial

Under the cover of these general arguments, International Journal of Religion aims to be a venue for scholarly discussion on religion in reference to society, politics, economics and relevant issues and topics. Therefore, it wants to be a suitable place to examine various topics, including, inter alia, the late Samuel Huntington’s controversial – yet influential – ‘clash of civilisations’ paradigm, the international effects of migration, religion’s impact on the climate emergency, the influence of religious non-state actors on international outcomes, and how religion can affect political extremism and terrorism. With this aim, in this issue, we are pleased to present four articles offering analysis on the impact of Brexit on religious hate crime in the UK, populism and crisis of American Methodism, a game theory approach to interfaith dialogue during conflict and a review of religion in International Relations Theory

The COVID-19 Outbreak as a Trigger Event for Sinophobic Hate Crimes in the United Kingdom

AbstractWe assessed whether the COVID-19 outbreak in the United Kingdom was associated with a rise in sinophobic hate crimes as well as the temporal distribution of victimization rates. A victimization survey (N = 393) showed that following the first known case of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, Chinese/East Asian persons had a higher likelihood of being hate crime or incident victims than members of other ethnic minority groups. Specifically, victimization reported by Chinese/East Asian participants reached its highest level in March 2020 (before lockdown); it then dropped significantly after an initial relaxation of restrictions in May 2020. Overall, we documented a temporary, potentially slightly delayed hate crime trigger effect of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Indifference or hostility? Anti-Scottishness in a post-Brexit England

ABSTRACT The UK's decision to leave the EU was partly influenced by a desire to reduce immigration. This followed a period of increased Euroscepticism, and an ‘othering’ of those of a different background, nationality or religion, and ultimately the EU itself. Post-Brexit, this has been linked to a rise in hate crime in England, and the referendum decision has been characterised as an expression of a strengthened English identity. Hostility towards those perceived as ‘foreigners’ or ‘others’ seems also to have affected people from the other nations within the British Isles, with speculation that Brexit might lead to the break-up of the UK. Here, we focus on Scots living or who have lived in England and, while their experiences are mixed, it appears that some hostility towards Scots (and indifference to Scotland) has grown. We speculate that this and additional political tensions may, eventually, bring about the end of the union.

The determinants of group membership in organized crime in the UK: A network study

The determinants of group membership in organized crime in the UK: A network study

The determinants of group membership in organized crime in the UK: A network study

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the determinants of co-membership in organised crime groups in a British police force. We find that co-membership of OCGs is higher among individuals who share the same ethnicity and nationality; who have committed acts of violence; and who perpetrate the vast majority of their crimes in the same area. We also find a homophily tendency in relation to age and gender, and that task specialisation within groups is driven by the type of activity. We interpret some results as conforming to the argument that recruitment from a small area and similar ethnic/national background increases cooperation and reduces the likelihood of opportunistic behaviour in a context of rather effective policing. Our findings do not conform to the suggestive image of OC members as ‘urban marauders’ and OCGs as large and powerful multinationals. OCGs tend to be small, localised and formed by people with the same background.

Current Tendencies in Corporate White-Collar Crimes in the United Kingdom, USA and India and their Conceivable Explanations – A Study

The modern-day corporate world has been suffering from corporate white-collar crimes for the last few decades. The principal distress in this regard is that the menace comes from the upper elite class of the social hierarchy. The concerned study provides appreciated statistics regarding corporate white-collar crimes in the last few years in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and, India. The study further debates the causes of such crimes in the corporate arena and aims to ascertain the root cause of such crimes using allegorical understandings from Greek mythological parables.

Theoretical and Practical Features of the Compensation for Harm Consideration by Filing a Civil Claim in Criminal Proceedings

The paper examines the types of harm provided for by domestic legislation, their procedural features in a criminal case by filing a civil claim. The author argues that there is a need to amend the existing normative legal acts regulating the issues of compensation for harm caused by a crime, in particular, presents some arguments about the disclosure and legislative consolidation of the concept of “harm” in the framework of criminal proceedings. The author analyzes the gaps associated with compensation for property damage, in terms of the difficult simultaneous compensation for property and moral damage, as well as the lack of opportunity in the criminal procedure to recover lost profits. Some features of compensation for moral damage in relation to individuals and legal entities are investigated, for example, the issue of applying the rules for compensation for moral damage when a civil claim is filed by a legal entity. The process of proving the damage caused and the gaps in the issues of awarding compensation amounts in civil claims for compensation for damage, taking into account judicial practice, are considered. The author expresses her opinion on the matter of interim measures application in relation to the property of tortfeasor and imposing on the judge the obligation to render a decision in case of such a need, and not the right. Some differences between a civil claim for damages in criminal proceedings and civil proceedings are given, for example, the possibility of indexing the amounts subject to compensation has been analyzed. The analysis of some regulatory acts and the study of the procedure for compensation for harm caused by a crime in the UK. The author presents an argument about the development of scientifically grounded methodological recommendations that would fully reveal the existing gaps and problems in compensation for various kinds of harm caused by a crime.

What Are the Merits of Taking a Hybrid Regulatory Approach Toward the Enforcement of Corporate Financial Crime in the United Kingdom and United States of America?

This article focuses on the hybrid regulatory approaches used in both the USA and the UK for the enforcement of corporate financial crime. In particular, the article analyses the use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements, which typically impose a financial penalty and behavioral commitments on a corporate entity for a defined period of time in exchange for the deferral of a criminal prosecution. The article will examine the merits of the use of DPAs instead of the imposition of criminal penalties on a company. The article will also consider whether a hybrid use of competition law as well as, or instead of, financial regulation could achieve better outcomes for regulators when enforcing financial crime.

A HATE CRIME CRISIS? INVESTIGATING THE FUNCTION OF BREXIT, TERRORISM, COVID-19 AND BLACK LIVES MATTER ON LEVELS OF HATE CRIMES IN TODAY’S UNITED KINGDOM

Since 2012, the United Kingdom government has annually published data relating to the number of hate crimes recorded by police forces across England and Wales. Over the past half-decade, the number of hate crimes has increased year on year and are currently at record levels. Some have referred to this as a crisis. This article seeks to investigate the drivers and causes for this, to try and better understand what hate crime looks like in the UK today. First, this article considers and contextualises what is currently known about hate crime in the UK. Having identifi ed some correlations, it explores the relationship between increases in hate crime numbers and the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), terror attacks, COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. In trying to explain these relationships, Perry’s ‘permission to hate’ model is used. In conclusion, this article argues that while hate crime numbers are currently at record levels it is highly likely that they will continue to increase for at least the foreseeable future. A timely and contemporarily salient study, this article puts forward new thinking about hate crime in the UK and the correlation that is clearly evident with occurrences that take place in the country’s socio-political spaces.

The role of deprivation and alcohol availability in shaping trends in violent crime

It is well known that both deprivation and alcohol availability are associated with violent crime. However, less is known about whether the former moderates the latter. Pioneering the linkage of novel alcohol availability measures derived from consumer data with police data and an index of deprivation, we examine inequalities in violent crime across small-level geography (LSOAs) for the whole of England. Our findings confirmed a recent upward trend in recorded violent crime in England between 2011 and 2018 and substantial between-area variability in recorded violent crime, as well as an increase in violent crime inequality across LSOAs during the period of analysis. Violent crime was higher in areas with increased deprivation and alcohol availability, especially in the form of on-licensed premises. On-licence availability, in the form of pubs, bars and nightclubs, explained variability in recorded violent crime more so when compared with off-licence availability. A positive interaction effect between alcohol availability (in the form of on-licensed premises) and deprivation showed how deprivation amplified the impact of alcohol availability, with more deprived areas having a stronger impact of on-licence availability on violent crime. Deprivation is thus an important contextual factor when considering rates and the social ecology of violence. Our findings suggest a need to respond to the disproportionate impact of violence on areas with higher levels of deprivation and availability of on-licensed premises.

‘The Usual Suspects’: Knife Crime Prevention Orders and the ‘Difficult’ Regulatory Subject

Abstract Knife Crime Prevention Orders (KCPOs) were introduced by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 with the stated aim of providing additional tools for police to use in combatting increasing rates of knife crime in England and Wales. This article situates KCPOs within a continuous policy trend of procedural hybridization, and highlights the worrying manner in which such criminalization, underpinned by a preventive logic and facilitated by this hybrid procedure, enables new forms of ‘othering’. Drawing a threefold distinction within the concept of the regulatory subject—the responsible, the rational/virtuous and the difficult/other—it argues that preventive hybrids generate a self-fulfilling category of ‘difficult’ subjects, while simultaneously denying them the procedural protections normally afforded to the responsible subject of classical criminal law.

From feeling like rape to a minor inconvenience: Victims’ accounts of the impact of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom

This paper provides a unique insight into the impact of computer misuse crime, such as hacking, denial of service attacks, ransomware and computer viruses/malware on individual and small and medium sized enterprises/organisation (SME/O) victims in the UK. Based upon in depth interviews with 52 (38 individual and 14 SME/O) victims it shows that these victims experience many of the impacts associated with other volume crimes. Building upon research on comparable offences the paper proposes eight categories of impact, which include:little or no impact, financial, disruption, psychological (which was broken down further), feelings of violation, loss of digital possessions, health and secondary impacts. The research highlights that although for some the impact is very minor, many experience much more extensive impacts, even when there is no financial loss and for some the impact was so severe it was compared to rape.

Hiding behind the Veil of Action Fraud: The Police Response to Economic Crime in England and Wales and Evaluating the Case for Regionalization or a National Economic Crime Agency

Abstract This article explores the policing structures that emerged in the noughties in England and Wales to tackle economic crime, such as Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. This article reviews some of the growing literature on these structures, in-particular, two reports by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services and a major investigation by the Police Foundation which provides a critical review of the police response to economic crime. This article argues the central problem is the lack of investigative capacity, among others. It also argues Action Fraud, which has become commonly derided, has become a useful veil from which the police to hide their inadequate response. This article argues radical change is required to address the investigative gap through either regionalization or a national solution, through a National Economic Crime Agency. This article considers some of the arguments for against such approaches and calls for a debate to commence on the future structures for policing economic crime.

Diary: Abortion in Northern Ireland

Diary:Abortion in Northern Ireland Joanna Biggs (bio) "Diary: Abortion in Northern Ireland" is a nonfiction journalistic piece written by writer and editor Joanna Biggs that was originally published in the London Review of Books on 17 August 2017 and is reproduced here with permission. It provides an account of abortion illegality in Northern Ireland, capturing the tenors and restrictive sinews of the time before the 2019 lifting of restrictions in Northern Ireland. We present it here as a snapshot of this era, with one of the aims of the diary to capture some of the different discursive registers at play, including public and media representations of abortion. Biggs's piece traces the financial, physical, and mental challenges as well as the confrontations and falsities that women in Northern Ireland are forced to face when trying to access reproductive health care and abortion services. It explores the support systems that they can utilize, including the procuring of abortion pills, and she documents some organizations in the United Kingdom that help with financial and practical travel arrangements. In this way the essay functions on a number of important levels at once: as activist journalism calling for the need for widespread abortion services in Northern Ireland; as an informational piece that provides women with some details about abortion options in a restrictive climate and place as a brief historical and contemporary account of the legal and political landscape of Northern Ireland; and as a personal reflection on storytelling and its importance as a transformative device. ________ There is one abortion clinic in Northern Ireland: a Marie Stopes clinic on Great Victoria Street, which joins the two-up two-down red brick terraces of the Lisburn Road, where Ulster banners fly from the lampposts, to the City Hall with its eau-de-nil dome and pale-stone statue of Queen Victoria. The clinic isn't easy to find: the signs beside the door at No. 14 are for BioKinetic Europe, which runs clinical [End Page 232] trials, MKB Law, and Bupa; next door there's a Tesco Express and Boojum, a "Mexican burrito bar." Danielle Roberts, an abortionrights activist with Alliance for Choice, says that on the days the clinic is open—Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.—you can't miss it: members of the pressure group Precious Life are always outside. ("We are saving babies, mothers, and indeed this country from the silent holocaust that is brutally destroying fifty million lives worldwide every year.") Danielle acts as an escort for women with appointments on the eighth floor: two activists for every woman, one wearing a "body cam, as there have been assaults and harassment." Abortion, or assisting abortion, is a crime in the United Kingdom: the 1967 Abortion Act that applies in England, Wales, and Scotland gets round this with provisos that allow abortion to be lawfully performed: if the pregnancy is still under twenty-four weeks and two doctors agree that there would be "grave permanent injury" to the "physical or mental health of the pregnant woman," or serious danger to the child. In Northern Ireland, which never adopted the 1967 act, the 1861 Offences against the Person Act—the one that imprisoned Oscar Wilde—substitutes for it. Any pregnant woman "with intent to procure her own miscarriage … shall be guilty of felony … and being convicted thereof shall be liable … to be kept in penal servitude for life" (this remains the maximum penalty). There have been amendments over the years—case law shows that abortion is lawful in Northern Ireland in exceptional circumstances—but nothing to make abortion legal in cases of rape, for instance, has ever been put on the statute book, and successive iterations of medical guidelines haven't made it clear under what conditions doctors would be acting legally (or illegally) when performing an abortion. And there seems to be no political will to make the situation clear: only the Green Party and the People Before Profit Alliance support decriminalization; Sinn Fein wants "limited reform"; but the Alliance Party claim abortion is a matter of individual conscience and the DUP are openly pro-life. To make things worse...

On the issue of computer crime in the UK

On the issue of computer crime in the UK