Sep 5, 2021Lucia Zedner On How Pursuit Of Security Modified Criminal Justice“The criminal justice process, the trial, and punishment practices rely upon entrenched assumptions, conventions, and principles that are thrown into question by the security society.” — Lucia Zedner In 1992, MM Feeley and Jonathan Simon exposed the functioning of a “new penology” which no longer fancied “pathologies of crime” and…Security4 min readSecurity4 min read
Jul 18, 2021Mugambi Jouet on When Foucault Meets Ancel“Foucault has often appeared as a philosopher of the impossible. However, by juxtaposing his theoretical writings and activism, we see another Foucault, perhaps even a philosopher of the possible” In Foucault, Prison, and Human Rights, Mugambi Jouet reveals a side of Foucault’s perspective on prisons that often gets eclipsed by…Foucault3 min readFoucault3 min read
May 16, 2021Jonathan Simon on Governing Through Crime“Among the major social problems haunting America in the 1970s and 1980s, crime offered the least political or legal resistance to government action.” In Governing Through Crime, Jonathan Simon explores how the US’s “war on crime” transformed American democracy and engendered a culture of fear. He highlights how “crime control” shaped the political order and became a lens through which other socio-economic issues got perceived and acted upon.Crime3 min readCrime3 min read
May 5, 2021Craig Haney On Mental Illness In Penal ConfinementIn Madness and Penal Confinement, Craig Haney illustrates how the pains of those suffering from mental illnesses get exacerbated, misunderstood, and sidelined in prisons. …Mental Health3 min readMental Health3 min read
May 2, 2021Joel Feinberg On The Expressive Function of PunishmentWhile theorising punishment, Immanuel Kant argued that “even if a desert island community were to disband, its members should first execute the last murderer left in its jails, “for otherwise they might all be regarded as participators in the [unpunished] murder”. The “symbolism of punishment”, of what it speaks of…Punishment3 min readPunishment3 min read
Apr 19, 2021Matthew Ball On Thinking Criminology Through Queer Shame“Queer criminological work on shame can help criminology look outside of itself and beyond the questions that it continues to ask about shame” In Criminology and Queer Theory, Matthew Ball revisits debates within queer theory on “shame” — its affection and productive potential — and how it can engage with…Queer4 min readQueer4 min read
Apr 17, 2021Harry Blagg and Thalia Anthony on Envisioning Postcolonial Criminology“In a phrase commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, insane people continue to repeat disastrously failed strategies, in hope of a different outcome. Such insanity is a common condition for white, western- schooled criminologists, like us.” In Decolonising Criminology, Harry Blagg and Thalia Anthony subject prevailing criminological methods to scrutiny. The…Criminology4 min readCriminology4 min read
Apr 11, 2021Maria De Angelis On Competing Narratives On Migration-Crime-Gender NexusIn Conflicting Narratives of Crime & Punishment, Maria De Angelis throws light on the diverse narratives on migration that compete with each other. Narratives that expose how gender, crime, and politics of exclusion come to invade the site of migration. In Identifying these narratives, and how they engage with each…Refugees3 min readRefugees3 min read
Feb 19, 2021Mulaqat with David MaguireHello and welcome to the first episode of “Mulaqat”, a series where we talk to criminologists and criminal justice scholars to dive into their most fascinating works of research. Mulaqat, an Urdu word for “meeting”, is an official term used by many States in India to describe the facilities provided…Prison2 min readPrison2 min read
Feb 16, 2021Abigail Henson on How Black Fathers With Criminal Records Navigate Employment DiscriminationIn Desistance, Persistence, Resilience and Resistance, Abigail Henson visbilises the resilience shown by Black fathers with a criminal record while navigating discriminatory employment market. …BlackLivesMatter3 min readBlackLivesMatter3 min read
