POVERTY, INEQUALITY and JUSTICE Editorial
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 3 | Number 3 | November 2015 ISSN 2052-7950 01 ISSN 2052-7950 01 9 772052 795005 9 772052 795005 POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND JUSTICE editorial REGULAR READERS of SJM will recognise that the In an extract from the Justice Secretary Michael Matheson’s complex relationships between inequalities and criminal recent APEX lecture, the importance of tackling social justice are a recurring theme. This edition focuses more inequality to tackle crime is underlined. He outlines steps specifically on the complex connections between poverty towards a fairer justice system emphasising the need to reduce and crime, looking at victimisation as well as offending. Our the prison population and enhance the role of community thanks to guest editors, Professors Lesley McAra and Susan sentencing. In Take 5, politicians were asked about the link, McVie from Edinburgh University and Maggie Mellon, a outlined in a separate account by Dore of an important Shelter policy activist and former social worker, who draw from their report, between reoffending and homelessness, and all agreed latest research, and practice experience to bring us new and that steps to tackle this vital issue should be encouraged. urgent insights on this topic. Poverty and related issues have also been found to affect women in custody and McConnell and Carnie outline some In their editorial (see pages 2-3) they argue that: of the thinking behind current SPS approaches to women’s v they voices of people in poverty are silenced prisons particularly in relation to what they see as being the v the justice system entrenches people in poverty and rehabilitative potential of small community custody units. In exacerbates crime and our interview, international penal reformer Baroness Vivien Stern giver her responses to Scotland’s approach to women in v crime and victimisation are concentrated in deprived the justice system. neighbourhoods. In an important article Kath Murray, whose research critical Poverty is indeed, ‘justice denied’. They make of the use of stop and search has attracted considerable recommendations that, they argue, would be transformative, attention, asks important questions about the reactions to and not least that we should stop making criminal justice the role of research critical of criminal justice agencies in Scotland. default response to poverty and focus the attention of In our statistics analysis space, Skott argues that although the law and of government on redistribution rather than homicides in Scotland are at a record low, we need to be able retribution. to understand these better in the overall context of violence. Christiaens echoes this theme in relation to Belgium, Staying with serious crime, our diary feature describes the work where young offenders, many suffering from poverty, report of a Circle of Support and Accountability volunteer, supporting feelings of not being listened to and argues that stigma and monitoring sex offenders in the community. contributes to the reproduction of poverty. Finally, inequalities, crime and justice are major themes of Much of our ‘back half’ also echoes this. Places as well a recently published collection of articles Crime, Justice and as people can be stigmatised, none more so perhaps Society in Scotland, edited by us along with Gerry Mooney. We than the East End of Glasgow, the subject of Mooney and explain what we were attempting to do in that book and some his colleagues’ contribution which critically explores the of the editorial decisions made. promised ‘legacy’ of the Commonwealth games. Hazel Croall and Mary Munro Catch up with recent SJM blogs all on /sjm-blog/: Scottish Justice Matters is now on Issuu: Cyrus Tata on Sentencing and the www.issuu.com/scottishjusticematters Allure of Imprisonment Kath Murray on Policing, postcodes Don’t forget that you can still buy paper copies of all previous issues from and poverty: stop and search and class www.magcloud.com as well free downloads from www.scottishjusticematters.com, listen to our interviews on soundcloud.com/sjmjournal, explore our Pinterest boards Alec Spencer on Turning off the on www.pinterest.com/SJMJournal/ and follow us on Twitter @SJMJournal and tap: policy and practice for women in facebook.com/pages/Scottish-Justice-Matters/ criminal justice in Scotland Our next issue out will be out in March 2016 and focus on Reimagining Punishment in Genevieve Lennon on Devolving the Scotland. Bill Munro and Margaret Malloch of Stirling University will take the idea of British Transport Police: unanswered criminal justice back to fundamentals and ask some critical questions about why and questions how we punish people who commit crime. contents Volume 3:3 November 2015 n Theme: Poverty, Inequality and Justice Scottish Justice Matters is a publication of the Poverty Matters by Lesley McAra, Susan McVie and Maggie Mellon 2 Scottish Consortium of Crime and Criminal The Reproduction of Poverty by Lesley McAra and Susan McVie 4 Justice (SCCCJ). The Consortium is an alliance of organisations and individuals committed to better Is Poverty Reflected in Changing Patterns of Victimisation in Scotland? criminal justice policies. It works to stimulate well by Susan McVie, Paul Norris and Rebecca Pillinger 6 informed debate and to promote discussion and Does Place Matter? by Ellie Bates 9 analysis of new ideas. It seeks a rational, humane, constructive and rights-based approach to Just Care? by Maggie Mellon 11 questions of justice and crime in Scotland. The Undeserving? by Colin Webster 12 Editorial Board Niall Campbell, Hazel Croall, Nancy Loucks, The View from Unbroken Windows by Briege Nugent 14 Alan Mairs, Maggie Mellon, Mary Munro, Animating through Animation by Marianne McAra 15 Alec Spencer, Alan Staff, Cyrus Tata Women Talking About Injustice and Poverty: Managing editor: CC, Karen, Heather, Colette talking to Lesley McAra and Maggie Mellon 16 Mary Munro Consulting editor: n Current issues Hazel Croall Thematic editors for this edition: “Crime, Justice and Society in Scotland” from the editors’ perspective Lesley McAra, Susan McVie and Maggie Mellon by Hazel Croall, Gerry Mooney and Mary Munro 18 Administrator: Fairer Justice: A Vision for Scotland by Michael Matheson MSP 19 Helen Rolph ‘Sent Homeward Tae Think Again’: Scale and Perspective Revisited in the Cover illustration by Reform of Women’s Custody in Scotland by Colin McConnell and Jim Carnie 21 Joe from HMP Barlinnie Prevent Homelessness and Reduce Reoffendingby Emma Dore 23 If you would like to contribute to SJM or have a proposal for content, please contact When Research and Politics Collide by Kath Murray 25 [email protected] Poverty, Territorial Stigmatisation and Social Insecurities as Social Harms: Website: www.scottishjusticematters.com the Commonwealth Games and the East End of Glasgow Twitter: @SJMJournal by Gerry Mooney, Vikki McCall and Kirsteen Paton 27 Magcloud: www.magcloud.com Facebook: facebook.com/pages/ n International Scottish-Justice-Matters/ Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/sjmjournal Discussing Impact of Juvenile Justice Interventions on Poverty, Vulnerability Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/SJMJournal/ and Emancipation of Young Adults: A Belgian Perspective SJM is free to read digitally but relies on grants, by Jenneke Christiaens 29 advertising and donations. To make a donation please go to: n Interview www.scottishjusticematters.com Maggie Mellon interviews Baroness Vivien Stern 31 Email us at: [email protected] Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution- n Regular features NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 UK: Scotland A Day in the Life of … a “Circles” Volunteer 33 license. Before using any of the contents, visit: https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/UK:_Scotland Take Five: five politicians respond to SJM’s questions 34 Disclaimer: Publication of opinion in SJM does not n Statistics imply endorsement by the SCCCJ. So far as we are aware, people used in the images have consented Homicide in Scotland: The Need For a Deeper Understanding by Sara Skott 36 to such use. ISSN 2052-7950 (Print) n Current Legislation and Events ISSN 2052-7969 (Online) Scottish Justice Brief 38 Scottish Consortium on Crime and Criminal Justice is a registered charity [SC029241] Scottish Justice Matters is available on the HP MagCloud service. Here you can download and view for free on the MagCloud iPad or desktop apps. If you would prefer a printed copy, MagCloud offers a print-on-demand service. www.magcloud.com Scottish Justice Matters : November 2015 1 POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND JUSTICE THIS EDITION of Scottish Justice Matters focuses on poverty: its impact Key themes on the well-being and life chances of young people; its complex links to The voices of people in poverty are silenced crime and place; the ways in which it is both experienced and reproduced; Two of the papers (Nugent and McAra [M.]), and suggestions about how best to tackle its pernicious consequences. explore the experiences of children and young The edition is timely in the context of the current political debates people who are living in the context of extreme on the nature and impact of austerity and the choices being made by deprivation. Nugent found the young people in her the UK Government on where to make cuts in welfare. It is also timely study (drawn from a group that had had contact in the context of long term debates within Scotland about the efficacy with Includem’s Transitional Support service) of criminal justice process and ways of preventing offending and were extremely vulnerable but ‘too full of pride’ victimisation. to seek help; whilst having low expectations they In almost all policy debates about justice, poverty is acknowledged as nonetheless were keen to find work (challenging the the backdrop to inequalities (as, for example, in health or education) and assumptions of certain politicians, about feckless a persistent factor in the lives of the vast majority of those who come into or workshy youth). McAra worked creatively with a contact with the criminal justice system, but yet successful transformation group of older children in a Princes Trust Class, who of both its causes and consequences remains elusive.