Criminal justice

ANALYSIS: The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programme developed in the US was originally a post-arrest initiative, but has evolved to incorporate referrals from “any concerned individual”; with more than 60 schemes now operating or under development in the US, as well as a South African programme and interest from the UK, the LEAD approach is gaining traction and delivering results, as Policing Insight’s Tina Orr-Munro reports.

ANALYSIS: Long-established in America, the focused deterrence approach to tackling violent crime has in some instances reduced offences by a third, but has had limited trials in the UK; now a £6 million pilot project involving four English police forces as well as partner agencies and violence reduction units has been launched to evaluate the potential of the initiative, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: Covid fixed penalty notices were issued to BAME individuals in England and Wales at up to twice the rate as white individuals; now a new report has found that officer ‘discomfort and uncertainty’ of the regulations led to a focus on ‘blatant’ breaches, with fines more dependent on the circumstance of the breach and the how officers perceived an individual’s attitude and responses to them, than on the potential risk of harm, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INTERVIEW: In the wake of the 2014 University of California shootings, a number of US states began utilising Extreme Risk Protection Orders, with Florida’s Fort Lauderdale PD among those leading the way; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Detective Christopher Carita about the success of the so-called ‘red flag’ laws, and how the Parkland high school shooting in 2018 made things much more personal for FLPD’s Threat Response Unit.

OPINION: As the London Police Services Board in Ontario prepares to call on Canada’s federal government to add femicide to the criminal code – and with other police boards indicating their support for the move – Professor Myrna Dawson of the University of Guelph says introducing femicide-specific legislation would be a crucial first step in reducing the crisis of violence against women and girls.

FEATURE: As latest figures confirm that Scotland has the highest rate of drug-related fatalities in Europe, the country’s Minister for Drugs Policy has urged the UK Government to back a public health approach to substance misuse as set out recently by the Scottish Drugs Death Taskforce – rather than the punishment-focused white paper on recreational drug users – as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

Job advertisement: Policing Insight is growing its editorial coverage of policing in Australia and New Zealand, and we are looking for freelance writers with an interest/expertise in policing and great contacts to join our team. The role involves keeping up with latest developments in policing through engagement with police forces, government and relevant academic, third-sector and commercial organisations, pitching and completing feature article ideas, and fulfilling commissions from our editor.

INTERVIEW: Restorative justice (RJ) has been long been recognised as a potentially effective alternative to traditional criminal justice processes in many countries, but adoption of the approach has been much slower in the US; one keen advocate is Durham PD Chief Patrice Andrews, who spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the benefits of RJ, its role in reducing crime, and the support among officers for this and other diversionary tools.

OPINION: The International Criminal Court (ICC) was set up during a unique period of global co-operation, but has faced criticism for its failure to hold the US and other major powers to account; however, Dr Matt Killingsworth, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Tasmania, believes the ICC has played a valuable role in creating expectations that global justice can be realised.

Newsletter launch: Policing Insight has launched a new Daily Brief to help you keep up with links to the latest policing news, opinion, analysis, research and reports from the media and key policing organisations. The Daily Brief email is powered by our Media Monitor service which is curated throughout the day by our researchers - we 'Google' so you don't have to! Sign up today to be better informed.

FEATURE: Several UK police forces have pushed ahead with pilot schemes and the wider roll out of opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone for frontline officers, despite opposition from some staff associations; now a new report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has called for increased support and training for officers as part of a ‘national joined-up approach’ to its use, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The first-ever Inspire Justice Awards take place in November 2022, with a ceremony dedicated to awarding our public service heroes. Organised by Skills for Justice, the UK’s Sector Skills Council, the 10 award categories will recognise thousands of individuals and teams working in staff roles that are often unknown. The awards are supported by UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, and supported by media partner Policing Insight.

FEATURE: Independent custody visitors (ICVs) have helped to ensure fairer and more effective justice in the UK since independent public scrutiny was first recommended in the Scarman Report; recent surveys of the role and effectiveness of ICVs carried out by the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) underline the importance of the role, the challenges ICVs face, and potential improvements, as CJA Senior Policy Officer Hannah Pittaway explains.

ANALYSIS: New Zealand reduced the minimum age for buying alcohol from 20 to 18 in 1999 and, with over two decades of data on the possible effects of the change, some health campaigners are calling for a return to the upper age limit; researchers Alexander Plum, Christopher Erwin and Kabir Dasgupta of the University of Auckland believe the evidence over the impact on crime figures is less than clear.

FEATURE: The risks around the use of anti-harm suits to prevent custody detainees from ripping material for self-harming have been highlighted in the UK both by inspectorates and the College of Policing; now a new pilot is underway in Dyfed-Powys to identify alternatives to the suits, as well as establish greater consistency around their use, as Ashley Bertie, CEO of the Independent Custody Visiting Association explains.

ANALYSIS: Many ex-prisoners end up in the vicious cycle of homelessness, reoffending and reincarceration; but new research by academics from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the University of Tasmania and Melbourne’s RMIT University indicates that providing public housing for those released from prison could cut crime and reduce criminal justice costs.

OPINION: With police resources regularly overstretched, many officers voice concerns that they don’t have enough time to spend with victims to deliver a better service and improve satisfaction rates; but Police Foundation Associate Malcolm Hibberd argues that what officers can say in 30 seconds or less has a major impact on a crime victim’s experience of policing.

ANALYSIS: Following Canada’s legalisation of cannabis, some cities are now looking to decriminalise personal possession of all illegal drugs, as a public health-driven response to the country’s opioid overdose crisis; Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at the background to the proposals, the qualified support from police chiefs such as Toronto’s James Ramer, and how the drug enforcement landscape is shifting.

ANALYSIS: As new footage continues to highlight horrific images of the devastation wrought by the Russian military in Ukraine, preparations are already underway to ensure that war criminals can be prosecuted post-conflict; Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon, and former police detective and war crime investigator Howard Tucker, consider the challenges facing those trying to build a case, and the processes involved.

LONG READ: The recent Strategic Review of Policing called for those facing a charge for drugs possession to be ‘consistently diverted toward a social intervention and away from the criminal justice system’; independent consultant Geoff Monaghan takes a closer look at what the recommendation means, and considers whether this represents a new route or well-worn track for drug misusing offenders.

ANALYSIS: Court cases around the world often depend on the independent deliberations and judgments of juries; but with jurors susceptible to their own biases, steps can be taken to ensure that such biases are balanced to prevent miscarriages of justice, as Dr Lee Curley and Dr James Munro of the Open University and Dr Itiel Dror of University College London, explain.

ANALYSIS: Criminal justice stakeholders have been urged to take the opportunities offered by a new two-tier approach to out-of-court disposals as a route to cutting reoffending, reducing harm and clearing the CJS backlog – but a lot of work still needs to be done around oversight, openness and the evidence base, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: UK police forces are increasingly opting to divert people found in possession of small quantities of drugs away from the criminal justice system; drugs policing expert and social justice charity leader, Meg Jones, who led the development and implementation of pre-arrest drug diversion in the West Midlands, considers the impact of the changing approach, and what it means for the future of policing drugs.

ANALYSIS: With online communication – and social media in particular – highlighting society’s growing prevalence of abuse and the incitement to hatred and violence, the UK’s proposed Online Safety Bill has been welcomed by many as a step towards tackling big tech’s ‘land of the lawless’; Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon looks at the background to the Bill, and some of the measures set to be introduced in 2022.