A Brief History of “Neoliberal” Justice in England and Wales—and Why an Opportunity to Use EM Intelligently Was Missed
Author: Mike Nellis.
Source: Volume 28, Number 03, Spring 2019 , pp.9-17(9)
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Abstract:
No countries have embraced electronic monitoring with more enthusiasm than England and Wales, but successive generations of British neoliberal policymakers—and the Ministry of Justice’s obsession with controlling every aspect of procurement through a series of five-year contracts—led to a system plagued by unrealized promises, questionable priorities, cost overruns, and charges of corruption. Reform groups, which should have played a major part in developing appropriate policies for EM that could achieve substantive results, instead stood on the sidelines and refused to acknowledge any legitimate role for electronic monitoring, and the prestige and influence of reformers suffered as a consequence. Recent pilot programs by local police and probation departments are beginning to show real progress and could finally resolve the question of how best to use EM to serve the public interest—if the central authorities will allow it.Keywords: Electronic monitoring and the private sector, politics and criminal justice, punishment in the community, Buddi and the police GPS schemes
Affiliations:
1: University of Strathclyde.