Introduction
"The white collar criminal is neither a political offender nor a rebel. He exploits the weaknesses of society rather than rebelling against its iniquities and his interest in the reform of the legal, political and social system is normally confined to changes which might enable him to make more and more money and to get more and more influence in order to exert increasing pressure to obtain his selfish objects.
Hermann Mannheim, 1965 Comparative Criminology vol 2 p470
The Mannheim Centre for Criminology was set up in November 1990, named in honour of Hermann Mannheim (see Herman Mannheim: a biographical note|).
It is a multidisciplinary centre incorporating staff| from across LSE. The Centre provides a forum for LSE criminology, including undergraduate and postgraduate courses, funded research, and a large number of conferences, seminars and other public events, including the joint seminar series with the British society of criminology|.
Newsletter
March 2011 issue of Mannheim Mattters| available now.
December 2011 Mannheim Matters|; Issue 9 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 8 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 7 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 6 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 5 of Mannheim Matters|; Issue 4 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 3 of Mannheim Matters| ; Issue 2 of Mannheim Matters | ; Issue 1 of Mannheim Matters|
Seminars and Conferences
16 May 2012 | 6.30pm | London School of Economics, London School of Economics, New Academic Building Lecture Theatre, Lower Ground Floor, LG 09
Joint Seminar Series with the British Society of Criminology
Professor James Sheptycki (York University, Toronto) and Professor Ben Bowling (Kings College, London) discuss their new book 'Global Policing'
The seminar will start at 6.30pm, with wine from 6.15pm, and we recommend arriving early to be sure of a seat. We hope you will also be able to stay for drinks with the speaker after the talk.
23 May 2012 | 2.30pm-8pm | London School of Economics, New Academic Building, Thai Theatre
'Beyond Pentonville'
It is now nearly a century and a half since the opening of Her Majesty's Prison Pentonville and half a century since the publication of the Morris' seminal sociological study of it. The Mannheim Centre is delighted to be hosting a special seminar in honour of Emeritus Professor Terry Morris , the Centre's first director, to celebrate and reflect on this important study.
Chair: Emeritus Professor David Downes
Speakers: Professor Alison Liebling and Louis Blom Cooper QC
See Events| for all our full listing of events and seminars including time, date and location.
What if …? A series of challenging pamphlets
The Howard League for Penal Reform| and the Mannheim Centre) at the London School of Economics are working in partnership to establish a new pamphlet series that challenges conventional thinking on penal issues. We will work with established and well thought of thinkers, academics and practitioners to develop innovative, and perhaps controversial, ideas that can work as a stimulus to new policy initiatives and ultimately achieve change.
How it works
We are keen to test, challenge and improve the initial ideas to be promulgated in the pamphlet. To achieve this, the author, will subject their ideas to 'peer review' at an invitee seminar, with the ideas initially subject to scrutiny from one or two discussants and then from the invited audience.
Following the seminar the author will be invited to prepare the paper for publication.
The first What if …? Policing
Professor Robert Reiner| agreed to be the author of the first pamphlet on the subject of policing. The first seminar was held on Thursday 27 October 2011. The discussants at the seminar were Sir Denis O'Connor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Baroness Hamwee. Listen to this seminar as an MP3 podcast (108MB)|
What if…Community magistrates delivering community justice
Professor Frances Heidensohn of the Mannheim Centre chaired the second What if ... lecture given by Frances Crook director of the Howard League for Penal Reform. She outlined her proposal to address what she urged was the pressing problems associated with having too many people in prison for too long. She focussed on the magistracy and argued that there was disparity of sentencing, a lack of diversity and a confusion between impartiality and judicial independence. Her proposal was a return to “commoners of the peace” concept of the administration of accessible, local justice making magistrates more accountable to their communities and the sentences they pass. Her idea is to bring justice to the people by having sittings in local community venues such as schools, libraries and even pubs. She would also abolish the District Judges.
John Fassenfelt, chair of the magistrates’ Association in response thought that rather than demographics, magistrates need to be of good character, understanding, able to communicate, be socially aware, have mature and sound judgement and be committed and reliable. Moreover, he thought the cause of the victim should not be overlooked in any reform.
Professor Barry Godfrey from Liverpool University agreed with Frances’ point about the lack of a representative magistracy and thought that there should be an expansion of recruitment including from the unemployed. He thought too there could be further innovation, but that reform had to be supported and properly evaluated. He pointed out the success of job rehabilitation orders. He was not entirely convinced by hearings in pub. The trick he suggested was to retain the majesty of the law and its authority in appropriate community venues.
Professor Julian Roberts from Oxford University felt that some of Frances assertions needed supporting with evidence and that there should be a greater clarity between the identified problems and proposed solution. He argued that actuality localisation of justice brings greater variability rather than consistency of sentencing. He was also sceptical about the idea that being responsible for the sentence was both inappropriate and unrealistic. He too thought if one’s freedom was at stake then there is a requirement to have a certain formality of proceedings.
The presentations can be accessed as a pod cast at:
http://echo.lse.ac.uk/ess/echo/presentation/341a5bf3-ed31-4c19-bcb9-56679b44a356/media.mp3|
Future What ifs…?
The Howard League and the Mannheim Centre are committed to generating two or three pamphlets each academic year. Although we have many ideas about issues we would like to address, we are keen to hear your ideas about issues that you would like to see on our agenda.
If you have any ideas please email Anita Dockley (anita.dockley@howardleague.org |), Research Director
News
16 April 2012
Latest Research Papers from the Griffins Society
Two Griffins fellows supervised by Mannheim have now produced their final reports
Griffins RP 2011.01: 'Score, smoke, back on the beat: an exploration of the impact of homelessness on exiting street sex working in Manchester', by Louise Sandwith
Griffins RP 2011.02: 'Seeing Differently: working with girls affected by gangs', by Jessica Southgate
25 January 2012
For details of a new project "Can a trust-based criminal policy lead to fewer crimes?" involving Jon Jackson please follow this link:
http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/newsitem=385|
24 January 2012
Professor Robert Reiner gave a talk at the House of Lords as a guest of Baroness Hamwee to launch the first What if..pamplet
"In praise of fire brigade policing; contra common sense conceptions of the police role".
More details available at
http://www.howardleague.org/what-if/|
16 January 2012
Hans Sigrist Prize
Congratulations to Professor Nicola Lacey who has been awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize by the University of Bern. Professor Nicola Lacy is one of the internationally most renowned and productive female representatives of jurisprudence whose work is characterized by an explicit social theoretical orientation and reference to international comparisons. Her treatment of the key area of the rule of law in the late modern era , conducted at the highest analytical level, is both sociological, theoretical and historical, empirical and normative. She thus builds a bridge between the Anglo-Saxon and German-speaking Continental-European study of the constitutional state. The main focus of her research is concerned with the change in the modus operandi of legal institutions and the erosion process of the rule of law in the recent past. [click here for further details of the award]|
10 November 2011
SEMINAR PODCAST
The first 'What if ...' seminar on policing (27 October 2011) featuring Sir Denis O'Connor (Chief Inspector of Constabulary) and Baroness Hamwee responding to Professor Robert Reiner is now available as an audio podcast: Listen to this seminar as an MP3 podcast (108MB)|
27 September 2011
Professor Robert Reiner gave a talk entitled "Who governs? Democracy, Plutocracy, Science and Prophecy in Shaping Policing?" today at the British Academy. This was a contribution to a seminar on policing in times of contraction and constrain; re-imaging the role and function of contemporary policing organised joint with Edge Hill University and the University of Surrey. Other speakers include Ben Bowling who talked about "good enough" policing and Nick Tilley who discussed "good enough" research that might inform decision making.
24 September 2011
Podgorecki prize for 2011
This Prize, awarded by the International Sociological Association (Research committee of sociology of law) every two years 'for outstanding achievements in socio-legal research to honour outstanding and exemplary colleagues who have produced guiding and inspiring work,' has been won by Professor David Nelken, The previous winner in 2009 was Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Professor at Coimbra, Wisconsin and Warwick.
23 September 2011
Mike Shiner's research collating data on the race of people stopped and searched was featured in the Guardian. The data were prepared for Stopwatch. The results indicate black people are more likely to be the subject of these police powers. Mike is quoted as saying " Figures such as these may be a source of embarrassment to the police. Getting rid of recording may relieve the embarrassment but prevents us from dealing with the problem"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/22/police-record-race-stop|
Related links
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/01/police-stop-search-data-equality|
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/29/police-priorities-cannabis-crime|
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/17/stop-and-search-race-figures|
21 September 2011
Laurie Taylor interviewed Ben Fincham and Mike Shiner about their new book about suicide on 'Thinking Aloud' yesterday. Ben is a Lecturer in Sociology at Sussex. He was joined by Dr Mike Shiner, a Senior Research Fellow in the Mannheim Centre. They discussed the intriguing notion of 'middle-aged meltdown.' The idea here is that middle age is a particularly intense period where careers are progressing (or not) children are flourishing (or not) and relationship with a person's significant other is loving (or not). If these unravel they create a cluster of circumstances that, depending on the individual's coping strategies and their values leads to a repertoire of actions that may include suicide. Mike was asked about gender differences and he indicated that men are three times more likely to commit suicide although women are more likely to make unsuccessful attempts. He suggested that the presence of kids was still a 'protective' bond for women in a way that is less true for men if families break up and this may be part of the explanation for the difference.
The broadcast can be heard by logging on to the BBC site|
14 September 2011
Tim Newburn is co-ordinating research into the recent disturbances in London in a joint venture with The Guardian, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Open Society . or more on 'Reading the Riots' see http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/2011/09/06/reading-the-riots/|
29 August 2011
Professor Jennifer Brown presented a paper at a seminar organised by the International Police Association at Gimborn outlining research projecting the likely numbers of women in policing by 2020 .
7 June 2011
Mike Shiner was a signatory to a Release letter calling for the decriminalisation of drug possession. On 2 June 2011 he gave an interview on Radio 5 Live discussing the letter advocating de-criminalisation for possession of drugs. He made the point that this was not so much liberalising of policy but a move towards evidence based informed decision making.
3 June 2011
Professor Robert Reiner was this year's recipient of the British Society of Criminology Outstanding Achievement Award winner. Mike Hough, President of the British Society of Criminology, said: "Robert richly deserves this award for his services to criminology as a discipline as well as his hugely influential academic work, extending over his whole working life. I have always admired both the quality of his scholarship and the warm and generous way he deals with his criminological colleagues".
31 May 2011
Professor Jennifer Brown has been invited to present her work on the impacts of increasing the gender ratio in policing to the International Police Association 29th September with her colleague Dr Susan Woolfenden of Strategic Direction
31 May 2011
Dr Jerry Blaney presenting his paper "The failures of police reform under the second Spanish Republic at the recent Ibero-America Conference, May 10th.
25 May 2011
Professor France Heidensohn gave the 6th Roger Hood Annual Public Lecture at Oxford University. Her lecture was entitled "Impact and influences in contemporary criminology; the question of feminism.
29 March 2011
"Fewer police does not mean Christmas for criminals"
Professor Robert Reiner writes in the Guardian on the effect of cutting police budgets:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/10/police-crime-disorder-cuts |
8 March 2011
Roger Graef and Eve Kay are the executive producers of Kids in Care, a Panorama special which has just won the Royal Television Society's Current Affairs award
"An extraordinary documentary insight into the complex issues surrounding children in care in Coventry. This programme told its story in a way that stopped you leaving it and the emotional impact stayed with you long after you had finished watching it – said the jury".
It can be seen on BBC iplayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00v77vn/Panorama_Kids_in_Care/|
1 March 2011
Professor Maurice Punch's latest book Shoot to Kill: police accountability, firearms and fatal force (The Policy Press, University of Bristol, 2011) cited in the Economist|.
15 February 2011
Professor Stanley Cohen was the consultant on a project published recently by the
The International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP)
The project looked into the human rights implications of contemporary patterns of social control: how laws and policies construct and respond to people, behaviour or status defined as "undesirable", "dangerous", criminal or socially problematic.
The report explores the human rights implications of questions such as:
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How changing ideas of crime, criminality and risk are shaping social policy?
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Why does incarceration continue to be a preferred sanction?
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How are public health and urban governance being reshaped into regimes of discipline and punitiveness?
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How do contemporary policing and surveillance practices order and organise social relations?
Details may be found at http://www.ichrp.org/en/projects/126|
15 February 2011
Post graduate Daniel Bear has written an article about crime mapping, published in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/02/crime-maps-policing-home-office?INTCMP=SRCH|
15 February 2011
Mike Shiner and Rebekah Delsol discussed stop and search in the Guardian, prior to the recent Parliamentary debate http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/01/police-stop-search-data-equality|
16 December 2010
Professor Jennifer Brown has been awarded a short term visiting Fellowship to the University of Brisbane (under the Sir Alan Sewell, Visiting Fellowship scheme). She will be working with Paula Brough and Mark Kebbell on aspects of occupational stress experienced by police officers, especially that connected to sexual violence investigations.
3 August 2010
Dr Sharon Shalev, a fellow at the Mannheim Centre for Criminology at LSE, has been awarded the prestigious British Society of Criminology's Book Prize for 2010 for her book Supermax: controlling risk through solitary confinement.
The prize is awarded annually to a publication that makes a valuable contribution to the further development of criminology. Supermax is the first book to offer a comprehensive examination of the supermax phenomenon and calls for an urgent review of the use of solitary confinement as a prison tactic.
Supermax prisons officially operate to protect society from its most violent and dangerous criminals but in reality are also used to house petty non-violent offenders and the mentally ill. Drawing on interviews with both prisoners and prison staff as well as health professionals and human rights experts, Dr Shalev examines the theory, practice and consequences of these prisons.