This article explores issues surrounding the legitimacy of private sector provision in criminal j... more This article explores issues surrounding the legitimacy of private sector provision in criminal justice. It examines changes in ideas about legitimate coercion which have made private sector involvement possible. It then elaborates two models of the processes whereby private sector entities attempt to obtain and maintain the legitimacy of their activities in the eyes of the public.
Spanish translation of Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race and ... more Spanish translation of Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race and Urban Violence in the United Kingdom. In: Gilligan G and Pratt J (eds), Crime, Truth and Justice, Cullompton: Willan Publishing.
International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 2016
The renewal of the Left realist tradition in criminology is vital for a critical understanding of... more The renewal of the Left realist tradition in criminology is vital for a critical understanding of crime and criminal justice in the context of a dominant neoliberalism. Left Realism presented two core components: the local democratic community control of policing and crime prevention and the analytical 'square of crime'. Two strategies for renewing the tradition are contrasted: the re-elaboration and updating of the core concepts or the incorporation of new themes-specifically critical realist philosophy-from outside the original paradigm. While these two are not mutually exclusive I argue that most of the proposed critical realist innovations are already present in the core concepts of Left Realism and that it is here, in the focus on struggles for local democracy and in the deconstructive tradition of the 'square of crime', that the future for Left Realism lies.
Capital punishment for murder was abolished in Britain in 1965. At this time, the way people in B... more Capital punishment for murder was abolished in Britain in 1965. At this time, the way people in Britain perceived and understood the death penalty had changed – it was an issue that had become increasingly controversial, high-profile and fraught with emotion. In order to understand why this was, it is necessary to examine how ordinary people learned about and experienced capital punishment. Drawing on primary research, this book explores the cultural life of the death penalty in Britain in the twentieth century, including an exploration of the role of the popular press and a discussion of portrayals of the death penalty in plays, novels and films. Popular protest against capital punishment and public responses to and understandings of capital cases are also discussed, particularly in relation to conceptualisations of justice. Miscarriages of justice were significant to capital punishment’s increasingly fraught nature in the mid twentieth-century and the book analyses the unsettling power of two such high profile miscarriages of justice. The final chapters consider the continuing relevance of capital punishment in Britain after abolition, including its symbolism and how people negotiate memories of the death penalty. Capital Punishment in Twentieth-Century Britain is groundbreaking in its attention to the death penalty and the effect it had on everyday life and it is the only text on this era to place public and popular discourses about, and reactions to, capital punishment at the centre of the analysis. Interdisciplinary in focus and methodology, it will appeal to historians, criminologists, sociologists and socio-legal scholars.
The last few decades have seen a general drift to a more authoritarian criminal justice system in... more The last few decades have seen a general drift to a more authoritarian criminal justice system in the United Kingdom. One way to understand this drift is in terms of a shift along the continuum from a concern with the defence of due process further towards a ...
Calls to defund the police emerged from Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of 2020, inspiring USA ... more Calls to defund the police emerged from Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of 2020, inspiring USA cities to shift funding from policing to social welfare. Here we consider how defunding might translate to the UK, raising critical questions about our distinct funding arrangements, and social welfare traditions. Next, we consider how the spirit of defunding could be adapted in the UK drawing on the left realist proposition of minimal policing, radically restricting police powers and autonomy. In contrast to many abolitionists, we foresee the state continuing to play an important role in ensuring justice through the development of specialist non-police led agencies to respond to serious crimes and residual conflicts.
This article explores issues surrounding the legitimacy of private sector provision in criminal j... more This article explores issues surrounding the legitimacy of private sector provision in criminal justice. It examines changes in ideas about legitimate coercion which have made private sector involvement possible. It then elaborates two models of the processes whereby private sector entities attempt to obtain and maintain the legitimacy of their activities in the eyes of the public.
Spanish translation of Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race and ... more Spanish translation of Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race and Urban Violence in the United Kingdom. In: Gilligan G and Pratt J (eds), Crime, Truth and Justice, Cullompton: Willan Publishing.
International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 2016
The renewal of the Left realist tradition in criminology is vital for a critical understanding of... more The renewal of the Left realist tradition in criminology is vital for a critical understanding of crime and criminal justice in the context of a dominant neoliberalism. Left Realism presented two core components: the local democratic community control of policing and crime prevention and the analytical 'square of crime'. Two strategies for renewing the tradition are contrasted: the re-elaboration and updating of the core concepts or the incorporation of new themes-specifically critical realist philosophy-from outside the original paradigm. While these two are not mutually exclusive I argue that most of the proposed critical realist innovations are already present in the core concepts of Left Realism and that it is here, in the focus on struggles for local democracy and in the deconstructive tradition of the 'square of crime', that the future for Left Realism lies.
Capital punishment for murder was abolished in Britain in 1965. At this time, the way people in B... more Capital punishment for murder was abolished in Britain in 1965. At this time, the way people in Britain perceived and understood the death penalty had changed – it was an issue that had become increasingly controversial, high-profile and fraught with emotion. In order to understand why this was, it is necessary to examine how ordinary people learned about and experienced capital punishment. Drawing on primary research, this book explores the cultural life of the death penalty in Britain in the twentieth century, including an exploration of the role of the popular press and a discussion of portrayals of the death penalty in plays, novels and films. Popular protest against capital punishment and public responses to and understandings of capital cases are also discussed, particularly in relation to conceptualisations of justice. Miscarriages of justice were significant to capital punishment’s increasingly fraught nature in the mid twentieth-century and the book analyses the unsettling power of two such high profile miscarriages of justice. The final chapters consider the continuing relevance of capital punishment in Britain after abolition, including its symbolism and how people negotiate memories of the death penalty. Capital Punishment in Twentieth-Century Britain is groundbreaking in its attention to the death penalty and the effect it had on everyday life and it is the only text on this era to place public and popular discourses about, and reactions to, capital punishment at the centre of the analysis. Interdisciplinary in focus and methodology, it will appeal to historians, criminologists, sociologists and socio-legal scholars.
The last few decades have seen a general drift to a more authoritarian criminal justice system in... more The last few decades have seen a general drift to a more authoritarian criminal justice system in the United Kingdom. One way to understand this drift is in terms of a shift along the continuum from a concern with the defence of due process further towards a ...
Calls to defund the police emerged from Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of 2020, inspiring USA ... more Calls to defund the police emerged from Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests of 2020, inspiring USA cities to shift funding from policing to social welfare. Here we consider how defunding might translate to the UK, raising critical questions about our distinct funding arrangements, and social welfare traditions. Next, we consider how the spirit of defunding could be adapted in the UK drawing on the left realist proposition of minimal policing, radically restricting police powers and autonomy. In contrast to many abolitionists, we foresee the state continuing to play an important role in ensuring justice through the development of specialist non-police led agencies to respond to serious crimes and residual conflicts.
published in: McGarry R and Walklate S (eds) (2016) The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War.... more published in: McGarry R and Walklate S (eds) (2016) The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War. 1st ed. 2016 edition. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. abstract This chapter will distinguish between old and new varieties of private sector involvement in crime control and warfare. The history of the modern nation state will be characterised as a decline of private initiative as the centrality of military and police agencies in nation building and cohesion gathered pace during the nineteenth century. The resurgence of the private sector in these areas will be attributed to the shifting focus of key elements of state policy in post welfare-state neoliberal regimes towards security and the management of populations. The changing character of political legitimacy in the new national and international regime following the welfare state and the cold war period parallels the marginalisation of increasing sections of the global population, and the displacement of issues of legitimacy, citizenship and the membership of national communities with those of security. This changes, while not making inevitable, nevertheless provide the background of opportunities for the rapid growth of the private sector
published as: Lea J (2015) From the criminalisation of war to the militarisation of crime control... more published as: Lea J (2015) From the criminalisation of war to the militarisation of crime control. In: Walklate S and McGarry R (eds), Criminology and War: Transgressing the borders, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 198-207)
Critically exploring the work of Loic Wacquant, 2012
published in: Criminalisation and advanced marginality: Critically exploring the work of Loïc Wac... more published in: Criminalisation and advanced marginality: Critically exploring the work of Loïc Wacquant Edited by Peter Squires and John Lea. Bristol: Policy Press
Lea J (2010) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In: Hayward K, Maruna S, and Mooney J (eds), Fifty K... more Lea J (2010) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In: Hayward K, Maruna S, and Mooney J (eds), Fifty Key Thinkers in Criminology, London: Routledge.
reprinted in: de Keseredy, W and Dragiewicz, M. eds. (2014) Critical Criminology, Volume 1: The Foundations of Critical Criminology. New York: Routledge]
originally published as: Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race an... more originally published as: Lea J (2004) From Brixton to Bradford: Ideology and Discourse on Race and Urban Violence in the United Kingdom. In: Gilligan G and Pratt J (eds), Crime, Truth and Justice, Cullompton: Willan Publishing.
Orden O Justicia El Falso Dilema De Los Intolerantes 2000 Isbn 950 817 130 8 Pags 1 24, 2000
Lea J (1998) Criminology and Postmodernity. In: Walton P and Young J (eds), The New Criminology R... more Lea J (1998) Criminology and Postmodernity. In: Walton P and Young J (eds), The New Criminology Revisited, London: Macmillan.
published In: Jewson N and MacGregor S (eds), Transforming Cities: contested governance and new s... more published In: Jewson N and MacGregor S (eds), Transforming Cities: contested governance and new spatial divisions, London: Routledge, pp. 42–55.
Lea J (1996) Poverty, Crime and Politics: Engels and the Crime Question. In: Lea J and Pilling G ... more Lea J (1996) Poverty, Crime and Politics: Engels and the Crime Question. In: Lea J and Pilling G (eds), The Condition of Britain: Essays on Frederick Engels, London: Pluto.
Delito Y Sociedad Revista De Ciencias Sociales, 1996
Lea J (1992) Left Realism: A Framework for the Analysis of Crime. In: Young J and Matthews R (eds... more Lea J (1992) Left Realism: A Framework for the Analysis of Crime. In: Young J and Matthews R (eds), Rethinking Criminology: The Realist Debate., London: Sage, pp. 69–94.
originally published in in Roger Matthews and Jock Young eds. (1986) Confronting Crime London: Sa... more originally published in in Roger Matthews and Jock Young eds. (1986) Confronting Crime London: Sage Publications pp 145-165
Hidden Power: the strategic logic of organised crime. By James Cockayne (Hurst Publishers, 2016, ... more Hidden Power: the strategic logic of organised crime. By James Cockayne (Hurst Publishers, 2016, 448pp. £20.00)
Review by John Lea (University of Roehampton UK) Published in British Journal of Criminology 26 July 2017
review of PRE-CRIME: PRE-EMPTION, PRECAUTION AND THE FUTURE by McCulloch and Wilson 2016 . London... more review of PRE-CRIME: PRE-EMPTION, PRECAUTION AND THE FUTURE by McCulloch and Wilson 2016 . London and New York: Routlege.
A recent YouGov poll conducted to mark 50 years since the last hangings in Britain showed continu... more A recent YouGov poll conducted to mark 50 years since the last hangings in Britain showed continuing falls in the level of public support for capital punishment . No politician would today consider trying to get a free vote in Parliament for restoration. Nevertheless, 45 per cent of respondents remained in favour of capital punishment. In this meticulously researched book, Lizzie Seal traces the development of public opinion on the matter from the beginning of the 20th century to the recent period and the continually divided nature of public opinion is one of her key themes.
Exploring Power, Justice and Harm. By Reece Walters, Diane Westerhuis and Tanya Wyatt (Palgrave M... more Exploring Power, Justice and Harm. By Reece Walters, Diane Westerhuis and Tanya Wyatt (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, 265 pp. 24.00) * Environmental Harm: An Eco-Justice Perspective. By Rob White (Policy Press, 2013, 216 pp. 70.00) * Eco-Global Crimes: Contempor...
The growing world movement against capitalist globalisation makes a firm grasp of the dynamics of... more The growing world movement against capitalist globalisation makes a firm grasp of the dynamics of the present epoch more important than ever. The relation between theory and practice is, once again, clear and urgent.
The idea that preventing something bad happening is preferable to responding to the consequences ... more The idea that preventing something bad happening is preferable to responding to the consequences after it has already happened is not new. In the area of crime control the strategy of prevention appears during the 18th century at the outset of industrialisation and urbanisation. It then goes into relative abeyance during the period of the welfare state but since the 1970s it has received a renewed emphasis. In the mid 18th century the great legal reformer Cesare Beccaria had called for prevention although this was in the context of a discussion on the matter of legal reform rather than crime prevention in its modern form. "It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them. This is the chief aim of every good system of legislation... Would you prevent crimes? Then cause the laws to be clear and simple" (Beccaria 1764(Beccaria /1986.
Calls to defund the police emerged from BLM protests of 2020, inspiring US cities to shift fundin... more Calls to defund the police emerged from BLM protests of 2020, inspiring US cities to shift funding from policing to social welfare. Here we consider how defunding might translate to the UK, raising critical questions about our distinct funding arrangements, and social welfare traditions. Next, we consider how the spirit of defunding could be adapted in the UK drawing on the left realist proposition of minimal policing, radically restricting police powers and autonomy. In contrast to many abolitionists, we foresee the state continuing to play an important role in ensuring justice through the development of specialist non-police led agencies to respond to serious crimes and residual conflicts.
This literature scoping project engaged with a series of issues concerning the ‗connectedness&... more This literature scoping project engaged with a series of issues concerning the ‗connectedness' of young people with their communities and community agencies. We consulted research which has explored the life-worlds of young people in materially poor ...
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Papers by John Lea
reprinted in: de Keseredy, W and Dragiewicz, M. eds. (2014) Critical Criminology, Volume 1: The Foundations of Critical Criminology. New York: Routledge]
Review by John Lea (University of Roehampton UK) Published in British Journal of Criminology 26 July 2017