This blog is the result of my studies in Criminology at De Montfort University and is primarily designed to provide a platform for my thoughts on various criminological issues that affect our lives in the 21st century. Areas that this blog will cover will include, but not be limited to, extremism, digital criminology, media representations of crime, and a criminological eye on current events when appropriate. But to begin, let’s start with some context of where the world is in 2022.
To paraphrase the now debunked Chinese curse (and the late, great Terry Pratchett), we live in Interesting Times. Over the past 6 years or so, a lot has changed at home and abroad, that have changed the way that we view criminality, and the Criminal Justice System (CJS) more broadly. Social media has become far more important to our lives, than it ever has, and technology has advanced quicker than most of us can keep up with. We have become significantly more aware of the climate crisis, with COP26 taking place in late 2021 raising the spectre of global catastrophe if action isn’t taken now, which arguably has been mostly ignored by most major nations of the world.
There has been a long overdue questioning of intolerance of all forms, with both the #Metoo and the #BLM movements gaining significant traction at home and abroad, alongside the inevitable backlash to that questioning from certain actors, and serious incidents relating to both those movements that challenge how we view the police in both UK, and the US.
With all these Back in 2016, the Brexit referendum resulted in 52% of the electorate voting to leave the European Union, a position that, despite the claims of certain political actors in the UK, we are still negotiating. This led to a Conservative landslide in the 2019 election, and a distinct shift to more punitive policies within the UK. In fact, two bills currently working their way through the Houses of Commons and Lords, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, and the Nationalities and Borders Bill, both contain problematic legislation. And let’s not forget, that the current administration in the UK, have introduced legislation that breaks international law in a “specific and limited way”
Further afield, Donald Trump was elected the President of the United States of America, which ultimately led to a failed re-election bid in 2020, an increased visibility of the far-right in the US and culminated in rioting at the Capitol Building in Washington on January 6, 2021; the effects of which are still being dealt with today.
And yet, world events continue apace, with the appalling news last week of Vladamir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This will, rightly, dominate politics for the foreseeable future, but will also hold a mirror up to our own actions on the world stage, and the perceptions of the CJS in the United Kingdom. This can already be seen with the press and MP’s launching attacks on British law firms who represent Russian oligarchs. Whilst this blog won’t discuss this directly here, a fascinating insight into the complexity of this issue can be seen in this post by constitutional lawyer David Allen Green. But this tragedy will also put pressure on our current administration for its stance on refugees, and may well result in a shift in how refugees and immigrants in general are viewed among the general populace.
Over the next few weeks, this blog will cover some key issues in digital criminology, focusing particularly on how this subject is relevant to the conflict that is playing out before our eyes. So, until then, stay safe, please subscribe to the blog below if you have enjoyed this read and, in the meantime, take a look at the media section for this week’s musical recommendation.
LB Criminology 