Power, Conflict and Criminalisation

Drawing on a body of empirical, qualitative work spanning three decades, this unique text traces the significance of critical social research and critical analyses in understanding some of the most significant and controversial issues in contemporary society. Focussing on central debates in the UK and Ireland - prison protests; inner-city uprisings; deaths in custody; women's imprisonment; transition in the north of Irel∧ the crisis' in childhood; the Hillsborough and Dunblane tragedies; and the war on terror' - Phil Scraton argues that marginalisation' and criminalisation' are social forces central to the application of state power and authority regulating dissent and imposing compliance. Each case study demonstrates how structural relations of power, authority and legitimacy, particularly the inequalities of class, race', sectarianism, gender, sexuality and age, establish the determining contexts of everyday life, social interaction and individual opportunity. Power, Conflict and Criminalisation explores the politics and ethics of critical social research making a persuasive case for the application of critical theory to analysing the rule of law, its enforcement and the administration of criminal justice. This all-embracing book is indispensable for students in the fields of criminology, criminal justice and socio-legal studies, social policy and social work.Scraton, Phil is the author of 'Power, Conflict and Criminalisation', published 2007 under ISBN 9780415422413 and ISBN 0415422418.