Criminal Records: A Database for the Criminal Justice System and Beyond

ISBN-13: 9780230007673 / Angielski / Twarda / 2007 / 227 str.

Terry Thomas

Opis

Criminal records are essential to the smooth running of the criminal justice system, but have been overlooked and neglected by academe. This book considers the uses of criminal records within the criminal justice system and beyond.

In the UK, the system of collecting criminal records began in 1869 and, today, approximately six million computerized records are kept by the police for daily use. Criminal records help the police solve crime and the judiciary to decide on suitable punishments. They are also used by the probation service, the prison serivce and other parts of the criminal justice system, and, increasingly, are used by agencies outside that system, especially for pre-employment checks, as well as by jurisdictions beyond national borders as exchanges of information are encouraged at an global level. This book explores the implications of the changes in use of criminal records and considers the implications for the international community.

Recenzje

'The research is prodigious Thomas has traced the developments on the use (and misuse) of criminal records across the years to tell a detailed and interesting story.' Martin Wasik - Professor of Criminal Justice, Keele University, UK

'Thomas has produced a meticulously researched history of the development of the keeping of criminal records...This is a well-written, challenging book that has much to offer and rewards careful reading.' - Peter Handley JP The Magistrate

'...a meticulously-researched history of the criminal record...a valuable book which fills a genuine gap.' - Gwen Robinson, The Howard Journal

Spis treści

Introduction A Short History of Criminal Records Contemporary Criminal Record Maintenance Criminal Records within the Criminal Justice System The 'Spent' Criminal Record Criminal Records and Employment Screening The Criminal Records Bureau Criminal Records: An International Dimension Conclusions

O autorze

TERRY THOMAS is Professor in Criminal Justice Studies, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. His publications include Criminal Records: State, Citizen and the Politics of Protection, The Police and Social Work, Privacy and Social Services, Sex Crime: Sex Offending and Society and Policing Europe: Cooperation, Conflict and Control.