In 1994 the School of Criminology, a part of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology in the Faculty of Law of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, celebrated the 25th anniversary of its study programme. To give added lustre to this landmark in its history, the Institute accepted the invitation from the International Society of Criminology to organise the 49th International Course of Criminology. The title of the course was: Changes in Society, Crime and Criminal Justice in Europe. A challenge for criminological education and research'. This course explored two themes, both of which are likely to be the focus of debate in criminal policy in the near future: crime and insecurity in the city, and international organised and corporate crime. The presentation and discussion of both themes followed two main approaches. Lectures and seminars focused on the analysis of the nature, the quantity and the development of the phenomena, and meetings were focused on the policy needed to gain control of these phenomena. Moreover, attention was paid to technical and ethical problems which show up at the moment that empirical research is carried out. This publication brings together the main part of the introductory lectures. Part one relates to the theme of crime and insecurity in the city; the second part contains the lectures on international organised and corporate crime. Together both parts present a good picture of what was explained and commented on during the Course, especially in relation to important European developments concerning crime, criminal justice and criminal policy. This book will become an important source of inspiration for both criminological educationand research.

This book brings together a selection of papers originally presented and discussed at the fourth international restorative justice conference, held at the University of Tübingen. The contributors include many of the leading authorities in the field of restorative justice, and they provide a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations underlying this rapidly expanding movement. Restorative Justice: Theoretical foundations addresses a wide range of fundamental questions about restorative justice,considering amongst other things ways in which conceptual pitfalls can be avoided, and how traditional models of peacemaking and healing developed in traditional societies can be integrated into the justice systems of late modern societies. Overall it provides an authoritative overview of contemporary thinking about restorative justice and will be essential reading for anybody concerned with the future direction of criminal justice and criminal justice systems. leading world authorities address the theoretical foundations of restorative justicea rapidly expanding area within criminal justiceincludes chapters on restorative justice as applied to corporate crime, family violence and cases of extreme violence

Concerns over insecurity and questions of safety have become central issues in social and political debates across Europe and the western world. Crucial changes have followed as a result, such as a redefinition of the role of the state in relation to policing - a central theme of this book - and an explosion in the growth of private policing. These developments have, in their turn, heightened feelings of insecurity and safety, particularly where populations have become increasingly mobile and societies more socially fragmented, culturally diverse and economically fragmented. Responses to insecurity now increasingly inform decisions made by governments, organisations and ordinary people in their social interactions. This book makes a key contribution to an understanding of these developments, approaching the subject from a range of perspectives, across several different disciplines. The three parts of the book look at broader theoretical and thematic issues, then at cross-national and pan-European developments and debates in European governance, and finally explore specific examples of local issues of community safety and the broader implications these have. Leading figures in the field draw upon criminological, legal, social, and political theory to shed new light on what has become one of the most intractable problems facing western societies.

'This extensively revised edition of A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy provides up-to-date and valuable insights on key concepts and issues, such as globalization, crime, diversity, housing, child poverty, gender inequality, and social policy regimes. To write about these topics, editor Patricia Kennett has gathered an excellent team of researchers, who deal with both the developing and the advanced industrial world. Students of comparative social policy would benefit from engaging with this illuminating Handbook.' Daniel Béland, JohnsonShoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Canada The current context of social policy is one in which many of the old certainties of the past have been eroded. The predominantly inward-looking, domestic preoccupation of social policy has made way for a more integrated, international and outward approach to analysis which looks beyond the boundaries of the state. It is in this context that this Handbook brings together the work of key commentators in the field of comparative analysis in order to provide comprehensive coverage of contemporary debates and issues in cross-national social policy research. Organized around five themes, this thoroughly revised and updated second edition explores the contextual, conceptual, analytical and processual aspects of undertaking comparative social research. The contributions highlight specific areas of comparative social policy including child poverty and well-being, patterns of housing provision and housing inequalities, and social protection in East Asia as well as crime and criminology in a global context. The authors of the Handbook explore continuing and emerging themes as well as issues which are of particular relevance to understanding the contemporary social world. International in scope, this authoritative Handbook presents original cutting-edge research from leading specialists and will become an indispensable source of reference for anyone interested in comparative and international social research. It will also prove a valuable study aid for undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines including social policy, sociology, politics, urban studies and public policy.

Over the last decade there has arisen considerable disquiet about the relationship between criminal justice and its publics. This has been expressed in a variety of different ways, ranging from a concern that state criminal justice has moved too far away from the concerns of ordinary people (become too distant, too out of touch, insufficiently reflective of different groups in society) to the belief that the police have been attending to the wrong priorities, that the state has failed to reduce crime, that people still feel a general sense of insecurity. Governments have sought to respond to these concerns throughout Europe and North America but the results have challenged people's deeply held beliefs about what justice is and what the state's role should be. The need to innovate in response to local demands has hence resulted in some very different initiatives. This book is concerned to delve further into this contested relationship between criminal justice and its publics. Written by experts from different countries as a new initiative in comparative criminal justice, it reveals how different the intrinsic cultural attitudes in relation to criminal justice are across Europe. This is a time when states' monopoly on criminal justice is being questioned and they are being asked on what basis their legitimacy rests, challenged by both globalization and localization. The answers reflect both cultural specificity and, for some, broader moves towards reaching out to citizens and associations representing citizens.