NCJ Number
161543
Date Published
1996
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This essay examines the characteristics and dynamics of Great Britain's movement toward a "law and order" society, along with its causes and consequences.
Abstract
Great Britain is in the midst of a movement toward a more disciplinary, authoritarian society. This movement has been occurring since the 1960's, with increasing momentum in the 1970's. Given the volume of disciplinary legislation now on the parliamentary agenda, the movement is reaching a climax. The trend toward a punitive, authoritarian state supported by the populace and encouraged by the media is based in the structural backwardness of the British economy and in the augmented power and presence of the state. The law-and-order mentality is coupled with pressure to reduce the authority of the government in the economic affairs of the Nation. A laissez-faire economic doctrine inevitably leads to social conflict and class polarization, which must then be controlled by a disciplinary regime. In the service of powerful economic interests, the state acts to control the powerless, who often act out their frustration, anger, and deprivation. The popular mentality of law and order undermines welfare and civil rights, demonizes the poor and powerless, fuels violent behavior, and turns the police into an instrument of the state to control the disruptive behavior of the disenfranchised.