Governing Security: Explorations in Policing and Justice

• NCJ Number: 213835
• Author(s): Les Johnston; Clifford Shearing
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 183 pages
• Sale Source: Routledge
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This book reflects on the many changes that have occurred in the governance of security and anticipates future shifts in the mentalities, institutions, technologies, and practices used to promote security within communities.

Abstract

Chapter 1 introduces two paradigms used in the governance of security--one based on punishment and the other on risk. The main argument of the book is that the governance of security in modern society is increasingly oriented around the paradigm of risk. In chapter 2, the authors outline the eight general dimensions of governance and illustrate how the governance of security in contemporary societies has been changing along each of these dimensions. Understanding these changes requires an understanding that the distinctions commonly made between “public” and “private” spheres are increasingly problematic. Chapter 3 explores the role of punishment in the governance of security. The authors examine the punishment mentality and argue that this mentality is grounded in past events, emphasizes coercive physical force, and involves direct governance through the state. Chapter 4 focuses on the modern police institution, arguing that while the institutions and technologies of policing have changed, it is still linked to the underlying mentality of punishment. This chapter also explores the recent shift from punishment-centered to problem-oriented modes of security governance. Chapter 5 explores how risk management has developed with the corporate sector, including an examination of its philosophy, techniques, and practices. Chapter 6 illustrates how Zero-Tolerance Policing (ZTP) is informed by the old punishment paradigm while at the same time displaying key elements of the new risk paradigm. They focus on a single example--ZTP in Middlesbrough, England. Chapter 7 reviews some of the key changes in security governance by focusing on Britain as an exemplar of “the new security governance.” The final chapter presents the model of “nodal governance,” using the Zwelethemba model as an example of how a nodal approach can restructure relations between security and justice. Nodal approaches to security governance are becoming more apparent and deserve serious consideration. Bibliography, index