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BRIDGING DIVIDES IN CANADIAN CRIMINOLOGY: SOME THOUGHTS ON A POSSIBLE FUTURE
Laura Huey and Paul-Philippe Paré
Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario
The field of criminology has experienced impressive institutional growth and its current popularity among students suggests that this growth will continue into the future. At the same time, criminologists are working within a fragmented discipline, with disparate theoretical, methodological, and empirical concerns. This lack of a single focus has led to conflicting views as to what should be considered appropriate work or an appropriate approach within the field. Thus, a fundamental question for criminologists is, How can we build a strong collaborative community of scholars that will withstand the challenges posed by real and potential divides? In 2009, the University of Western Ontario hosted a group of multidisciplinary scholars for the purpose of identifying, discussing, and ultimately, attempting to bridge the divisions within contemporary criminological circles. The result is this special issue of the
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
RETHINKING CRIMINOLOGY(IES) THROUGH THE INCLUSION OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND ARMED CONFLICT AS LEGITIMATE OBJECTS OF INQUIRY
Maritza Felices-Luna
University of Ottawa
Criminology has yet to achieve full recognition as an independent discipline. Its development has been hampered by a multiplicity of often stale debates between a "traditional" and an "alternative" criminology over the legitimate object, theories, and methods of the discipline. Rather than pursuing the debate in its current form, this article explores how focusing on new objects of inquiry and the challenges they represent may help to bridge the criminological divide. By rendering the borders of criminology's object permeable, we may produce a malleable and dynamic discipline that deals with processes of normalization/differentiation/othering as well as ordering, governance, and control from different normative and political perspectives, theories, and methods.
ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL POLICING-REFORM ASSISTANCE: PUTTING FOUCAULDIAN GENEALOGY TO PRACTICAL USE
Michael Kempa
Department of Criminology
University of Ottawa
In this paper, I develop an approach for normative engagement by academic criminologists through the test case of international policing-reform assistance. By examining some of the known controversies and difficulties associated with international policing-reform assistance, I illustrate the practical policy utility of Foucauldian genealogical analytic inquiry. I argue that the insights and capacities for lateral thinking opened up through this approach are usefully "brought to bear" by taking a page from Jürgen Habermas to institutionalize discursive space and thereby democratic experimentalism.
SHIFTING THE FOCUS: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND SEX WORK
Jacqueline Lewis
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology,
University of Windsor
In recent years, governments have taken up the concept of restorative justice (RJ) and added what they refer to as RJ practices to their sentencing arsenal. The manner in which these practices are taken up and implemented, however, typically involves a shift away from the original roots and intent of the concept of RJ and a remodelling of its basic foundations. In North America, the application of RJ to sex work typically takes the form of diversion programs aimed at street-based workers and their clients. The goal of such programs is to demonstrate the harmful nature of the industry and its negative effects on the worker and community, thereby discouraging involvement in it. This article problematizes such an application of RJ principles and argues for a shift in focus, particularly regarding the conceptualization of victim, harm, and reparation needed. As our research indicates, it is the existence and application of public policies aimed at various sectors of the sex-work community, especially the criminal law, that are the primary source of harm for people working in the sex industry (PWSI). The requisite steps for restoring justice and protecting the rights of sex workers are outlined.
MASCULINITY AND RESISTANCE IN ADOLESCENT CARCERAL SETTINGS
Carla Cesaroni and Shahid Alvi
Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
The concept of hegemonic masculinity is a useful tool for critiquing and understanding narrow cultural constructions of masculinity, the diversity of men's real experiences, and the trajectory of power relations among men. One important tenet of the concept is that masculinities are often constructed, maintained, and restructured according to particular social networks in a given environment. Research that has been conducted on the impact of masculine prison environments has tended to focus on traditional adult male prisons. This paper offers a qualitative account of the lived experiences of 350 incarcerated Canadian male youth. It explores how everyday minor acts of subversion, assertions of youthful identity, and masculinity are used to contest and recast the meanings, directions, and restrictions imposed by the institution. We draw attention to the various ways in which these youth resist the experience of power, discipline, and formal social control. We highlight the ways in which masculinities and subcultural norms intersect to provide the psychological resources and frameworks within which these young people actively resist the experience of captivity, their captors, and the correctional environment.
WHAT CAN POLITICAL SCIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO THE STUDY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN CANADA?
Troy Q. Riddell
Dept. of Political Science, University of Guelph
The article argues that Canadian political scientists have paid more attention to criminal justice than is commonly believed but that there is potential for a much greater contribution. The existing political science literature on criminal justice suggests that three strengths could be built upon by future research. First, political scientists are well positioned to study how the policy process influences the formation of criminal justice policy. Second, political scientists can bring their disciplinary training to bear on questions involving the limits of public authority and the rights of citizens vis-à-vis the state in the context of criminal justice. Finally, the political science literature contains relatively unique methodological, theoretical, and normative perspectives on criminal justice when compared to the literature produced by scholars in other disciplines. The article concludes by outlining some potential impediments to political scientists' paying more heed to criminal justice and also some reasons for optimism that the discipline might build upon its existing contributions.
