Publisher's Synopsis
This is a book which addresses a neglected but essential area in contemporary criminal justice. It argues that without concerted efforts to address the social circumstances of those people who appear before the Courts, attempts to influence their individual offending will meet with only limited success. - - Aimed at practitioners, managers and policy makers, it brings together a series of leading academics who provide overviews of the essential social props which support a law-abiding lifestyle û income, employment, housing, health and the criminal justice system itself. In each case, a series of practical examples follow, which illustrate the initiatives which are already to be found in these policy areas amongst progressive workers and organisations. - - The different contributions are linked by an extensive Commentary provided by the editors. A general policy and practice approach is developed which emphasises the necessary contribution which direct engagement with the social causes of crime has to make, to work with individual people in trouble with the law. Over the past fifteen years a political focus upon individual responsibility has produced a parallel emphasis upon the æoffending behaviourÆ of individuals made subject to different community penalties. The limitations of this approach, and the fruitful results when equal attention is directed towards tackling the social contexts within which such behaviour is produced, are the twin messages of this timely and challenging book.
