1,720,992 research outputs found
‘Ceci N’est Pas Une Fouille À Corps’: The Denial of Strip Searches in Belgian Prisons
No full textPurpose
This chapter reconstructs and critically examines the recent history of strip searches in Belgium. About 10 years ago the Belgian parliament adopted its first law on prisoners’ rights. A major part of the Prison Act of 12 January 2005 deals with disciplinary and control measures. Article 108, in particular, has provoked quite some controversy. It introduced a clear distinction between the (more superficial) search of an inmates’ clothes on the one hand, and the (substantially more intrusive) measure of strip searching on the other hand. The main difference between these two measures is that the latter involves forcing prisoners to strip naked. Because of their intrinsic intrusiveness, such strip searches were meant to be exceptional measures: they should only take place following an individual assessment and decision by the prison governor. In practice, however, the prison administration tended to interpret Article 108 somewhat differently and the line between searching an inmate’s clothes on the one hand and strip searching on the other became blurred.
Design/methodology/approach
I first discuss the problem of order in prisons and explore how strip searches have been regulated in Europe. I then reconstruct the recent history of the regulation of strip searches in Belgium. In order to make sense of this history, I mobilize some of the ideas of Stanley Cohen’s sociology of denial, in particular, his distinction between literal, implicatory and interpretive denial, and apply these to the history of strip searches in Belgium.
Findings
A consistent finding from this chapter is that the Belgian prison administration has – through creative manoeuvres of interpretive denial – been able to circumvent the new barriers that were erected by the Prison Act of 12 January 2005 and, in doing so, it has been able to continue stripping detainees naked without an individualized decision from the prison governor. The approach that I develop throughout this chapter helps us better appreciate the limits of legal reform and top-down (European) regulation of strip searches.
Originality/value
The chapter demonstrates that Stanley Cohen’s work on denial is not only useful for scholars who do research on gross human rights violations but also for interpreting more down-to-earth aspects of criminal justice systems across the globe.status: Publishe
From anomie to anomia and anomic depression: A sociological critique on the use of anomie in psychiatric research
No full textThe author of this paper demonstrates that the sociological concept of anomie has undergone important transformations when applied in psychiatric research. It is argued that these transformations are not fully in concordance with the original theories of anomie as they were set forth by Durkheim and Merton. Two approaches in social and cross-cultural psychiatry are examined in this context. First, the concept of anomia as introduced and applied in the research of Leo Srole is discussed. Second, attention is paid to the concept of anomic depression as it was introduced by Wolfgang Jilek in his research among the Coast Salish Indians.anomie anomia anomic depression sociological theory
The COVID-19 pandemic, domestic abuse and human rights
No full textPurposeThe chapter aims to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of domestic abuse at the global level; examine the responses of international and regional human rights bodies; and identify lessons which can be learnt as regards responding to domestic abuse in a post-pandemic context. Methodology/ApproachThe chapter discusses the increase in rates of domestic abuse since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and proceeds to examine this form of abuse as an issue for international human rights law. The chapter then focuses on the responses of international and regional human rights bodies to the increased levels of domestic abuse in the context of the pandemic. FindingsThere is a danger of viewing the recent issues surrounding domestic abuse as simply being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however in reality the pandemic has served to expose and exacerbate pre-existing difficulties with the responses of States to this form of abuse. Originality/ValueThe chapter adds to the literature on domestic abuse as a human rights issue by focusing on the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic.<br/
October 7 and International Police Cooperation:The Silence of Interpol
No full textAim: The aim of this study is to explore the background and interpretation of Interpol’s silence following the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The author examines the international policing implications of the events, with special attention to why the world’s largest police organization failed to issue any substantive response.
Methodology: The research is based on a sociological analysis combining a historical and institutional overview of Interpol’s counterterrorism activities with the examination of the organization’s communications and institutional decisions. It relies on qualitative sources and an interpretive, case study-based approach using public documents, records, and statements.
Findings: The study finds that Interpol has gradually retreated from actively addressing terrorism over the past decade, and that its complete silence regarding the October 7, 2023 attacks is particularly striking. This inaction not only contrasts with the organization’s earlier practices, but also raises questions about political pressure, professional autonomy, and the integrity of the organization’s neutrality.
Value: The study contributes to a better understanding of the political and institutional characteristics of international police cooperation and offers new perspectives for critically evaluating Interpol’s role in the global fight against terrorism. The author highlights that the organization’s apparent neutrality often conceals underlying political and geopolitical considerations
Conservatives and the Constabulary in Great Britain: Cross-Dressing Conundrums
Full text linkPurpose This chapter is devoted to analysing the historical peculiarity of the contemporary British politics of policing. Methodology/approach Research is based on an analysis of policy statements and debates, news reports, and official statistics, in the light of historical studies of the earlier politics of policing. Findings The Conservative government’s police reform programme severely diminishes the resources, powers, status and independence of the police, reversing the Tory’s traditional unquestioning support of the police. The package is shown to reflect broader changes in political economy and culture under neoliberalism. Originality/value There has been no previous academic analysis bringing together the various aspects of the reform programme, contrasting it with previous historical understanding of the politics of policing, and linking it to broader contemporary change
October 7 and International Police Cooperation: The Silence of Interpol
Full text linkAim: The aim of this study is to explore the background and interpretation of Interpol’s silence following the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The author examines the international policing implications of the events, with special attention to why the world’s largest police organization failed to issue any substantive response.
Methodology: The research is based on a sociological analysis combining a historical and institutional overview of Interpol’s counterterrorism activities with the examination of the organization’s communications and institutional decisions. It relies on qualitative sources and an interpretive, case study-based approach using public documents, records, and statements.
Findings: The study finds that Interpol has gradually retreated from actively addressing terrorism over the past decade, and that its complete silence regarding the October 7, 2023 attacks is particularly striking. This inaction not only contrasts with the organization’s earlier practices, but also raises questions about political pressure, professional autonomy, and the integrity of the organization’s neutrality.
Value: The study contributes to a better understanding of the political and institutional characteristics of international police cooperation and offers new perspectives for critically evaluating Interpol’s role in the global fight against terrorism. The author highlights that the organization’s apparent neutrality often conceals underlying political and geopolitical considerations
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