Bill Hebenton | The University of Manchester (original) (raw)
Papers by Bill Hebenton
Criminal Justice Matters, 1996
The often held belief that sex crimes are somehow 'different' to other forms of crime h... more The often held belief that sex crimes are somehow 'different' to other forms of crime has found a new expression in the USA. Sex Offender Registration schemes now exist in the vast majority of States and some States have also started so-called Community Notification Schemes. ...
Criminology & Criminal Justice
The occupation of policing is in crisis. Criticism of police failings has created intense pressur... more The occupation of policing is in crisis. Criticism of police failings has created intense pressure for the traditional ‘occupational closure’ model of policing as a craft to be replaced by new ‘professional’ models associated with ‘evidence-based policing’, harm reduction, risk management and vulnerability. Various change initiatives have amounted to the ‘re-professionalisation’ of policing, whereby previous models of police professionalism based on craft, discretion and judgement have been abandoned and replaced by new protocols, guidelines and enhanced external scrutiny. This article explores how these changes are interpreted by operational police officers, using qualitative interviews and ethnographic fieldwork to explore officers’ application and understanding of the new requirements. Whereas some literature argues that ‘police culture’ remains largely unchanged, our data illustrate how officers’ daily routines are in a state of enforced flux. While there was some limited suppor...
Criminology & Criminal Justice
This article examines the nature of female1 incarceration patterns globally and regionally in rel... more This article examines the nature of female1 incarceration patterns globally and regionally in relation to societal gender equality using cross-national analysis of 138 countries. Importantly, our analysis uses a conceptually innovative gender-specific indicator (the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index) to determine relative levels of gender equality. Results of our study show that globally, countries with a narrower gender gap in economic participation made higher use of female incarceration, and this was also the case in the Asian and European regions. Countries with a narrower gap in political empowerment were found to have lower female incarceration rates globally and in the European region, but have higher female incarceration rates in the African region. Limitations are noted and suggestions for future studies are made.
International Journal of Police Science & Management
Empirical research conducted in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe has accum... more Empirical research conducted in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe has accumulated over the last 50 years and has identified links between mainstream crime (e.g. violence and acquisitive crime) and driving offences (e.g. dangerous driving, drink driving, driving while disqualified). Put simply, international evidence reveals that a driver's willingness to commit driving offences tends to be associated with a willingness to commit other types of offence. Unlike the Anglophone countries and Europe, no peer-reviewed published research in Greater China has considered this matter empirically. Our article uses data from a data set ( n = 368) of those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving over a 4-year period (2014 − 2018) in Taipei City, capital of Taiwan, to examine associations with prior criminal history and criminal versatility in this sample of convicted drivers. Our analysis indicates the following results: the Taiwanese sample of serious driving o...
The Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Criminology
The Criminologist, 2018
In 2004, Liqun Cao penned an essay for the American Society of Criminology's official New... more In 2004, Liqun Cao penned an essay for the American Society of Criminology's official Newsletter, The Criminologist, entitled "The State of Criminology in China". Over a decade later, Liqun and I felt that 2018 was a good time for taking stock (again) and in this short piece we provide our own personal re-assessment of the picture in China for the wider audience of criminologists in the USA. It has now been 'unofficially' translated into Chinese. See link below. We gather it is doing the rounds on 'Weibo' (China's Twitter)...oh well.... https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/FNEqA5s2o7y2i9SxGGzq8g
Acknowledgements - Preface - The Europeanization of Policing - A Multiplicity of Perspectives - P... more Acknowledgements - Preface - The Europeanization of Policing - A Multiplicity of Perspectives - Practical Police Co-operation and Possible Models - Implications of Closer Co-operation for UK Policing and Criminal Justice - Europe - A New Police Terrain - Conclusions - Bibliography - Index
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2020
This special issue Contemporary Issues in Crime, Criminal justice and Criminology in Greater Chin... more This special issue Contemporary Issues in Crime, Criminal justice and Criminology in Greater China, was commissioned specifically as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Association of Chinese Criminology and Criminal Justice in the United States (ACCCJ). The purpose of the special issue was seen as showcasing both ACCCJ members' and others research contributions on crime, criminal justice and criminology in the Greater China region. Our editors' introduction has three parts. First, a short history of the development of ACCCJ, which fills a formal gap, since there is no current published historical backdrop to the institutional development of the association. Second, a necessarily brief analysis of the development of criminology in Chinese societies over the last decade (2010-2020). Finally, a contextualisation of the papers selected for this special issue. As editors, we wish to gratefully acknowledge the fulsome help and assistance of the journal editor in chief Dr Mark T. Palermo, Sage the publisher of the journal, and of course the authors who have worked hard on revisions to manuscripts submitted via the peer review process. A Brief History of ACCCJ and Its Accomplishments The field of criminology and criminal justice studies has grown exponentially since the 1980s, while at the same time interest in the study of crime, justice and criminology in Chinese societies also increased rapidly. In North America, the idea of having a platform for scholars with shared interests in Chinese societies had been coalescing 946264I JOXXX10.
British Journal of Criminology, 2009
Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, gove... more Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, governmental responses to incalculable, but high-consequence, threats to life and security are framed by what has been described as 'precautionary logic'. Neither theorist sought to analyse and ...
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 1994
Guideline judgments in English sentencing have been subjected to little scrutiny by criminologist... more Guideline judgments in English sentencing have been subjected to little scrutiny by criminologists. This article provides a cognitive-psychological perspective on one particularly important guideline judgment, Regina v. Billam and Others which concerns the sentencing of rapists. The authors analyse Billam's internal logic, the kind of sentencing practice prescribed and how the guideline is being applied. A sample of post-Billam cases where a sentence for rape was appealed is analysed and the results reported. The authors conclude that in appealed rape cases the Court of Appeal appears to have scaled its sentences apparently unconstrained ly the Billam scaling implications.
International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 2008
Despite increasing awareness of the decisive role of social determinants, or 'particularising for... more Despite increasing awareness of the decisive role of social determinants, or 'particularising forces' to use Neil Smelser's vivid term, on the development of criminology in a given national context, there is no widely accepted conceptual framework for their investigation. The literature on national 'criminologies' has increased substantially over the last decade; arguably this is a key task given criminology's particular 'contingent' presence as a modern social science. The study of its development in different 'national contexts', therefore, becomes all the more relevant to our understanding. However, it is also evident that existing studies make little explicit use of frameworks of analysis. This paper reviews six heuristic frameworks drawn from the literatures of 'science studies' and the sociology of knowledge; it also illustrates with examples from criminology. We argue that there is now a need for those researching 'national' criminologies to be much more explicit about the conceptual framework(s) utilized.
International Journal of the Sociology of Law, 2007
The nature and prevalence of insurance fraud has been studied only to a limited extent, even in t... more The nature and prevalence of insurance fraud has been studied only to a limited extent, even in the USA and Europe. Nevertheless, national authorities have pressed ahead with various approaches to control such fraud. This paper briefly outlines the nature and difficulties ...
Criminal Justice Matters, 1996
The often held belief that sex crimes are somehow 'different' to other forms of crime h... more The often held belief that sex crimes are somehow 'different' to other forms of crime has found a new expression in the USA. Sex Offender Registration schemes now exist in the vast majority of States and some States have also started so-called Community Notification Schemes. ...
Criminology & Criminal Justice
The occupation of policing is in crisis. Criticism of police failings has created intense pressur... more The occupation of policing is in crisis. Criticism of police failings has created intense pressure for the traditional ‘occupational closure’ model of policing as a craft to be replaced by new ‘professional’ models associated with ‘evidence-based policing’, harm reduction, risk management and vulnerability. Various change initiatives have amounted to the ‘re-professionalisation’ of policing, whereby previous models of police professionalism based on craft, discretion and judgement have been abandoned and replaced by new protocols, guidelines and enhanced external scrutiny. This article explores how these changes are interpreted by operational police officers, using qualitative interviews and ethnographic fieldwork to explore officers’ application and understanding of the new requirements. Whereas some literature argues that ‘police culture’ remains largely unchanged, our data illustrate how officers’ daily routines are in a state of enforced flux. While there was some limited suppor...
Criminology & Criminal Justice
This article examines the nature of female1 incarceration patterns globally and regionally in rel... more This article examines the nature of female1 incarceration patterns globally and regionally in relation to societal gender equality using cross-national analysis of 138 countries. Importantly, our analysis uses a conceptually innovative gender-specific indicator (the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index) to determine relative levels of gender equality. Results of our study show that globally, countries with a narrower gender gap in economic participation made higher use of female incarceration, and this was also the case in the Asian and European regions. Countries with a narrower gap in political empowerment were found to have lower female incarceration rates globally and in the European region, but have higher female incarceration rates in the African region. Limitations are noted and suggestions for future studies are made.
International Journal of Police Science & Management
Empirical research conducted in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe has accum... more Empirical research conducted in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe has accumulated over the last 50 years and has identified links between mainstream crime (e.g. violence and acquisitive crime) and driving offences (e.g. dangerous driving, drink driving, driving while disqualified). Put simply, international evidence reveals that a driver's willingness to commit driving offences tends to be associated with a willingness to commit other types of offence. Unlike the Anglophone countries and Europe, no peer-reviewed published research in Greater China has considered this matter empirically. Our article uses data from a data set ( n = 368) of those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving over a 4-year period (2014 − 2018) in Taipei City, capital of Taiwan, to examine associations with prior criminal history and criminal versatility in this sample of convicted drivers. Our analysis indicates the following results: the Taiwanese sample of serious driving o...
The Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Criminology
The Criminologist, 2018
In 2004, Liqun Cao penned an essay for the American Society of Criminology's official New... more In 2004, Liqun Cao penned an essay for the American Society of Criminology's official Newsletter, The Criminologist, entitled "The State of Criminology in China". Over a decade later, Liqun and I felt that 2018 was a good time for taking stock (again) and in this short piece we provide our own personal re-assessment of the picture in China for the wider audience of criminologists in the USA. It has now been 'unofficially' translated into Chinese. See link below. We gather it is doing the rounds on 'Weibo' (China's Twitter)...oh well.... https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/FNEqA5s2o7y2i9SxGGzq8g
Acknowledgements - Preface - The Europeanization of Policing - A Multiplicity of Perspectives - P... more Acknowledgements - Preface - The Europeanization of Policing - A Multiplicity of Perspectives - Practical Police Co-operation and Possible Models - Implications of Closer Co-operation for UK Policing and Criminal Justice - Europe - A New Police Terrain - Conclusions - Bibliography - Index
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2020
This special issue Contemporary Issues in Crime, Criminal justice and Criminology in Greater Chin... more This special issue Contemporary Issues in Crime, Criminal justice and Criminology in Greater China, was commissioned specifically as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Association of Chinese Criminology and Criminal Justice in the United States (ACCCJ). The purpose of the special issue was seen as showcasing both ACCCJ members' and others research contributions on crime, criminal justice and criminology in the Greater China region. Our editors' introduction has three parts. First, a short history of the development of ACCCJ, which fills a formal gap, since there is no current published historical backdrop to the institutional development of the association. Second, a necessarily brief analysis of the development of criminology in Chinese societies over the last decade (2010-2020). Finally, a contextualisation of the papers selected for this special issue. As editors, we wish to gratefully acknowledge the fulsome help and assistance of the journal editor in chief Dr Mark T. Palermo, Sage the publisher of the journal, and of course the authors who have worked hard on revisions to manuscripts submitted via the peer review process. A Brief History of ACCCJ and Its Accomplishments The field of criminology and criminal justice studies has grown exponentially since the 1980s, while at the same time interest in the study of crime, justice and criminology in Chinese societies also increased rapidly. In North America, the idea of having a platform for scholars with shared interests in Chinese societies had been coalescing 946264I JOXXX10.
British Journal of Criminology, 2009
Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, gove... more Theorists such as Ewald and Ericson, in their respective writings, argue that, increasingly, governmental responses to incalculable, but high-consequence, threats to life and security are framed by what has been described as 'precautionary logic'. Neither theorist sought to analyse and ...
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 1994
Guideline judgments in English sentencing have been subjected to little scrutiny by criminologist... more Guideline judgments in English sentencing have been subjected to little scrutiny by criminologists. This article provides a cognitive-psychological perspective on one particularly important guideline judgment, Regina v. Billam and Others which concerns the sentencing of rapists. The authors analyse Billam's internal logic, the kind of sentencing practice prescribed and how the guideline is being applied. A sample of post-Billam cases where a sentence for rape was appealed is analysed and the results reported. The authors conclude that in appealed rape cases the Court of Appeal appears to have scaled its sentences apparently unconstrained ly the Billam scaling implications.
International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 2008
Despite increasing awareness of the decisive role of social determinants, or 'particularising for... more Despite increasing awareness of the decisive role of social determinants, or 'particularising forces' to use Neil Smelser's vivid term, on the development of criminology in a given national context, there is no widely accepted conceptual framework for their investigation. The literature on national 'criminologies' has increased substantially over the last decade; arguably this is a key task given criminology's particular 'contingent' presence as a modern social science. The study of its development in different 'national contexts', therefore, becomes all the more relevant to our understanding. However, it is also evident that existing studies make little explicit use of frameworks of analysis. This paper reviews six heuristic frameworks drawn from the literatures of 'science studies' and the sociology of knowledge; it also illustrates with examples from criminology. We argue that there is now a need for those researching 'national' criminologies to be much more explicit about the conceptual framework(s) utilized.
International Journal of the Sociology of Law, 2007
The nature and prevalence of insurance fraud has been studied only to a limited extent, even in t... more The nature and prevalence of insurance fraud has been studied only to a limited extent, even in the USA and Europe. Nevertheless, national authorities have pressed ahead with various approaches to control such fraud. This paper briefly outlines the nature and difficulties ...