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The Auld Review found the different 'practices, procedures, management and cultures' that exist within the criminal justice system to be 'confusing, divisive and inefficient' (Auld, 2001, Justicefor All, 2002: 148). This research is concerned with this perceived problem of 'co-ordination and control' (Richards, 2001: 64) and as such looks to examine the implications ofcloser integration (joining-up) between criminal justice organisations at the local criminal justice area level. As the result of an ESRC collaborative studentship this thesis offers an examination ofthe first local criminal justice area to implement ajoined-up criminal justice approach predicated upon both co-location and integration. This research did not begin with the assumption that joined-up justice was a goal that was either practically deliverable or theoretically desirable and argues that citizens have a stake in not only the efficiency and effectiveness ofthe criminal justice process but in its fairness and integrity (Garland, 2001: 50; Moore, 2001: 41; Raine, 2005: 291). This research focused upon the Warwickshire Justice Centre Programme and utilised a single case study research strategy, an interpretive methodology and qualitative research methods. A tailored concePtual framework was developed to look at the unique case ofWarwickshire that built upon previous literature in the areas ofinnovation (and its links to improvement), integration and integrity (judicial independence). Data was collected over a 3 year period using a purposive sampling technique which aimed to include diversity in the sample whilst learning from key infonnants. Data collected included: 60 semi-structured interviews, 73 roving interviews, over 300 hours ofobservation, documentary analysis and short surveys completed by members ofthe public (n=75) and Warwickshire criminal justice staff (n=26). All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data analysis took the form ofan interpretive thematic coding approach which included elements ofboth content analysis and grounded theory. The evidence within this research arguably supports a continued separation between criminal justice organisations for both reasons oforganisation (producing benefits from task specialisation and collaboration) and ofindependence (maintaining due process protections). It is argued that the tensions in the criminal justice system are generative and act to preserve judicial independence. There was however evidence found that in practice the gap between collaboration and collusion ('stitched up justice') was big enough that potential improvements from joining-up for criminal justice organisations, tax payers and users (including offenders) was a real prospect that Warwickshire at the end ofthis research was starting to demonstrate. This research offers a contribution by examining the idea of integration within a context that requires the maintenance ofintegrity to meet its wider aims. By bringing together theory about management, organisation, criminal justice and public law as partial explanations of aspe~ts ofthe joined-up criminal justice agenda this thesis aims to offer an account that explores the tensions between the pressures to integrate and the institutionalised value ofseparation within the context ofcontemporary criminal justice.

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As policing evolves radically to meet the demand of a twenty-first century society, the training methods and educational tactics employed in the development of the next generation of officers must also evolve. This investigation incorporates both literature and empirical analysis of standards, expectations, and opportunities within the United Kingdom Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP). Emphasising particular findings from participants at all stages of this programme, the techniques and concepts emphasised by the current training initiative are called into question, challenging decision makers to consider the impact of such system design. Ultimately, this research suggests that although present in the IPLDP, practical application of knowledge and skills is a fundamental necessity for developing effective, successful student officers. Many of the issues and challenges cited by the survey participants are directly linked to programme limitations that are innately incorporated in a process that favours classroom learning and theoretical assessment. It is the practical application of skills within the UK society that will ultimately test the knowledge gained by student officers; and in many cases, supervisors and students alike are finding that the programme is lacking. This analysis suggests adjustments in the programme dynamics, emphasising experience, evidence, and application as primary means of transcending the many limitations of theoretical assessment of work based assessment

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This research seeks to understand the process of detective training and its contribution to the practice of crime investigation. A traditional focus upon the outcomes of the investigative process has proven contentious as it fails to provide evidence on which to base adequate assessment of the quality of detective work. Thus in the research I explore ways in which detective work is learned and the contribution that detective training makes to effective investigative practice by examining the process of crime investigation and the concept of effectiveness in this context. The research seeks to describe the reality of crime investigation as it is practised by detectives and explores the question of what counts as ‘good quality’ detective work. Based on a critical review of the literature on the investigative quality of detective work, the thesis concludes that the effective detective has a breadth of skills (investigative, interpersonal and management skills) knowledge (legal, practical and generic knowledge) and personal qualities (intelligence, determination, patience and integrity). Quality in investigation can be conceptualised as going beyond short term crime control objectives and to consider more long term objectives such as crime prevention, victim satisfaction and effective case management. The research is based on extensive interviews with, and observation of, detectives in training and out ‘in the field’. It also includes interviews with trainers and analysis of relevant documents. The research material collected includes approximately 880 hours of observation and data from a total of 56 interviews. The data were collected over a period of fourteen months and involved elements of ethnography as I joined with detective trainees as they were being trained and then shadowed a small sample of detectives as they carried out investigations in the post training phase. The dissertation provides an insight into detective training and makes a significant contribution to knowledge by revealing something of the meaning of investigative experience and the role of training in the development of trainee detectives. The research findings suggest that the structure of training and the process of measuring competence in the workplace do not currently maximise the learning potential of trainee detectives. Frequently, good detective work is not recognised because it has not achieved a specified goal or objective, whilst the practice of detectives exists in a vacuum of experience with little opportunity for objective reflection and/or professional guidance. Furthermore, the trainees within this sample had an average of 3.5 years investigative experience and this contributed to their perception that much of the content of the formal detective training course had already been learned through experience. In my conclusions I point to weaknesses in the training process and how they might be addressed, including ways of improving the co-ordination of training approaches to ensure consistency and efficiency, ways of improving the relevance and effective delivery of the training content, and the need to introduce work-based assessments to ensure practical competence in the workplace.

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This project represents one of the few major pieces of research into women’s narratives of political incarceration and is an examination of first person accounts written against a backdrop of significant historical events in twentieth-century Germany. I explore the ways in which the writers use their published accounts as an attempt to come to terms with their incarceration (either during or after their imprisonment). Such an undertaking involves examining how the writer ‘performs’ femininity within the de-feminising context of prison, as well as how she negotiates her self-representation as a ‘good’ woman. The role of language as a means of empowerment within the disempowering environment of incarceration is central to this investigation. Rosa Luxemburg’s prison letters are the starting point for the project. Luxemburg was a key female political figure in twentieth-century Germany and her letters encapsulate prevalent notions about womanhood, prison, and political engagement that are perceptible in the subsequent texts of the thesis. Luise Rinser’s and Lore Wolf’s diaries from National Socialist prisons show, in their different ways, how the writer uses language to ‘survive’ prison and to constitute herself as a subject and woman in response to the loss of self experienced in incarceration. Margret Bechler’s and Elisabeth Graul’s retrospective accounts of GDR incarceration give insight into the elastic concept of both the political prisoner and the ‘good’ woman. They demonstrate their authors’ endeavours to achieve a sense of autonomy and reclaim the experience of prison using narrative. All of the narratives are examples of the role of language in resisting an imposed identity as ‘prisoner’, ‘criminal’ and object of the prison system.

Introduction: Previously diversion from the criminal justice system for people with LD and forensic needs had meant hospitalisation, but more recently a model of community-based rehabilitation has become possible via new mental health legislation. Community-based orders aim to rehabilitate clients via compulsory, intensive staff support. Although this model is beneficial in theory, empirical evidence suggests there may be a number of issues in practice. The current study aimed to capture the subjective experience of a group of individuals with LD and forensic needs currently on community-based orders. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants subject to a community-based order which obliged them to accept intensive staff support. All participants were male. Ages, index behaviour, and time spent on order varied. The data was transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: The main themes which emerged from the data were A taste of freedom, Not being in control, Getting control back, Loneliness, and Feeling like a service user. Overall the results indicated a general ambivalence towards support. Discussion: Participant accounts suggest that the current community rehabilitation model has some shortcomings which need to be addressed. The system as it stands appears to promote high levels of external control, failing to empower clients to self-manage. Suggestions are made for improvements to the current model relating to: achieving clarity over the role of support staff and pathways out of the system; increasing opportunities for service users to voice concerns; empowering staff teams via extensive training and supervision; and directly addressing internalised stigma to promote integration.