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'O'Malley, in this beautifully simple, insightful
and erudite book, locates risk within a variety of
mentalities that have been, and are being, deployed to
"govern crime" -- in doing so he places risk, where it
should be, at the very centre of criminological thought
and practice. This is an important book.' -
Clifford Shearing, Centre of Criminology, Faculty
of Law, University of Cape Town
Over
recent years, the governance of crime - from policing
and crime prevention to sentencing and prison
organization - has moved away from a focus on reforming
offenders toward preventing crime and managing behaviour
using predictive and distributional (such as risk)
techniques.
Crime and Risk presents an
engaging discussion of risk strategies and risk-taking
in the domain of crime and criminal justice. It outlines
the broad theoretical issues and political approaches
involved, relating risk in contemporary crime governance
to risk in criminal activity. Taking a broad and
discursive approach, it covers:
- Risk-taking and
contemporary culture
- The excitement associated with
risk-taking and the impact of criminal activity
- The
application of risk-oriented developments in crime
prevention and control
- The use of genetic and
related biotechnologies to assess and react to perceived
threats
- The conceptualization of risk in relation
to race and gender
- The influence of excitement upon
criminal activity
- Evidence and
accountability.
'Pat O'Malley's approach to risk,
crime and criminal justice is stimulating and
provocative. He points out that in criminology risk is
seen almost entirely in negative terms, in marked
contrast to other social spheres, where risk is regarded
much more positively, as for example in business
innovation and entrepreneurship. O'Malley says that
risk-taking is an aspect of criminal behaviour that is
generally overlooked by criminology, and directs his
readers' attention to Katz and to the cultural
criminologists who look at risk-taking as a source of
excitement for offenders. O'Malley's highly original
'risky criminology' reconnects risk with criminological
theory, and challenges those concerned with punishment
and crime prevention to develop constructive,
imaginative measures and strategies concerned with the
reducing harm caused by criminal and anti-social
risk-taking behaviour rather than trying to control risk
through repression and exclusion. ' - Barbara
Hudson, Professor of Law, University of Central
Lancashire
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