Zemilogy and Social Harm Flashcards
What are the key readings?
Tombs
What are the key points from Tombs?
Introduction
* social harm ‘allows us to incorporate omissions, decision and non-decisions taken, policies developed, defended and implemented.’ p.62
The Grenfell tower in context
* Murray 2017= Notting Dale Ward was in the 10% of the ‘most multiply deprived LSOAs in England’ p.62
* Kensington and Chelsea has inequality in economic
* life expectancies differ by 14-15 years between the low class and rich when in places such as Kensington and Chelsea
* the tower was refurbished for aesthetic purposes
* Grenfell Action Group believe that ‘only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence’ p.65
Grenfell: dimensions of social harm
* Pemberton 2015= typology of harms (physical and mental, autotomy ‘in relation to our attempts to achieve self-actualisation’ p.66 and relational harms)
What are the issues of crime?
Crime is a social construct: definitions vary
Many crimes are relatively trivial: receive undue attention
Many non-crimes cause serious harm: not dealt with by CJS
Crime legitimises expansion of crime control industry -
Crime supports existing power relations
What are the issues with Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice ignores the most damaging forms of harm
Criminal justice is not effective
Criminal justice views prison as the solution to crime
Criminal justice is primarily concerned with inflicting pain -
Criminal justice relies on private interests to fund the expanding penal system
What are the issues with criminology?
Criminology has accepted the social construct of “crime”
Criminology still produces theories to explain why people commit “crime”
Criminology no longer explores wider socio-political questions -
Criminology serves class-based political & economic agendas
What is zemiology?
The study of social harm beyonf individual based harm
What is the focus of zemiology?
Focus = social injuries & harms caused by states & corporations +
Harms that affect lives but are rarely criminalised
What are the main concerns of zemiology?
Harms perpetuated b the state + harms perpetuated by organisations
Who found the key sources of harms?
Hillyard and Tombs 2004
What are the sources of harm?
Physical, economic, emotional, sexual harms, cultural harms
What are physical harms?
From medical treatment; work accidents; environmental pollutants; lack of food/shelter; state brutality
What are economic harms?
From poverty; unemployment; fraud & malpractice; price-fixing; taxation
What are emotional harms?
Discrimination & prejudice; disproportionate CJS attention
What are sexual harms?
Oppression of sexual minorities; inadequate response of CJS to victims
What are cultural harms?
Absence of culturally safe environment; stunting of autonomy & development; challenges to or denial of identity
Who found what social harms are?
Tombs et al 2005
What are social harms?
Encompasses social, economic, psychological and environmental harms.
Who looked at decriminalising criminology?
Muncie 2000
What is decriminalising criminiology?
Harm as material and emotional negativities
What is a harm?
Harm can primarily be defined as such by those who have seen or experienced it
What are the problems with social harms?
Can we equate harms caused by intent and indifference? (Reiman 2006)
How do we place harmful ‘events’ into categories of harm? (Pemberton 2004)
Is it the job of criminologists to investigate social harm? (Pantazis 2006)
What about gender? (Cain and Howe, 2008)
Who looked at the advantages to a social harm approach?
Hillyard and Tombs 2004
What are the ads of social harm approach?
It provides us with a more accurate picture of life & its harms
It allows a broader allocation of responsibility
It involves a wide range of possible responses
It enables us to deal with mass harms
It does not serve but challenges the powerful -
It moves beyond the preoccupation with the dangerous
What is a more accurate picture of life for CJ?
Crime statistics focus on discrete events
Provide distorted picture of total harm in society
What is a more accurate picture of life for SHA?
Analysis of harms compared over time
Shows relative significance of harms faced by different groups
Provides picture of chronic conditions such as exposure to pollutants; institutional racism, homophobia
Rational basis for crime/social policy
What is allocation of responsibility for CJ?
Restricted by scope of criminal responsibility
“Individualising ethos” (p.10) hampers prosecution
What is allocation of responsibility for SHA?
Allows wide investigation into responsibility for harm done
Considers corporate, collective & moral responsibility
Includes political & ministerial responsibility -
Could be extended to include failure to deal with social problems
What is policy responses for CJ?
Reponses involve retribution, punishment
Processes in the hands of unrepresentative group (judges, magistrates & barristers)
What is policy responses for SHA?
Key focus = reduction of harm over lifetime
Responses involve wider debates about policy, resources, priorities -
(Risk of unintended consequences: progressive reforms may benefit elites)
Who looked at Harm audit?
Pantazis and Pendleton 2012
What is the Harm Audit 2010-2011 and what happened?
Assessment of harms resulting from economic crisis & UK coalition government’s austerity programme
Key focus = physical & economic security
Relative distribution of criminal & non-criminal harms
Have public spending trends increased or decreased from 2008-2015?
Decreased
What are the physical harms from harm audit for homicide?
642
What are the physical harms from harm audit for suicide?
3377
Who looked at social harm approach to murder case study?
Dorling 2008
What is the A Social Harm Approach to Murder?
A traditional approach: murder as isolated act of individual
What really lies behind murder? What are root causes?
What are the statistics for a social harm approach to murder?
1981-2000= 13140 people
Twice as many men than women
Highest rate= boys under 1
What are the statistics for when in the social harm approach to murder?
Murder rate in E&W doubles in 35 years
Murder rate for women dropped dramatically
Cohort effect for men born in 1965 or after
What are the statistics for where in the social harm approach to murder?
1981-85: people in poorest areas over four times more likely to be murdered than those in least poor
1990s: Murder rate doubled; rates in least poor areas dropped still further; increase concentrated in poorest areas:
What are the statistics for what in the social harm approach to murder?
Guns: 29% least poor; 11% poorest
Poorest areas – cut with knife or broken bottle (usually due to fight)
Wealthy areas – poisoned or strangled
What are the statistics for why in the social harm approach to murder?
Weapons used suggest most murders unpremeditated
Men born 1965 or left school in 1981 – first year of recession; time of high unemployment
Recession worsened: long-term marginalisation (opportunities for violence)
What is murder according to a social harm approach to murder?
Murder is a social marker and the rate tells us about social change
Clue for distribution for social harms
How does Grenfell tower relate to zemiology?
Tombs=
It is state corporate violence, omissions have causes fire which produced social harms
Who speaks of Grenfell as state corporate violence?
Paton and Cooper
What did Paton and Cooper say?
Domicide= the violent impact from austerity cuts and welfare reforms
Grenfell was in poor ward in Kensington and Chelsea
Replacing of fire resistant zinc with aluminium to save 293368
What did the Grenfell action group say?
Believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord
Predict that it won’t be long before the words of this blog come back to haunt the KCTMO
What are the issues for a social harm perspective?
How do we place harmful events into categories of harm? (Pemberton, 2004)
How do we respond to global harms against women? (Cain & Howe, 2008)
Equating harms of intent with harms of indifference (Reiman, 2006)
