Call for Papers: 2015 Symposium on Crime and
Security Policy
The organisers of the Symposium on Crime and Security Policy (SCSP) are pleased to announce the
call for papers for the 2015 Symposium on Crime and Security Policy (SCSP 2015) which will be held
at the University of Central Lancashire on September 9th 2015. The 2015 seminar is jointly organised
by the Crime and Security Policy Network (CSPN) and the University of Central Lancashire’s School of
Education and Social Science.
The overarching theme for the 2015 seminar is 21st Century Challenges, 21st Century Solutions:
New approaches to Crime and Security Policy
A. Introduction
The second decade of the 21st century has seen a proliferation of complex crime and security risks.
From the growth of digital technologies and the regulation of the transnational crime, to violent
radicalisation and the impact of austerity, the state response to criminal and delinquent behaviours
has never been more complex, or more contested.
Indeed, with trust in both policymakers and the policy process at record a low, accusations of
ideological bias and inefficacy have become part of a mainstream critique of the criminal justice
process.
Against this backdrop, the need for evidence-based academic engagement with crime and security
policy has never been more acutely felt, with public appetite for a policy response which is
predicated on meaningful research evidence a hallmark of contemporary criminal justice discourse.
While growing pressure on academics to engage with policymakers in pursuit of research ‘impact’
has led to a renaissance in policy focussed research across the social sciences, Criminology, with its
traditions of practitioner-engagement and theory-heavy investigation, has been slow to seek
meaningful dialogue with policymakers.
Building on both the University of Central Lancashire’s Crime and Security Policy Seminar Series and
the work of the Crime and Security Policy Network, this symposium represents an attempt to initiate
and develop a broad researcher-led conversation about evidence based crime and security policy,
providing a strong and distinctive voice advocating for the benefits of academic engagement with
the policy process, as well as providing concrete examples of how the best of current research can
shape a more humane and effective policy response, and how this can help the criminal justice
system to command greater public confidence.
B. Symposium Strands
The organising committee welcome contributions on a broad range of specific subjects, but are
particularly keen to receive submissions that address the following areas:
The Politics of Policing
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The relationships between police and communities in ‘post-riot’ United Kingdom
Ethnic tensions and trust in the police – particularly following high-profile police shootings in
the UK and the USA
Public trust and popular representations of the police and policing
Cross-border policing and the challenge of transnational crime
New technologies and policing – predictive policing, GIS technologies, for example – and
their ethical and political implications
The Politics of Imprisonment
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The politics of imprisonment in the 21st Century
Public attitudes towards and popular representations of prisons, prisoners and sentencing
The ‘rehabilitative revolution’? The ongoing tension between rehabilitation and punishment
The role of the prison estate: all change or plus ca change?
The Politics of Security
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Policing Terrorism: operational and political concerns
CONTEST?
Radicalisation: political and policy responses
Public perceptions and popular representations of security problems
The development and implementation of 21st Century security policy
Challenging and improving security policy
The Politics of Victimhood
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Public attitudes and popular representations of victims
Anonymity in contemporary Criminal Justice
New developments in victimization – social media, online victimization and the policy
response
New developments in protective measures for victims
C. Information on the submission of abstracts
Abstracts are invited from researchers working around any of the sub-themes identified above,
as well as on the interface between crime and politics more broadly defined. Abstracts can be
submitted using the form on the CSPN website (http://cspn.org.uk/symposium/index.html).
Submissions must include:
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Contact details for the lead presenter
Names and institutional affiliations for all authors/presenters
An abstract of the paper not to exceed 350 words.
5 key words to support online indexing
The deadline for submitting abstracts is 31st July 2015.
Any questions on this call for papers should be directed to the conference team on
conference2015@cspn.org.uk
Authors whose abstracts and papers are accepted will be notified by email by the 9th August
2015.
D. Information on dissemination and publication of papers
All papers presented during the seminar will be eligible for inclusion in a peer reviewed edited
collection, Contemporary Perspectives on Crime and Security Policy, which is provisionally to be
published by Edwin Mellen Press.
E. Symposium Fee
Attendance at the 2015 conference is free.
Please distribute this call for papers as widely as possible to colleagues in your faculty, as well
as to other interested persons such as practitioners and policymakers.