Editorial Policy

Safer Society is a quarterly magazine published by Nacro. Each issue comprises articles and digest sections. It is primarily concerned with community safety and criminal justice policy and practice in England and Wales.

Its editorial policy is informed by four key commitments.

First, that the public has an interest in the development of effective crime reduction policy. An informed and rational debate about crime will not, therefore, support punitive 'law and order' policies where they have been shown to increase levels of offending. By calling itself Safer Society, the journal, therefore, identifies itself with an end that has the support of both the public and policy makers.

Second, that offenders should be dealt with justly, humanely and effectively. Responses to crime should be fair, proportionate and effective in preventing re-offending. Safer Society is, therefore, opposed to excessive reliance on prisons and in favour of diverting more offenders onto community sentences. Where offenders are imprisoned it favours fully rehabilitative regimes and effective resettlement services. It is committed to human rights and the elimination of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical impairment or any other inappropriate grounds.

Third, that crime is not simply a matter of individual culpability but also a symptom of wider social problems. The causes of crime include poverty and deprivation, inadequate support for families, the failures of the care system, educational problems, lack of housing and employment opportunities, social division and discrimination, poor design and planning of towns and neighbourhoods and so on. Effective crime reduction policy must address social exclusion, division and inequality. Safer Society is, therefore, concerned with issues outside of the ambit of 'law and order' narrowly conceived, and with highlighting the often complex relationships between crime and its causes.

Fourth, Safer Society is committed to the view that the previous three objectives are mutually reinforcing. Informed and rational debate about crime supports the case for just, humane and non-discriminatory policy and for tackling the problems of exclusion, division and inequality. By promoting an open, honest and informed debate about crime, Safer Society therefore advances its substantive principles and policy objectives.

To this end, Safer Society:

• informs the debate about crime by monitoring and reporting on the latest statistics, research, prison reports, parliamentary affairs, publications and community safety developments;

• submits policy developments and pronouncements to critical scutiny in the light of the best evidence of what works;

• exposes discriminatory and unjust policy and practice;

• identifies areas where further research is needed;

• looks at practical measures to create a safer, more just and humane society;

• challenges basic assumptions about crime and the wider political, culture and discursive contexts which shape the debate (for example, the way that crime is reported in the media and the language used in political debates); and

• identifies and reports on project work, with a particular emphasis on the first hand views of service providers and users.

Although Safer Society is produced by Nacro, is it far from being simply a Nacro mouthpiece. Fundamentally, it is committed to promoting an open, informed and reasoned debate about crime.

Safer Society is targeted at everyone who is interested in effective crime reduction policy and the creation of a safer society.

Copyright © Nacro 2004  All rights reserved
Editorial Policy