Excavating the archive: reflections on a historical criminology of government, penal policy and criminal justice change

Guiney, Thomas (2018) Excavating the archive: reflections on a historical criminology of government, penal policy and criminal justice change. Criminology and Criminal Justice. ISSN 1748-8966

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Abstract

This article makes the case for greater use of systematic archival research as a methodological tool of historical criminology. Drawing upon the authors’ historical study of ‘early release’ in England and Wales (Guiney 2018), it reviews the legal framework underpinning the current ‘right of access’ to official records and demonstrates how greater engagement with this underused public resource can reveal a richer understanding of government, penal policy-making and the continuities and dislocations within contemporary criminal justice. It goes on to consider the methodological challenges of gaining access to historical sources in criminological settings and concludes with a number of reflections upon the evolution of the discipline at a time of digital abundance and significant changes in government record keeping practices.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://journals.sagepub.com/home/crj
Additional Information:	© 2018 SAGE Publications
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology K Law > KD England and Wales
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2019 12:07
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 21:46
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/91592

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