Globalisation and the Challenge to Criminology

Book excerpt: There is no doubt that globalisation has profound effects on crime, justice and our feelings of security, identity and belonging. Many of these affect both the making of laws and the breaking of laws. It has been argued however that criminology has been too provincial, focusing as it often does on national laws and issues, whilst others have said that globalisation is the stuff of international relations, global finance and trade, not of criminology. This book disputes this by asserting that criminology has a firm place in this arena and globalisation offers the discipline a challenge that it should relish. Some of the field’s top scholars from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand consider these challenges and present cutting-edge analysis and debate. Topics covered include transnational organised crime, international policing and a range of other issues involving global harm such as genocide, the workings of international financial institutions, the fate of international migrants and the impact of anti-immigration sentiments in Europe. A particular focus is on borders and arrangements that deal with migration and populations that are excluded and adrift. This book highlights criminology’s analysis and engagement in new understandings of globalisation, in particular its harmful and unethical manifestations, and offers a mode of scrutiny and vigilance. Globalisation and the Challenge to Criminology will be of particular interest to those studying criminology, criminal justice, policing, security and international relations as well as those who seek to understand globalisation and, in particular, its harmful outcomes.