Risk and Crime Control

Risk and Crime Control

One way of dating the appearance of risk as a major focus with respect to the governance of crime is the publication of Martinson's (1974) now notorious paper ‘What Works’. Broadly speaking, it argued that after decades of correctional theory and practice, very little could be demonstrated with respect to its positive impact on reforming individuals or reducing rates of offending. Of course, a single paper does not produce the changes that have occurred since that time in a broad spectrum of crime policies and jurisdictions. Most likely the paper was catapulted into prominence because it was what many in government circles had been thinking for some time. More specifically it was consistent with mentalities of government that ...