Book Reviews : PETER GILL, Policing Politics: Security Intelligence and the Liberal Democratic State. London: Frank Cass, 1994, xvii + 384 pp
| DOI | 10.1177/096466399500400217 |
| Published date | 01 June 1995 |
| Author | Reg Whitaker |
| Date | 01 June 1995 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
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phenomenon? What would this mean in practice? Is it ever legitimate to handle offenders
as af they were free, rational beings? Unless we outline an acceptable and feasible
alternative to the current framework - and appeals to popular justice will not suffice - we
leave ourselves open to the charge of sniping at current practice but refusing to engage
with the difficult question of what is an acceptable penal strategy in modern society.
Norrie’s work will, undoubtedly, provoke other debates. Let me conclude, though,
with a note about its practical value. If we are to produce plans for criminal law reform
which involve something more than minor tinkering with the system, we need to start by
identifying the structural causes of its problems. As Norrie’s study shows, while the
temperament of individual judges no doubt contributes something to its lack of clarity and
consistency, the main causes lie much deeper. To understand these we must take the tasks
of evaluation and explanation seriously, and carry them out in a sophisticated manner.
This requires a sociological and historical study of the law. Norrie provides one such
study and, moreover, does so at a level accessible to intelligent students of criminal law.
GERRY JOHNSTONE
Law School, University of Hull, UK
PETER GILL, Policing Politics: Security Intelligence and the Liberal Democratic State.
London: Frank Cass, 1994, xvii + 384 pp.
The study of Intelligence, once the preserve of journalists and retired professionals, has
graduated in recent years to the status of an academic subdiscipline. Historians have
pursued authentic and verifiable documentation, with some success in the United States,
Canada and Australia, but less in the United Kingdom. Political scientists have addressed
more theoretical questions to the subject than journalists or practitioners are inclined to
do. The result is a growing body of respectable knowledge linked to broader themes of the
social and political theory of the state and international relations.
Much attention has focused on the international aspects of intelligence gathering,
especially on the role of intelligence in war in the 20th century, and on the ambiguous part
played by intelligence...
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