Editorial
| Author | Mary Bosworth,Simon Cole |
| DOI | 10.1177/1362480618823316 |
| Published date | 01 February 2019 |
| Date | 01 February 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480618823316
Theoretical Criminology
2019, Vol. 23(1) 3
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1362480618823316
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Editorial
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Sarah Cate and Daniel HoSang have won
the 2018 Theoretical Criminology best article prize, for their piece ‘“The better way to
fight crime”: Why fiscal arguments do not restrain the carceral state’. In their thoughtful
analysis of historical changes of state-level policy in Oregon, Sarah Cate and Daniel
HoSang offer a creative challenge to the widespread contemporary understanding of fis-
cal austerity as a supposedly ‘new’ discourse limiting punishment. Their manuscript pre-
sents a compelling account of the limits of fiscal arguments in restraining the carceral
state. Representative of some of the best qualities of the new political science literature
in the USA, which is breathing new life into our understanding of punishment, this arti-
cle maps the growth of the Oregon state prison population over a 15-year period. A
sobering read, this article offers a well-developed set of reasons for why prisons remain
so hard to either reduce or eradicate, even when fiscal austerity is advanced as a justifica-
tion for limiting punitiveness.
This year, Theoretical Criminology will be running two special issues. Reflecting cur-
rent politics around the world, both address themes relating to the intersections between
criminal justice and migration control. As we write this editorial at the end of 2018, the
UK continues to grapple with Brexit, while Trump, in the USA, persists in ramping up
anti-immigrant sentiment. Across Europe Italy has begun turfing asylum seekers onto the
street, under the harsh new rule of Salvini, Greece is gearing up for elections where the
right is poised to seize power and Hungary’s populist government continues to criminal-
ize mobility. In the South, Australia stands accused of actions amounting to torture in its
treatment of refugees. Although previously considered beyond the remit of our disci-
pline, such matters have become imbricated within and shaped by criminal justice agen-
cies and practices, built into policing, incarceration and an understanding of crime.
This year too, we will see articles on a range of other topics, from Gypsy/Travellers
to time and space. Familiar topics remain central to theoretical debates, punishment,
neoliberalism and privatization. As the field of theoretical criminology continues to
flourish, submissions to the journal remain high. This high volume of submissions also
translates into a large amount of reviewing. We are very grateful to those who take the
time to review for us and give useful and constructive feedback. Thank you.
Mary Bosworth and Simon Cole
823316TCR0010.1177/1362480618823316Theoretical CriminologyEditorial
editorial2018
Editorial
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