Analysis: The UK Has Its Own Mass Incarceration Crisis
by Ell Folan
The UK now spends £5bn a year on prisons, more than any other European country besides Russia, writes Ell Folan.
Tag: crime
Opinion: Sweden Was Never the Progressive Haven You Thought It Was
by Christian Christensen
The victory of the far-right Sweden Democrats has shocked the world. That’ll teach us for believing the hype about Scandi liberalism, writes Christian Christensen.
Feature: How to Intervene in a Police Stop
by UK Cop Watch
The crisis of faith in policing has made many people want to take matters into their own hands. UK Cop Watch advises how.
Report: Are Random Police Drug Swabs Legal?
by James Greig
The Met’s recent drug-busting operation in Shoreditch has drawn widespread criticism. But what should you do if you are approached by police? James Greig finds out.
Long Read: Forget ‘Liberté’ – 17th-Century Indigenous Americans Knew a Lot More About Freedom Than Their French Colonisers
by David Graeber and David Wengrow
On issues like personal freedom, gender equality, sexual mores and popular sovereignty, indigenous American attitudes were far more progressive than 17th-century European ones - and far more like our own, write David Wengrow and the late David Graeber.
Analysis: Do the Police Actually Solve Crime?
by Aaron Bastani
With nine out of 10 crime reports going nowhere, it’s clear the police aren’t particularly good at solving crime - no matter what Netflix might have you believe. To create a safer society, we must tackle inequality, not extend police powers, writes Aaron Bastani.
Live: Policing Bill Sparks Riots in Bristol
The Tories' draconian policing bill sparks riots in Bristol. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss the fallout from the protests, and the utility of riots.
Live: Outrage at Met Police Handling of Sarah Everard Vigil
After the Met's outrageous handling of Saturday's vigil for Sarah Everard, and as MPs debate the draconian policing bill, we speak to Gracie Mae Bradley, interim Director of Liberty, about policing and protest in Britain.
Downstream: Make America Normal Again. Interview With Adam Tooze
Joe Biden is President-elect of the United States. But what might his Presidency mean for working class Americans, US foreign policy and perceived national decline? Does his victory represent a return to political ‘normality’ after 4 years of the Trump White House? And what might Trump’s legacy be within the Republican Party? Joining Aaron Bastani […]
Long Read: Why Do the Police Exist?
by Connor Woodman
Long read: When and why were police forces first invented? Connor Woodman takes a look - and argues that far from protecting communities from ‘crime’, the police’s role has always been to control and discipline the working class.
The Lockdown: Safety First: Sex Work and the Criminal Justice System
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann talk to Elio Beale, organiser with SWARM, a sex worker rights and advocacy movement.
The Lockdown: Profits and the Prison Industry
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann discuss the Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee (IWOC) and proposed prison expansion.
The Lockdown: Policing by Consent?
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann speak to Koshka Duff, a lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. In 2013, she was arrested and strip searched after offering a legal advice card to a teenager being stopped and searched in Hackney.
The Lockdown: Prison Island: Prison Expansion in the UK
Back with a new series, hosts Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann speak to Nicole, a researcher at Corporate Watch about the British government’s plans for prison expansion, how this will impact people inside and outside prisons and how communities across the country are resisting.
The Lockdown: “Just Paint the Walls Pink”: Gender, Prison and Carceral Feminism
Oonagh Ryder speaks to Mo Mansfield, a social justice campaigner and women’s sector professional. They discuss what carceral feminism is, how it has helped to expand and entrench the criminal justice system and how we can move beyond this towards an abolitionist feminism.
The Lockdown: What Is Abolition?
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann finish this season of The Lockdown with a recap of what they've discussed in the previous episodes. Sam talks about what he's learnt and they decide whether he's ready to graduate from the podcast's 'resident idiot'.
The Lockdown: Guilty by Association: How to Get a Life Sentence for a Murder You Didn’t Commit
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann speak to activist and founder of campaign group Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association (JENGbA), Gloria Morrison.
The Lockdown: Ending the Cycle of Violence
On The Lockdown, Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann speak to anti-violence practitioner Whitney Iles about youth violence, why it happens and how to stop it.