An article examined attempts by the European Union to increase co-operation between the law enforcement agencies of member states, and the granting of new powers to the European Police Office (Europol) and other intelligence-sharing institutions.
Source: Stephen Anthony Rozee, 'The European Union as a comprehensive police actor', Journal of Contemporary European Research, Volume 7 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the perpetrators of abuse among older women living in the community in Europe. 28.1 per cent of older women across all countries had experienced some kind of violence and abuse, in the previous 12 months, by someone who was close to them.
Source: Liesbeth De Donder, Gert Lang, Minna-Liisa Luoma, Bridget Penhale, Jose Ferreira Alves, Ilona Tamutiene, Ana Santos, Mira Koivusilta, Edith Enzenhofer, Sirkka Perttu, Tiina Savola, and Dominique Verte, 'Perpetrators of abuse against older women: a multi-national study in Europe', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 13 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined how far the European Union's commitment to democracy, accountability, and transparency was actually fulfilled with respect to its efforts at fighting terrorism, by drawing on the example of the activities of the European Police Office (Europol).
Source: Claudia Hillebrand, 'Guarding EU-wide counter-terrorism policing: the struggle for sound parliamentary scrutiny of Europol', Journal of Contemporary European Research, Volume 7 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A report said that hate crimes continued to be a serious problem across Europe – with numerous instances in 2010 of intimidation, threats, vandalism, arson, assault, and murder, targeting individuals or groups because of their ethnicity, religion, or other status.
Source: Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents and responses, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Links: Report | OSCE press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A study examined whether the European Union had the legal competence to adopt legislation on crimes motivated by hatred against specified groups identified by reference to race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion.
Source: Steve Peers, The Legal Grounds for Inclusive EU Legislation Against Bias Violence and Hatred, ILGA-Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
A report examined the impact and implementation of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights with respect to three EU home affairs agencies.
Source: Elspeth Guild, Sergio Carrera, Leonhard den Hertog, and Joanna Parkin, Implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Its Impact on EU Home Affairs Agencies, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined the impact of unemployment on crime in Europe. Unemployment was found to be positively correlated with property crime.
Source: Duha Altindag, Crime and Unemployment: Evidence from Europe, Working Paper 2011-13, Department of Economics, Auburn University (Alabama, USA)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
An article examined the prevalence of traumatization and mental distress in a sample of male long-term prisoners in European countries. In each national sample (including that for England), more than 50 per cent of the participants were in need of treatment because of psychological symptoms and nearly one-third had attempted suicide.
Source: Kirstin Drenkhahn, Carsten Spitzer, Sven Barnow, Daniel Kopp, Philipp Kuwert, Harald Freyberger, and Frieder Dunkel, ' Traumatization and mental distress in long-term prisoners in Europe', Punishment and Society, Volume 13 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A report set out a strategy for strengthening the crime policies of European Union member states – based on building public trust in justice, public belief in the legitimacy of justice institutions, and public commitment to the rule of law.
Source: Mike Hough and Mai Sato (eds.), Trust in Justice: Why it is important for criminal policy, and how it can be measured – Final report of the Euro-Justis project, European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
The European Commission published a set of criteria and common principles designed to support European Union-wide measures against crime. It said that: the criminal law should remain a measure of last resort; sanctions should be limited to particularly serious offences; new criminal law measures should respect fundamental rights; and decisions on criminal law measures or sanctions should be backed up by clear factual evidence, be proportionate to the crime, and be taken at the appropriate level.
Source: Towards an EU Criminal Policy: Ensuring the effective implementation of EU policies through criminal law, European Commission
Links: Strategy | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined mechanisms that seemed to allow room for less punitive (political) choices within European criminal justice systems – social policies, human rights, and a balanced approach to victim rights and public opinion in constitutional democracies.
Source: Sonja Snacken and Els Dumortier (eds.), Resisting Punitiveness in Europe? Welfare, human rights and democracy, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined the effect of alcohol on adolescent violence using survey data from 30 European countries. Drinking had a strong effect on adolescent violence in Nordic and eastern European countries, but had little or no effect in Mediterranean countries.
Source: Richard Felson, Jukka Savolainen, Thoroddur Bjarnason, Amy Anderson, and Tusty Zohra, 'The cultural context of adolescent drinking and violence in 30 European countries', Criminology, Volume 49 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
An article outlined the 'conceptual roadmap' for a comparative analysis of trust in the criminal justice system in European countries.
Source: Jonathan Jackson, Ben Bradford, Mike Hough, Jouni Kuha, Sally Stares, Sally Widdop, Rory Fitzgerald, Maria Yordanova, and Todor Galev, 'Developing European indicators of trust in justice', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 8 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined conditions of confinement for both Dutch prisoners held in English prisons and English prisoners held in the Netherlands, in order to determine whether and how these carceral environments had changed over the previous 20 years.
Source: Candace Kruttschnitt and Anja Dirkzwager, 'Are there still contrasts in tolerance? Imprisonment in the Netherlands and England 20 years later', Punishment and Society, Volume 13 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined the links between the use of imprisonment in European countries and a range of potentially explanatory factors. Moderate penal policies had their roots in a consensual and corporatist political culture, in high levels of social trust and political legitimacy, and in a strong welfare state: policies that made more use of imprisonment were to be found in countries where these characteristics were less in evidence.
Source: Tapio Lappi-Seppala, 'Explaining imprisonment in Europe', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 8 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
The European Commission began consultation on ways to strengthen mutual trust in the field of detention, and to ensure that people had confidence that they would be treated to similar standards of protection throughout the European Union.
Source: Strengthening Mutual Trust in the European Judicial Area: A Green Paper on the application of EU criminal justice legislation in the field of detention, European Commission
Links: Consultation document | European Commission press release | EP Social Democrats press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A briefing paper provided comparative research on sentencing guidelines mechanisms in 16 jurisdictions in Europe and other developed countries..
Source: Comparative Research into Sentencing Guidelines Mechanisms, Briefing Note 66/11, Northern Ireland Assembly
Links: Briefing
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the association between national welfare state regimes and public insecurities about crime across Europe. There was a 'strong relationship' between insecurities about crime and national levels of social expenditure and decommodification of social welfare policy. State-level social protection might buffer the development of widespread fear of crime by increasing self-efficacy and thereby mitigating various social and economic fears.
Source: Dina Hummelsheim, Helmut Hirtenlehner, Jonathan Jackson, and Dietrich Oberwittler, 'Social insecurities and fear of crime: a cross-national study on the impact of welfare state policies on crime-related anxieties', European Sociological Review, Volume 27 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined the role of the European Court of Justice in safeguarding the fundamental rights of people listed as terrorists, by either the United Nations or the European Union.
Source: Allan Rosas, Terrorist Listings and the Rule of Law: The role of the EU courts, Working Paper 2011/31, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the extent of organized crime in Europe.
Source: EU Organised Crime Threat Assessment, Europol
Links: Europol press release
Date: 2011-May
A report by a committee of peers said that the European Commission's plans for implementing the European Union's internal security strategy could raise standards among member states and enhance the EU's security as a whole.
Source: The EU Internal Security Strategy, 17th Report (Session 2010-12), HL 149, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
The European Commission proposed a package of measures designed to ensure a minimum level of rights, support, and protection for victims of crime across the European Union.
Source: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing Minimum Standards on the Rights, Support and Protection of Victims of Crime, European Commission
Links: Draft Directive | European Commission press release | EWL press release | ILGA-Europe press release | Victim Support press release
Date: 2011-May
A study examined the feasibility of standardizing national legislation in the European Union on violence against women, violence against children, and sexual orientation violence.
Source: Feasibility Study to Assess the Possibilities, Opportunities and Needs to Standardise National Legislation on Violence Against Women, Violence Against Children and Sexual Orientation Violence, European Commission
Date: 2011-Apr
The Council of Europe formally approved a convention on preventing and combating violence against women the first binding text in Europe to focus on all forms of violence against women.
Source: Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Council of Europe
Links: Convention | Explanatory report
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined the issue of trafficking in human beings for domestic servitude in Europe.
Source: Unprotected Work, Invisible Exploitation: Trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude, Occasional Paper 4, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Mar
The European Union adopted a new directive on trafficking in human beings, designed to prevent trafficking, effectively prosecute criminals, and improve protection of victims. The United Kingdom government announced that it would 'opt in' to the directive.
Source: Press release 21 March 2011, European Council | Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and Protecting Victims, Repealing Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA, European Commission
Links: European Union press release | European Commission press release | Proposed directive | Hansard | Home Office press release | Childrens Society press release | Labour Party press release | CARE report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined the demographic profile of people in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands who expressed dissatisfaction with the justice system.
Source: Marc Hertogh, 'Loyalists, cynics and outsiders: who are the critics of the justice system in the UK and the Netherlands?', International Journal of Law in Context, Volume 7 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book examined the measures that the European Union had taken to combat terrorism. Several EU instruments had not been properly implemented by member states, and questions had been raised regarding their effectiveness, appropriateness, and proportionality.
Source: Oldrich Bures, EU Counterterrorism Policy: A Paper Tiger?, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Mar
A report provided a comparative analysis of access to justice across the European Union member states, focusing on civil and administrative procedures available to victims of discrimination. The report revealed several problems that resulted in victims being deterred from enforcing, or unable to enforce, their rights by taking cases to court.
Source: Access to Justice in Europe: An overview of challenges and opportunities, Fundamental Rights Agency (European Commission)
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined violence against women aged 60 and over at the hands of existing and/or former intimate partners in 6 European countries – Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
Source: Barbara Nagele, Urte Bohm, Thomas Gorgen, and Olga Toth, Intimate Partner Violence Against Older Women, European Commission
Date: 2011-Mar
The European Commission began consultation on proposals to develop common legal principles that should underpin collective redress actions across the European Union.
Source: Towards a Coherent European Approach to Collective Redress, European Commission
Links: Consultation document | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A report by a committee of peers examined the implementation of the European Union's 'Stockholm Programme' on freedom, security, and justice (2010-2014).
Source: Implementing the Stockholm Programme: Home Affairs, 9th Report (Session 2010-11), HL 90, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Feb
A think-tank report said that the United Kingdom should withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights (and the European Convention on Human Rights) unless it underwent 'significant reform' within two years. The report recommended a new constitutional settlement that guaranteed the place of core human rights in national life, while helping to check judicial activism and protect parliamentary democracy.
Source: Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, Bringing Rights Back Home: Making human rights compatible with parliamentary democracy in the UK, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | JUSTICE press release | UKHR Blog press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report said that there was a 'clear need and opportunity' for the United Kingdom to opt into the European Union Anti-Trafficking Directive, as soon as it had completed its passage through European institutions in 2011.
Source: EU Directive on Human Trafficking: Why the UK Government Should Opt-In, CARE
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Feb
A new book examined the role that non-governmental organizations played in developing the European Convention on Human Rights as a mechanism that could contribute to social change.
Source: Loveday Hodson, NGOs and the Struggle for Human Rights in Europe, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
A paper examined models of social justice under private law in the European Union member states. National models were being challenged by a European Union model, in which weaker parties were helped to gain access to market freedoms.
Source: Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz, Social Justice and Access Justice in Private Law, Working Paper LAW 2011/02, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined video surveillance in European cities, and set out a framework for reconciling security considerations with the need to protect personal privacy.
Source: Roxana Calfa, Sebastian Sperber, and Nathalie Bourgeois (eds.), Citizens, Cities and Video Surveillance: Towards a democratic and responsible use of CCTV, European Forum for Urban Security
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined experiences of drug-user involvement in service provision in Europe, highlighting the potential pitfalls of such a strategy.
Source: Caroline Chatwin, 'User involvement in the illegal drugs field: what can Britain learn from European experiences?', Safer Communities, Volume 9 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined domestic violence against women from minority-ethnic and Roma backgrounds in the United Kingdom and Hungary. Stereotyping and racism often contributed to women not being able to access adequate protection.
Source: Yesim Yaprak Yildiz, Fruzsina Baumann, and Sumita Dutta, Empowering Women or Perpetuating Victimhood: Minority ethnic and Roma women's experiences of domestic violence policy and service provision, IMECE Turkish Speaking Women's Group/London Training and Employment Network/Regional Social Welfare Resource Centre
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
The final text was approved of a draft Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women – the first binding text in Europe to focus on all forms of violence against women.
Source: Draft Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Council of Europe
Links: Draft convention
Notes: The draft convention was due to be considered by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in March 2011.
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined national privacy/data protection laws and regulations in Europe, together with other laws or developments with and impact on privacy. There had been a decline in privacy protection across Europe, and a steep increase in state surveillance over the lives of individuals.
Source: European Union: Privacy Profile, Privacy International
Links: Report | UK report | Privacy International press release
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined prospects for the harmonization of European drug policy.
Source: Caroline Chatwin, 'Have recent evolutions in European governance brought harmonisation in the field of illicit drugs any closer?', Drugs and Alcohol Today, Volume 10 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A think-tank paper said that the European Union Internal Security Strategy (published in November 2010) was not based on shared common concerns in all member states, and was not based on independent and objective evidence.
Source: Elspeth Guild and Sergio Carrera, Towards an Internal (In)security Strategy for the EU?, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
