Criminal Records: A Database for the Criminal Justice System and Beyond

243 Pages·2007·5.412 MB·English

by  Terry Thomas (auth.)

Criminal Records

Criminal Records
A Database for the Criminal Justice System
and Beyond
Terry Thomas
LeedddsMetropolitanUniversitttyyy,UUUK
©TerryThomas2007
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-0-230-00767-3
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Contents
ListofTablesandFigurrre x
Preffface xi
ListofAbbreviations xii
1 Introduction 1
2 AShortHistoryofCriminalRecords 5
Branding 5
HenryFieldingandPatrickColquhoun 6
Thebeginningsofasystem 7
TheHabitualCriminalsAct1869 11
PreventionofCrimesAct1871 11
TheHabitualCriminalsRegister 12
ACriminalRecordOffice 13
Theinter-waryears 15
Local,groupandregionalCROs 18
‘Scheduleoneoffenders’ 20
Post-waryears 20
RegionalCriminalRecordOffices 24
TheNationalIdentificationBureau 25
Conclusions 26
3 ContemporaryCriminalRecordMaintenance 27
ThePoliceNationalComputer(PNC) 27
Dataquality–‘aterrifffyingconditionofinaccuracy’ 33
TheHomeOfficeScrutinyReport 34
Phoenix 36
TheNationalIdentificationService 37
TheSexOffender‘register’ 38
ScheduleOneOffenders–anupdate 40
Dataquality–continuingproblems 41
Theidentificationofoffenders 44
Thelegislativeframework 50
Improperdisclosures 53
TheACPOCodesofPractice 55
vii
viii Contents
Statutorycodesandguidance 58
Conclusions 60
4 CriminalRecords–TheirRoleandPurpose 62
Criminalrecordswithinthecriminaljusticesystem 63
Criminalrecordsbeyondthecriminaljusticesystem 80
Conclusions 89
5 The‘Spent’CriminalRecord 91
Resettlement 91
TheGardinerReport 94
TheRehabilitationofOffendersAct1974 96
Theactinpractice 100
BreakingtheCircle 103
Theresponseto‘BreakingtheCircle’ 104
Conclusions 104
6 CriminalRecordsandEmploymentScreening 106
Notifiableoccupations 107
Requesteddisclosure 113
‘Todeviseasystem’ 115
The 1986 circulars and the disclosure of records on
childcareworkers 116
Criticismsofcriminalrecordchecks 118
‘Otherrelevantinformation’ 121
Otherdatabases 121
Thedemandforyetmorecriminalrecorddisclosures 124
Enforcedsubjectaccess 126
The1990HomeAffairsCommitteereport 127
TheHomeOfficeScrutinyReportrevisited 128
The1993circular 129
Conclusions 130
7 TheCriminalRecordsBureau 131
The1993–1996review 131
‘OntheRecord’ 132
ThePoliceAct1997 135
TheCriminalRecordsBureau–planning 137
A‘one-stopshop’ 139
Continuingcriticismsofcriminalrecordchecks 141
TheCriminalRecordsBureau–implementation 143
TheIndependentReviewTeam 145
Anewregulatoryframework 148
Contents ix
Politicalrepercussions 149
Thecommodificationofcriminalrecords 151
TheBichardReport 154
Theoverseasworker 157
CriticismsoftheCRBinpractice 158
Conclusions 161
8 AnInternationalPerspective 163
Nationalcriminalrecordrepositories 163
Theinternationalexchangeofpoliceinformation 167
Transnationalpolicingnetworks 173
ExchangingcriminalrecordsinEurope 183
Conclusions 185
9 Conclusions 187
Privacyandinformationprivacy 187
Pre-employmentscreeningusingcriminalrecords 189
Surveillancestudies 191
Bibliography 193
NamesIndex 211
SubbjectIndex 216