Populism, Conservatism and the Politics of Parole in England and Wales

Annison, Harry; Guiney, Thomas

Abstract

Reform of the parole system has emerged as the cause célèbre of a resurgent law and order politics. Successive governments have seized upon the symbolic power of parole to demonstrate ‘toughness’ with respect to violent and sexual offending, to express solidarity with the victims of crime and reaffirm a populist credo that purportedly stands in opposition to an unaccountable and out of touch penal elite. Published in March 2022, the Ministry of Justice Root and Branch Review of the Parole System represents a continuation of this well-rehearsed political strategy, but arguably goes further than ever before in its willingness to dispense with established norms, rules and practices. This article surveys the contemporary politics of parole in England and Wales and reflects upon what these developments reveal about the shifting contours of a creeping authoritarian conservatism premised upon nostalgia, nationalism and the projection of a strong, centralised state.

Citation

Annison, H., & Guiney, T. (2022). Populism, Conservatism and the Politics of Parole in England and Wales. Political Quarterly, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923x.13170

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 25, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Publication Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 18, 2022
• Journal: The Political Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0032-3179
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-923X
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923x.13170
• Keywords: Sociology and Political Science
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8954906
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-923X.13170