International Journal of Rural Criminology: Volume 5, Issue 1 (November 2019)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/88724

Issue DOI: https://doi.org/10.18061/1811/88724

Guest editor's introduction to Volume 5, Issue 1
Harkness, Alistair
pp. i-iv
Description | Full Text PDF

The international emergence of rural criminology: Implications for the development and revision of criminological theory for rural contexts
Donnermeyer, Joseph F.
pp. 1-18
Description | Full Text PDF

Punitive attitudes across geographical areas: Exploring the rural/urban divide in Canada
Mulrooney, Kyle; Wise, Jenny
pp. 19-46
Description | Full Text PDF

Farmer satisfaction with policing in rural Victoria, Australia
Harkness, Alistair; Larkins, Jo-ann
pp. 47-68
Description | Full Text PDF

The role of police in monitoring rural conflict, with a focus on public order
Baker, David
pp. 69-87
Description | Full Text PDF

Disabled in rural Victoria: Exploring the intersection of victimisation, disability and rurality on access to justice
Camilleri, Margaret
pp. 88-112
Description | Full Text PDF

More than just a 'city problem': Drugs and alcohol (mis)use in rural and regional Australia
Groves, Andrew
pp. 113-139
Description | Full Text PDF

Water theft in rural contexts
White, Rob
pp. 140-159
Description | Full Text PDF

Browse

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Guest editor's introduction to Volume 5, Issue 1
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Harkness, Alistair
The international emergence of rural criminology: Implications for the development and revision of criminological theory for rural contexts
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Donnermeyer, Joseph F.
The objectives of this article are two-fold. First, it briefly reviews the historical development of rural criminology and rural crime studies. It argues that continued development of rural criminology requires two fundamental things: (i) rural criminology must avoid dichotomies – both old (ex., gemeinschaft vs. gessellschaft) and new (ex., global south vs. global north) – because dichotomies have great potential to retard development of a comparative scholarship about crime and criminal justice issues across the diversity of rural localities found throughout the world; and (ii) rural criminology must be inclusive, embracing an international network of scholars from every region of the world, regardless of arbitrary grid lines on a globe. Second, this article argues that rural crime scholarship must develop frameworks from which theories of the "middle range" (Merton, 1957) can be developed, and in turn, theories most suited to the international development of rural criminology should allow for comparisons across diverse research settings and facilitate the synthesis of rural literatures about crime and criminal justice. Rural crime studies should continue to move toward being more theoretically diverse, more critical by linking the local to larger social forces (Mills, 1959; Young, 2011; Donnermeyer & DeKeseredy, 2014), more international in scope, and more self-aware of its history and its future. To this end, the article describes a framework for understanding rural communities (Liepins, 2000) and explains how three rural-based "middle range" criminological theories already fit within the fundamental elements of this framework. The article concludes by urging rural scholars to develop additional frameworks from which middle range theories of rural crime and criminal justice issues can be launched.
Punitive attitudes across geographical areas: Exploring the rural/urban divide in Canada
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Mulrooney, Kyle; Wise, Jenny
The public is a powerful political actor when it comes to the question of what is to be done about law and order. Therefore, public attitudes towards punishment are of central importance to criminological inquiry. Research in this area has tended towards national (comparative) accounts of 'punitive attitudes' and, in an effort to explore correlates of punitive attitudes, particular sub-groups have been examined often based on certain demographic characteristics such as, for instance, race, gender and/or age. However, very little research exists exploring urban and rural variations in punitive attitudes. Yet, considering that populations may be widely dispersed from central metropolitan and urban areas to rural, regional and very remote areas, it is reasonable to assume that ecological factors and aspects of cultural geography impact upon punitive attitudes. To comparatively examine punitive attitudes across geographical areas, this study draws on cross-sectional data (2004-2015) derived from the Canadian Elections Study (CES). Specifically, the research employs a multidimensional measurement of punitive attitudes by exploring geographic variations in respondents' attitudes towards: (i) the goals of punishment; (ii) the intensity of penal sanctions; and (iii) specified forms of penal sanctions. The sum of the data is then drawn together to develop an index of punitivity, thereby providing a more holistic understanding of punitive attitudes. The findings indicate that on each measure the rural holds significantly greater punitive attitudes than the urban. The article concludes by considering theoretical explanations for these differences, of which future research should attend, with particular attention to the shared political logic between penal populism and political populism and how this contributes to the urban/rural divide as one of the greatest political fault lines in present day politics.
Farmer satisfaction with policing in rural Victoria, Australia
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Harkness, Alistair; Larkins, Jo-ann
Recognising that the impacts of acquisitive crime on farms are both economic and social, the Victorian Farm Crime Research Project is an ongoing endeavour to examine farm crime in Victoria. Specifically, the Project is considering attitudes of farmers and farming communities to criminal justice responses to farm crime; assessing existing policing practices and analysing alternatives; and determining a suite of strategies for prevention and control of crime against farms and for improvement of service delivery by the criminal justice system in Victoria. A quantitative survey of Victorian farmers was conducted between August 2017 and November 2018. This paper reports on and assesses results from the survey, providing results of parametric testing on a series of Likert scale questions which enable an analysis of farmer attitudes to rural policing, crime and victimisation. Overall farmers' attitudes to rural policing are generally positive. There is a perception, however, that the policing focus is not aligned with farming communities' priorities and that the police are under-resourced. Farmers who have been a victim of theft have less positive thoughts on police in the local area. People who are members of local community organisations have higher opinions of local police. It argues that there needs to be a synthesised campaign to build stronger relationships between police and farm communities, and that this can be achieved primarily through enhanced resourcing of local police in rural areas of Victoria and the resourcing of team of fulltime rural crime investigators.
The role of police in monitoring rural conflict, with a focus on public order
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Baker, David
The policing of public dissent in rural and regional areas is influenced by many factors, including global and state events but also by the dynamics of the localised context of police and activist interaction. This article asserts the importance of dialogue and negotiated management between police and demonstrators in order to facilitate peaceful protest in regional and rural areas. It explores policing approaches of dealing with industrial disputes in regional areas as well as environmental climate change protest. Rural and regional police face the challenges of broad geographical expanses, isolation, fewer resources, limited back-up and equipment, and more distant communication with senior officers than their urban counterparts generally experience in public order situations. The success of dialogue policing and negotiated management of public order is tested in the current era when police are becoming more heavily armed not just in urban but also in regional and rural locations. Rural and regional police are often immersed in tightly-knit local communities and follow a community policing ethos but they are also entrusted to maintain law and order.
Disabled in rural Victoria: Exploring the intersection of victimisation, disability and rurality on access to justice
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Camilleri, Margaret
The last decade, in Australia and internationally, has seen an increased focus on and subsequent greater awareness of the inequitable justice system response to accused, offenders and victims with cognitive impairment. In Australia, these inequities have been documented by various national and state based inquiries. It is fair to say, however, that much of the focus and subsequent reform has centred primarily, although not exclusively, on offenders and accused with cognitive impairment rather than victims. This article uses a case study, extracted from a larger study, as a vehicle through which to explore the justice system's response to a young man with cognitive impairment who is a victim of crime, and resides in a rural location in Victoria, Australia. The case study is derived from interviews with the victim/witness and his mother, and provides a sequential overview of the process and outcomes of this case from report to finalisation at court. The paper seeks to highlight the compounding impact of intersectional dimensions of victimisation, disability and rurality on access to justice for victims with cognitive impairment. The case also demonstrates the need to review legislation, procedure, policy and practice to reflect the tangible impact on individuals of so called property or victimless crimes.
More than just a 'city problem': Drugs and alcohol (mis)use in rural and regional Australia
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) Groves, Andrew
Debate about alcohol and other drugs (AODs), particularly those that are illicit and/or subject to abuse, is pervasive in the community, media and at policy-level alike. While AOD use is commonly linked to the hedonistic social spaces of urban youth, especially with drugs like crystal methamphetamine ('ice'), it is clear substance misuse is not merely a 'city problem'. Considerations of place and space, particularly the notion of what it means to be rural, are central to understanding the diverse landscape of AOD use. This paper examines key determinants that shape the experience of rural AOD (mis)use and its influence on crime and criminality. Broad application of Shaw and McKay's (1942) social disorganisation theory enables examination of rural AOD use and related crime in Australia through a lens of social organisation. Using this lens, the article employs a narrative review methodology to explore three key elements of the rural landscape: (i) accessibility of services; (ii) social and cultural pressures; and (iii) the structural and/or physical constraints of rural geography. Critical examination of these elements and associated narratives reveals the need for recognition of the human struggle linked to AOD use and related crimes as a dimension of both rural life and criminality. The article argues that the appropriate response to rural AOD use requires a paradigmatic shift from traditional law enforcement approaches to principles of harm reduction and public health. However, greater work is needed to produce evidence-based policy, address the causes of rural AOD use and provide meaningful support to this growing cohort of vulnerable members of the community.
Water theft in rural contexts
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2019-11) White, Rob
Water theft is a phenomenon that is set to grow in the light of climate change, chronic drought, freshwater scarcity, and conflicts over natural resources. Drawing upon recent developments pertaining to poor regulation and the stealing of water from the Murray-Darling river system in Australia, this paper explores the cultural and political economic dimensions of water theft in the context of rurality and criminality. Framed within the overarching perspective of green criminology, the article examines water theft through the lens of rural folk crime as well as failures of regulation and environmental law enforcement. It raises issues relating to the social construction of victims of water theft, human (such as Indigenous people) and non-human (such as ecosystems). This article argues that the geographical location of water theft is integral to the dynamics of the harms committed, and the response of both governments and residents to the crime.

Browse

Recent Submissions