The Welsh Criminal Justice System: On the Jagged Edge

(Paperback)

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The first systematic account of criminal justice in self-governed Wales.

The Welsh criminal justice system is unique. While Wales has been self-governed for nearly twenty-five years, the country lacks the equivalent of Scotland or Northern Irelands independent judiciaries and justice systems. Yet the extensive responsibilities of Waless own institutions ensure that they necessarily play a significant role in criminal justice. As a result, the Welsh criminal justice system operates across a jagged edge of devolved and reserved powers and responsibilities.

This book provides the first academic account of this system. It demonstrates not only that Wales has some of the worst criminal justice outcomes in western Europe, but that even if the will existed to address these problems, the current constitutional underpinnings of the Welsh criminal justice system would make it nigh-on impossible. Based on official data and in-depth interviews, this is an urgent and challenging book, required reading for anyone interested in Welsh politics and society.

Reviews

"The Welsh criminal justice system: On the jagged edge is a compelling read, groundbreaking in its exposition of the unique formations of the Welsh criminal justice system (WCJS) ... this book should be considered foundational for students and scholars of Welsh criminal justice. In addition, it provides a thought-provoking text for criminologists interested in the distinctions between criminal justice systems. Particularly those criminologists researching criminal justice in the UK who may have, until now, had little understanding of the complex and interesting case of Welsh criminal justice 'on the jagged edge.'"
-- "The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice"
"The experiences and needs of Welsh communities have been long neglected in the corridors of Whitehall. The Welsh Criminal Justice System provides a vital corrective, exploring criminal justice in Wales in fine detail, and setting out a clear path to creating the kind of society Wales deserves. Anyone who has a stake in twenty-first-century Wales must read this book."--Ellie Mae O'Hagan, Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies

Author Bio

Robert Jones is research associate in the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University. Richard Wyn Jones is professor of Welsh politics and director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University.