Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

‘Law and order’ policy
stories featuring horrific and extraordinary incidences of crime. Crime stories are
designed to capture the public’s interest and intensify public discussion on the issue
in question, often by eliciting feelings of fear and insecurity or creating moral panic
within society. 2
Hogg and Brown 3 thematically summarised the ‘common sense’ assumptions
about crime that underpin the beliefs held by a significant proportion of the
Australian population. These ‘common sense’ assumptions still ring true in modern
society. Their essence is epitomised by the following commonly held views:
• crime rates are at an all-time high – we currently live in a society characterised
byunprecedentedlevelsofcrime
• more police officers with more police powers and tougher penalties on
offenders are needed to combat the crime problem.
Popular misconceptions of the current ‘crime epidemic’ and need for harsh crime
control and punishment have been largely disseminated in the public domain by
news media, politicians and other influential figures. 4 A fearful public demands or
requiresgovernmentstotakelawandorderpolicyseriously–orsowearetold.
What’s at stake?
There is a lot at stake in the context of law and order policy making. Those who
come into contact with the criminal justice system can lose their liberty (through
imprisonment), their ability to move freely (through place restrictions and
conditions attached to various sanctions) and their ability to work in particular
industries (e.g. an individual may not be allowed to work for a fire service if they
have been convicted of arson), not to mention the impact on victims of crime. Some
of the additional human and financial costs are considered here.
Human costs
Law and order policy has significant ramifications for those entangled in the
criminal justice system. Below are some examples of the ways in which law and
order policy can impact lives:
• expanded police powers and ‘zero tolerance policing’ result in greater numbers
of people being searched, fined and charged, often for minor offences
• the use of electronic monitoring and urinalysis in the supervision of
community-based offenders means that people are being tracked and surveilled
in increasingly intense ways
2 Lee 2007.
3 Hogg and Brown 1998.
4 Hogg and Brown 1998.
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