Contemporary piracy research in criminology: A review essay with directions for future research

The ocean is not merely a space used by society; it is one component of the space of society. Philip E. Steinberg, 2001, p.20. The realm of the ocean is scarcely studied by criminologist despite it being a component of the space of society. With the growth of maritime piracy in the past decade, this void has become increasingly palpable. The aim of this paper is to catalyze more research in the field by providing an introduction and overview of the topic. The paper starts by clarifying what piracy is, reviewing and evaluating some of its definitions and typologies. Furthermore, using the new Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database, the paper charts the location of contemporary piracy. The paper outlines factors that have been suggested as precursors of piracy before suggesting some key areas for future research

State co-offending: the case of the recolonization of the Chagos Archipelago and the forced eviction of the Chagossians

State crime research has included studying the cooperation between states and corporate entities and their interaction with supranational actors. This article extends research on state crime through an exploration of co-offending by multiple powerful state actors—what I refer to here as “state co-offending.” The study analyzes the recolonization of the Chagos Archipelago (in the Indian Ocean) and the forced eviction of its Indigenous population as a type of state crime that involved the collusion of two powerful countries. The case study explores the conspiracy between the United Kingdom and the United States to recolonize the archipelago and depopulate the Chagos Islands, identifying behavior that violated international law and illuminating the scale of collaboration between the two governments. The article explores how such behavior was normalized, causing extensive social harm to an entire Indigenous population and disrupting—and discouraging—adherence to international norms

Somali Maritime Predation: Traditional Piracy or a New Form of Terrorism?

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is different from other forms of piracy around the world. The Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database (CMPD) shows that Somali piracy takes place mainly in the high seas, occurs during the daylight hours, targets vessels in motion, and is more likely to be armed and threatening. Furthermore, rather than theft, the motivation is to hold the ship for ransom. With the emergence of Somali piracy and its threat to international trade, there has been a suggestion by some that these piratical acts constitute maritime terrorism. This argument is not new, in fact, it has been discussed in the past for the piracy in Southeast Asia and beyond. There are suggestions that a coupling of the overlapping threats of piracy and terrorism would provide a more integrated and efficient enforcement strategy. The question posited here, is whether Somali piracy is in fact a form of maritime terrorism and if coupling these threats is a sound policy decision. The discussion will tackle arguments that have suggested that piracy and terrorism are fundamentally the same type of crime. The question is an important one, as the re-defining of piracy as terrorism or terrorism as piracy is more than mere semantics; it has a direct impact on the policies implemented to combat violence at sea. The focus of this chapter is on Somali piracy, the reason for which is twofold. Firstly, as already mentioned, Somali piracy has a distinctive nature, in that it is not motivated by the appropriation of goods like many other piratical acts around the world, instead the focus has been ransoming. Secondly, and perhaps even more significant, is that Somali piracy has generated previously unseen international community responses, some of which have piggy backed off counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa. This reality means that in practical terms, Somali piracy has already been associated to terrorism. To explore whether piracy and terrorism are in fact the same type of crime, this chapter begins with exploring what these two phenomena are and the underlying motivations of such acts. The discussion begins with the legal definition of piracy as encapsulated in the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS) as well as the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation 1988 (SUA). The latter was created specifically as a response to an act of maritime terrorism, providing an opportunity to examine the value of bringing piracy and terrorism within one international legal instrument. The discussion will then look beyond the legal definition, cataloguing the various types of behaviours captured by the term piracy. Next the analysis turns towards the even more challenging task of defining terrorism by exploring its core features. To further explore the distinctions between terrorism and piracy, the argument is then explored through the lens of motivational typologies. Somali piracy is explored, looking specifically at the multivariate causes and motivations of piracy off the coast of Somalia. The chapter then examines reasons for the conflation of piracy with terrorism to identify whether it is problematic to applying counter-terrorism strategies to maritime piracy. The chapter concludes with a discussion on why such a conflation is problem for maritime piracy and some viable alternatives

The changing nature of contemporary maritime piracy: Results from the Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database 2001-10

The accurate monitoring of piracy tactics is imperative for understanding the changing nature of piracy. Using the most comprehensive, global piracy data set available to date—the Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database (CMPD), this article documents the change in piracy, identifying that the new form of piracy that emerged in the 1990s became the dominant type of piracy in the study period. The CMPD suggests that even though the escalation of piracy in Somalia has affected the profile of piracy overall, other forms of piracy, which display a different set of characteristics, still remain

State and Corporate Drivers of Global Dysnomie: Horrendous Crimes and the Law

The press is awash with accounts of serious cross-border crimes; the responsibility for which is attributed to dangerous and radical groups. This has included the Islamic State, “bad apples” working in banks, organized criminal groups, and rogue state actors. The responses to these kinds of problems have ranged from a tsunami of international conventions against terrorism, transnational crime and corruption, intensified intelligence operations, military interventions, and humanitarian projects. As the current approaches do not seem to yield the desired results – as crime threats continue to grow – it is important to transcend discourses that individualize and externalize blame and examine structural sources of these risks in search of better, less costly, and more effective policies. Typically, crime control policies focus on supply rather than demand. For instance, policies focus on eliminating the production and exports of illegal drugs rather than trying to reduce the demand that gives rise to profitable illegal markets. In this analysis the approach is to look back and consider the role played by decisions, policies, and initiatives in the global North, by public and corporate actors. This is not merely an attempt at broadening accountability but a way to identify the extent to which neoliberal policies contribute to criminogenic processes. In order to shed light on these criminogenic processes, this chapter employs the analytical framework of global anomie theory (GAT) and focuses on two case studies. The first one is maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia, where efforts have centered on improving the governance of the state, tackling the al Shabaab group, and assisting with famine and economic challenges. The second one is the theft of the Chagossian nation, a case of forced eviction of an entire people against a host of basic international legal principles. Despite the globalization of media and availability of information on this case, it is a story that the mainstream media has ignored for the most part. Both case studies deal with what can be termed “horrendous crimes”, a term to capture a set of behaviors broader than those officially defined as illegal or criminal. With this term we refer to practices that constitute a serious threat and cost to society but may be deemed lawful by certain legal standards. We understand the essence of crime as: “misconduct that entails avoidable and unnecessary harm to society, which is serious enough to warrant state intervention and similar to other kinds of acts criminalized in the countries concerned” (Passas, 1999, p. 401). By using this broader definition we do not distance ourselves from legal standards, but seek to avoid national laws that may be unhelpful for the defining of global phenomena because of their domestic particularities, biases, and political agendas (Friedrichs, 2007). These crimes include transnational and international crime, as well as state, corporate, and state-corporate crimes. The latter crimes often fall below the radar of conventional criminology, but are crucial to consider since they exacerbate economic inequality within and across nations (UN, 2002) and have broader criminogenic effects. The chapter begins with an outline of the analytical framework, proceeds with the two case studies, and concludes with research and policy implications

From an American Dream to a Global Dream

"If, as I have said, the things already listed were all we had to contribute, America would have made no distinctive and unique gift to mankind. But there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement." 1 The above is the general definition of the concept of the ‘American Dream’ which appears in a 1931 history book authored by James Truslow Adams. Although the concept dates back to earlier times, this proves to be the most quoted definition. The above description of the American Dream manages to capture the ubiquitous notion of the existence of an opportunity of success for all. Over time the idea of the American Dream has spread around the world. Most are familiar with the American Dream as a promise for people in poverty stricken nations, one offering escape in the hopes of a better future. However, in this chapter we argue that there has been another propagation of the American Dream, namely an adoption of this concept internationally characterized specifically by a hope to achieve and succeed, irrespective of geography. We have called this translation of the American Dream a Global Dream. In this chapter, we attempt to briefly analyze the effect of the adoption of the American Dream especially through the 20th century phenomenon of globalization. We first trace the development of the American Dream, explaining how this intrinsically virtuous idea has not had the desired effect but has instead been construed in an unexpected and deleterious way. We next look at how it has been exported and implemented around the world through media and the global market. In our analysis we have utilized a popular criminological theory, strain/anomie theory. Anomie was an idea introduced by Emile Durkheim, and developed in light of American sociology by Robert King Merton and expanded on by later theorists. This theory is then combined with the phenomenon of globalization, as found in discussions by Nikos Passas in his conception of a Global Anomie Theory. The conclusion attempts to make some policy recommendations based on a universal deference for human rights, a respect for differences and good governance. Overall, such recommendations represent an attempt to reflect the core values of the American Dream, as contrasted with the subsequent development of a more materially and gain focused conception

Practitioner perspectives on diversifying restorative justice practice

The aim of the project was to explore practitioner perspectives on the issues around broadening cultural and ethnic representation of restorative practitioners in the field, with a focus on supporting opportunities for participation in leadership and policy development. The hope was for the project to provide restorative justice practitioners with some space to engage in dialogue on the barriers and the opportunities for diversity in leadership and policymaking in the UK restorative justice sector. The framing and structure of the project was broad to avoid presupposing the makeup of the group that would respond to the open invitation to participate in the project. The intention was for the group, as it came together through the process and then took the project forward, to define the issues that were important to them. In this way, the project themes and outcomes that formed the basis of discussion, were partially co-produced with participants. The intended outcomes of the project were: 1. To conduct a series of events that bring together a group of restorative practitioners for discussion that could potentially form the basis for continued work, supported by the Restorative Justice Council, on issues of access and inclusion. 2. To collate, summarise, and disseminate the discussions for practitioner and academic publications. The project used a series of online learning events (focus group style), culminating in a blended online/in-person day event held at the University of Gloucestershire in March 2022. The work was funded by the University of Gloucestershire ‘Research Culture’ fund, which provided financial support for participants to come to the face-to-face session. It had ethical clearance from the University of Gloucestershire, School of Natural and Social Sciences ethics panel. The Restorative Justice Council, as a UK sector advocacy group, participated in the final session to help provide support for taking forward some of the suggestions for actions identified by the participants. The material in this report represents a summary of participants’ discussions. The reflections and suggestions for actions are not the recommendations of the authors; they belong to the participants in the project and are a representation of the issues brought forward during the project

United States Massachusetts Department of Public Health Gun Violence Prevention RFI 192829

Health Resources in Action, Inc. (HRiA) is pleased to present this response to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Request for Information informing the procurement process to award funds that target gun and other violence prevention among out-of-school youth and young adults aged 17 to 24. HRiA sees gun violence as a health equity issue, and welcomes the opportunity to support community-based organizations located in and serving high-risk youth on this important topic. Founded in 1957, HRiA is a national non-profit organization with expertise in developing, implementing, and evaluating solutions for clients who share a vision of improving population health. With a growing staff of over 100 professionals, HRiA has a long history of working with state and local stakeholders. Our mission is to help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy, and research. We work with healthcare institutions, public agencies, philanthropy, and community-based organizations improve population health and reduce health inequities. Our core services include capacity building assistance (e.g., training, TA, consultation, and strategic planning); research and evaluation (e.g., assessment, research, program evaluation, and quality improvement); and grant making for biomedical research and community health initiatives. It is within our capacity building assistance work that we have engaged with a range of Massachusetts-based agencies and authorities to provide services related to violence prevention. Throughout all our work, we remain focused on addressing the social determinants of health and striving to achieve health equity. HRiA has extensive experience working with communities in developing gun violence prevention programs, and is deeply familiar with the factors contributing to systemic violence in communities of the Commonwealth

Diversifying restorative justice practise:Broadening cultural and ethnic representation in leadership and policy development

This is a presentation to the 'Restorative Leaders Summit' on the project exploring practitioner perspectives on issues around broadening cultural and ethnic representation of restorative practitioners