Book Review: Bullock, K., Erol, R., & Tilley, N. (2006). Problem-Orientated Policing and Partnerships. Devon: Willan, Pp. 222

• Date: 01 December 2007
• Author: Lesley Noaks
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567707311565
• Published date: 01 December 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 (“Pre-Trial,” “Trial,” and “Evidence,” respectively) posit that defendants suffer

from a wide power differential during the process through to criminal trial. The authors highlight

how decision making is often done by the police, lawyers, and judges, and it is, unfortunately, common

at some levels for this power to be abused. This is evidenced by cases where police have threatened

to oppose bail unless a suspect provides information (p. 141). This power differential is evident

throughout the pretrial and trial phases of justice through the lack of provided defense attorneys, the

influence of bail refusal on the judge and jurors’ conceptions, and powerful tactics used by court

attorneys to influence the accused. These sections of this book take an extremely critical stance in

discussions of power and its abuse within the CJS. This provides readers who only have a basic

knowledge of the CJS with a challenge to their notions of the trial process and its fairness.

In contrast to the technical writing style of chapters 4, 5, and 6, chapter 7 (“Punishment and

Penalty”) is the easiest for students to understand because of the in-depth discussion of the principles

of punishment (just deserts, denunciation, less eligibility, and compromise) in highly accessible

terms. For criminal justice readers, this chapter can be somewhat monotonous; however, it is an

important addition to maintain reader accessibility.

Chapter 7 provides important background for a critical chapter 8 (“Sentencing”). Chapter 8 finds

particular interest in the judicial discretion and how traits of the offender can affect the judge’s decisions.

Many of these traits (such as disabilities, age, and cultural background) are immutable and remind

the reader that the work’s focus is on the loss of individual rights. The convicted individual has no

control over these traits and through power differentials discussed in earlier chapters may incur less

sympathetic judgments than those who possess traits that are regarded as more “favorable.”

Chapter 10 (“And Justice for All?”) encourages the reader to have compassion for the plight of

several disadvantaged groups, including Aboriginals,women, juveniles, and the “mentally handicapped.”

The choice to discuss the situation for Aboriginals was an obvious one, as the discrepancy is well

known. However, discussing the role of the mentally handicapped in the Australian CJS is a new

approach, and the authors should be applauded for their empathetic, informed, and objective discus-

sion.

Although Australian Criminal Justice has high hopes in achieving an informative, wide-ranging

book, the broad scope could be difficult for readers familiar with the criminal justice field to maintain

interest and readers from outside the field to comprehend the data given. The book is effective in

illuminating the loss of individual rights in the Australian CJS, although as the authors present a

valuable critique of the system, the book moves from an objective to subjective tone. The suggestions

for improvement put forward throughout the book make it difficult for the reader to sustain the belief

that the discussion is a nonpartisan reflection, as it is a political analysis of the Australian CJS.

Jennifer Ross

University of Missouri–Kansas City

Bullock, K., Erol, R., & Tilley, N. (2006). Problem-Orientated Policing and Partnerships.

Devon: Willan, Pp. 222.

DOI: 10.1177/1057567707311565

This book focuses on operationalizing the concept of problem-orientated policing. While some

comparison is drawn with the United States, the concern is primarily with trends in the United

Kingdom. The text does not concern itself with evaluating the concept of problem-orientated policing,

favoring a focus on best practice in implementation of the approach. The authors are to be commended

Book Reviews 359