Status: In draft
Social control policies
Introduction
The ICHRP project on ‘social control and human rights’ aims to analyse certain emerging patterns of control found in public policy responses to crime, deviance and social problems and draw attention to the implications for human rights practice. Many of these patterns have been in evidence for some time, especially in wealthy industrialised democracies of the North where they have been theorised and researched, but the human rights community has not always recognised them. In addition, they are increasingly being exported across the world and now pose significant challenges and problems for human rights principles and standards. For these issues to be addressed, all those concerned with human rights must recognise and engage with the challenges that arise from the widening web of control created by developments and measures across diverse policy areas.
The project focuses on five policy areas with strong control dimensions, which raise human rights concerns. The five policy-contexts examined by the project are: a) Policing and surveillance; b) Punishment and incarceration; c) Migrants and non-citizens; d) Urban spaces and the poor; and e) Infectious disease control. In addition, a case study of control measures applied to the Roma in Europe was also undertaken.
Six Research Papers were commissioned, focusing on each of the areas above. The authors of these papers were drawn from a range of disciplines: human rights, criminology, sociology, public health, and law. Their papers therefore reflect a range of perspectives and expertise. The draft of the synthesis report will soon be made available for consultation and comments.
