Criminal justice as a production line: ASAP and the managerialization of criminal justice in the Netherlands
Since the 1990s criminal justice systems in West European countries have increasingly been affected by the process of managerialization. The managerialization of criminal justice may result in fundamental tensions between different sets of values: efficiency and cost-effectiveness against values suc...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
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| In: |
European journal of criminology
Year: 2020, Volume: 17, Issue: 6, Pages: 826-844 |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Summary: | Since the 1990s criminal justice systems in West European countries have increasingly been affected by the process of managerialization. The managerialization of criminal justice may result in fundamental tensions between different sets of values: efficiency and cost-effectiveness against values such as the rule of law or careful decision-making. This article concentrates on one example of the managerialization of criminal justice: the policy programme ASAP (As Soon As Possible) in the Netherlands, aimed at making the settlement of cases of high-volume petty crime both faster and more efficient. The introduction of ASAP has resulted in a strong standardization of work processes and strict time limits, for both the police and the public prosecution service. In this article we analyse how ASAP operates in practice and to what degree the policy goals of ASAP are realized. This analysis shows that the introduction of ASAP has transformed an important part of the Dutch criminal justice system into an assembly or production line. This example of the managerialization of criminal justice has resulted in important tensions between, on the one hand, managerial values and, on the other, the values of occupational (legal) professionalism. |
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| ISSN: | 1741-2609 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1477370819828332 |