NCJ Number
241629
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: 12 Issue: 5 Dated: November 2012 Pages: 495-499
Date Published
November 2012
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article is additional commentary on the idea of a "Big Society" embraced by the current British Government and how gender manifests itself within this concept.
Abstract
In a previous article, "Big Society" in England is defined as a society in which higher levels of personal, professional, civic and corporate responsibility are used to solve problems and improve life for people and their communities. This definition involves the redistribution of power from the state to society, giving people the opportunity to take more control of their lives. This article provides additional commentary on the idea of Big Society and examines how gender manifests itself within this concept, especially in terms of violence against women. The concept of Big Society involves the use of the voluntary sector and community-based groups, both of which play important roles in combatting domestic violence. This article discusses the extent to which Big Society's agenda for criminal justice in general can be used to respond to violence against women in particular. The author notes that while Big Society policies can be used to combat violence against women, tensions remain between policy aspirations and the capacity to deliver on such policies to the general public. References