A critical portrait of hate crime/incident reporting in North East England: The value of statistical data and the politics of recording in an age of austerity

Clayton, John, Donovan, Catherine and MacDonald, Stephen (2016) A critical portrait of hate crime/incident reporting in North East England: The value of statistical data and the politics of recording in an age of austerity. Geoforum, 75. pp. 64-74. ISSN 0016-7185

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.07.001

Abstract

This paper contributes to research on the reporting of hate crime/incidents from a critical socio-spatial perspective. It outlines an analysis of third party reporting of hate crimes/incidents in the North East of England, based upon the work of Arch (a third party hate crime/incident reporting system). The data set is one of the largest of its kind in the UK and therefore presents a unique opportunity to explore patterns of reporting across different types of hate crimes/incidents through a system designed to go beyond criminal justice responses. Whilst not downplaying the significance of the harmful experiences to which this data refers, we are very aware of the limitations of quantitative and de-humanised approaches to understanding forms of discrimination. Therefore the paper adopts a critical position, emphasising that interpretation of the data provides a partial, yet important, insight into everyday exclusions, but also cultures and politics of reporting. While the data records incidents across the main ‘monitored strands’, analysis here particularly focuses on those incidents recorded on the basis of ‘race’ and religion. Our analysis allows us to both cautiously consider the value of such data in understanding and addressing such damaging experiences - but also to appreciate how such an analysis may connect with the changing landscape of reporting and the politics of austerity.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Hate crime/incidents; Third party reporting; Data collection; Politics of recording; Austerity
Subjects: L700 Human and Social Geography
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Geography and Environmental Sciences
Depositing User: Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited: 20 Jul 2016 11:00
Last Modified: 10 Oct 2019 17:04
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/27324

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