Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals

This article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events - one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral...

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Main Authors: Hansen Lofstrand, C, Loftus, B, Loader, I
Format: Journal article
Published: Routledge 2017
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author Hansen Lofstrand, C
Loftus, B
Loader, I
author_facet Hansen Lofstrand, C
Loftus, B
Loader, I
author_sort Hansen Lofstrand, C
collection OXFORD
description This article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events - one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral tales which dramatize a host of societal norms and values about private security and criminal justice, prompting a great deal of normative conflict. The wider point we draw from the analysis is that when market actors enter the field of policing and criminal justice, they not only re-shape that field, they are also re-shaped by it. Private security cannot, in other words, escape the moral dilemmas and conflicts that inescapably attend practices of policing and punishment.
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spelling oxford-uuid:51f9febb-9571-46c5-9705-4adb17c76bcf2022-03-26T16:22:51ZPrivate security as moral drama: a tale of two scandalsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:51f9febb-9571-46c5-9705-4adb17c76bcfSymplectic Elements at OxfordRoutledge2017Hansen Lofstrand, CLoftus, BLoader, IThis article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events - one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral tales which dramatize a host of societal norms and values about private security and criminal justice, prompting a great deal of normative conflict. The wider point we draw from the analysis is that when market actors enter the field of policing and criminal justice, they not only re-shape that field, they are also re-shaped by it. Private security cannot, in other words, escape the moral dilemmas and conflicts that inescapably attend practices of policing and punishment.
spellingShingle Hansen Lofstrand, C
Loftus, B
Loader, I
Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title_full Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title_fullStr Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title_full_unstemmed Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title_short Private security as moral drama: a tale of two scandals
title_sort private security as moral drama a tale of two scandals
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