Accountability for Criminal Justice: Selected Essays

Anna Leslie is an associate professor of sociology at Sir Wilfred
Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Sociologists, political scientists, lawyers, and historians are among
the contributors to this interdisciplinary collection of essays, which
examines accountability as it relates to criminal-justice agencies and
actors. Covering the past 15 years in those English-speaking democracies
that have common-law traditions, the book addresses such areas as
government ministries, policing, corporate crime, the media, the
national parole board, securities regulation, and judicial
accountability.

Criminal-justice accountability can be traced to the 18th century, when
“criminal charges by magistrates [were] gradually exposed to public
scrutiny ... when the power of trial judges was limited ... and when
those accused of criminal offences were given the possibility of
mounting a more effective defense.” As the 21st century approaches,
growing concerns among the public about the abuse of power and trust in
a wide range of institutions have increased pressures for more-visible
accountability and responsibility.

This volume explores the debate about the meaning of accountability and
its “implications for the controllability and responsiveness of
institutions.” Several authors discuss the relationship between the
prescriptions and the practices of accountability, between
accountability and control, and between “internal” and
“external” accountability. Most of the essays reflect on the
remarkable proliferation of external review and accountability in recent
years, asking critical questions about the relationship between such
mechanisms and the effectiveness of structures of accountability within
a given organization.

The interdisciplinary nature of this book makes it a valuable resource
for multiple disciplines at the undergraduate level.