Liamcrime

Brian McDonald examines how extensively London was affected by gang’s violence/mob warfare. Brian McDonald also examines the ways in which these gangs started out and developed their lifestyle of criminality. The struggles that the Police and judiciaries had in preventing and tackling these organised crime groups was also researched well. The power and control displayed by gangs such as the Sabinis in the racecourse wars was also discussed as well as looking at the shifting patterns of how gangs have changed over time. Brian McDonald was born in 1937 and grew up in South London. His motives for the book stemmed from the fact that both his uncles were leaders of the notorious Elephant and Castle gang. As well as writing gangs of London, McDonald also wrote the book – Elephant boys which is now at the top of my reading list. His personal experiences deep-rooted in his own family inspired him to research further and write a very informative book, which I would say is essential for anyo...

In 2011 Professor David Wilson published an intriguing book titled- ‘A history of British Serial Killing’. This book is a fascinating read for any Criminologist and social scientist because it focuses on key serial killings in Britain from the epicentre of when the phenomenon of serial killing became a concept. Whitechapel in 1888 saw some of the most horrific murders committed by an unknown assailant. His name became identified as Jack the Ripper. At the start of the book, Wilson talks about how as a Criminologist, it is more relevant to look at the victims themselves as opposed to the serial killer. This is for several reasons. Firstly, so that we are not glorifying the serial killers. As Wilson said in his conclusion, many serial killers have killed because they wanted to be famous. Wilson feels and indeed so do I that by focusing on the killers themselves we are putting them into the public light and giving them the internal gratification and sense of accomplishment for their un...

After having read Tom Gash’s book on criminality and his interpretation of precisely ‘why people do bad things’, it has definitely opened up my mind into looking at new and different perspectives when researching Criminality. Tom Gash is a senior researcher at the Mannheim school of Criminology at the London school of economics. He is a regular contributor to debates and discussions on a variety of topics including Criminology, public policy and current affairs. He also regularly writes for media outlets such as the Guardian and the Financial times. He has an ambiguous interpretation and hosts a critical analysis of criminal behaviour in a Contemporary society. Within the book, he takes apart day to day interpretations of myths surrounding criminality. He picks apart and looks at different myths in a critical manner. In the first chapter on p27-49, he talks about the idea that crime is significantly rising. However, throughout this chapter, I questioned the validity of this statement...