Penal policy transfer

In recent years various pleas for, and attempts to developing comparative, global and even cosmopolitan criminology have been launched. Against this background, the phenomenon of policy transfer received some attention. This research project aims to contribute to the emerging stream of research on policy transfer within criminology. The central research question is: 'What has been the contribution of policy transfer to penal policy making in the two selected areas of study, that is, electronic monitoring and restorative justice?' For each of the two cases the general research question will fall apart in six sub-questions: (1) Why are policies, practices and ideas being transferred? (2) Who is involved in the transfer of policies, practices and ideas? (3) What is being transferred? (4) Are there different degrees of policy transfer? (5) From where are policies, practices and ideas being transferred? and (6) What are the constraints on the transfer of policies, practices and ideas? Detailed case histories of policy formation and transfer for each of the two cases will be developed. To this end, empirical data will be collected and analysed in a two-stage process: (1) a documentary analysis based on literature and documentary evidence concerning the two selected cases and (2) semi-structured interviews with key actors in- and close observers of- the various policy processes.