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Criminal Justice Matters

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From post-crime to pre-crime: preventing tomorrow's

crimes today
David Wall
Published online: 08 Sep 2010.

To cite this article: David Wall (2010) From post-crime to pre-crime: preventing tomorrow's crimes today, Criminal Justice Matters,
81:1, 22-23, DOI: 10.1080/09627251.2010.505396

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09627251.2010.505396

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 From post-crime to
PRE-CRIME

pre-crime: preventing
tomorrow’s crimes
today
David Wall introduces this special issue
of cjm. Sometimes this belief might be
expressed intentionally through
policy or sometimes unintentionally

G
‘ ood Morning Mr Yamamoto
…’ the storefront’s electronic
advertising screen eerily
greeted John Anderton (played by
Tom Cruise in the 2002 film Minority
Report) shortly after he had
undergone an eye transplant to
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special issue, this combination of the
pre-crime and surveillance themes
conveniently and provocatively
highlights some of the very important
issues that are discussed within. Plus,
these themes also (arguably) play an
important role because, they, along
as the result of mission creep or
knock on effect. Alternatively, it may
be simply a technique for managing
the micro-politics of public
expectations of law enforcement. In
either of these cases, the result is
usually a situation that potentially

change his identity. ‘Welcome back’ with other social science fiction, infringes basic human rights,
it droned on ‘... would you be provide powerful cultural metaphors freedoms of action and expression.
interested in trying out our new that, to paraphrase Frank Furedi, help Whilst the optimist can see the
chinos; how were those tank tops to subconsciously order the line positive impacts of identifying
you bought last time, Mr Yamamoto?’ between fact and fiction. problems before they arise, there are
An iris recognition device in the The idea of pre-crime is many negatives which the pessimists,
advertising screen had recognised increasingly becoming part of the or even realists, identify.
(the now deceased) Mr Yamamoto’s crime prevention landscape – The ‘pre-crime’ idea distorts the
eye signature and then linked it to encouraged no less by cultural scientific belief that we can use
his retail shopping record before data reference points in social science social science methods to analyse
mining its own records and other fiction (such as crime situations
global consumption data to the above) and in order to
anticipate products he might be promoted by The ‘pre-crime’ idea develop rules
interested in buying during his visit the less distorts the scientific that will enable
to the retail store. The central reflective us to predict
narrative of Minority Report is based members of the belief that we can risk factors that
upon Philip K Dick’s 1956 short crime science will then
novel of the same name and is the lobby, and by use social science inform crime
futuristic and far-fetched practice (by the need for methods to analyse prevention
today’s standards) of a special economic strategies. At
policing unit that uses seers, or efficiency. crime situations in the more
‘precogs’, to foresee serious crimes Consequently, mundane level
before they take place and then takes the ‘pre-crime’ order to develop rules this philosophy
preventative action to stop those theme of this that will enable us to is increasingly
crimes from ever occurring. The special issue is bedding in to
film’s main action, however, is set intended to be predict risk factors that our social
within the surveillance society a stimulating structure. Most
described above in which the culture organising will then inform crime notably, we are
and scientific practice of predicting motif that prevention strategies. already
human actions is embedded in provokes a witnessing the
ambient technologies that have been visceral increasing
created to assist the lives of its response from reversal of the
citizens, but which have also ended writers to inspire them to briefly burden of proof from the accuser to
up shaping them. explore the extremities of the the accused in a number of modern
At the end of the day Minority increasingly popular belief that offences that rely upon digital
Report is simply an enjoyable film science can be used to predict and evidence and range from speed
which leaves the audience thinking eradicate criminal and social cameras to possession of obscene
‘what if’. For the purposes of this problems before they happen. images to aspects of the

22 ©2010 Centre for Crime and Justice Studies

10.1080/09627251.2010.505396

rCJM No 81.indd 22 25/08/2010 10:30:57

 counterfeiting of intellectual At this point we need perhaps a genetic ‘Holy Grail’ of using DNA as

PRE-CRIME
property. Taking this apparent shift little less conversation and a little a way of ridding societies of crime;
from a justice society to a control more action. In the following set of Peter Squires and Dawn Stephen on
society one step further, of particular articles a group of highly respected ASBOs and the precautionary
concern is the way that masses of academics, each explore an aspect of criminalisation of youth; and Ian
data generated by our everyday use the evocative pre-crime theme. What Paylor on the politics of risk
of new technologies can be mined they collectively illustrate is the ever assessment of youth.
by others to identify traits about our present and very real tension between The second half of the issue
own social behaviour. Traits that can the politics of policing danger and the critically responds to pre-crime type
then be used danger of not responses to terrorism. Jude
against us, say policing reality. McCulloch and Sharon Pickering
in social
Each article’s message They also show look at the ways that pre-emptive
sorting. Such is one of the risks that in this day strategies linked to counter-terrorism
sorting may be and age the legislation establish a ‘pre-crime’
actuarial, say in associated with the politics of criminal justice framework; Gabe
the way our policing danger Mythen and Sandra Walklate critique
credit ratings
uncritical acceptance of is, in fact, itself the idea of pre-crime by arguing
are calculated the anticipatory logic. a sobering that ‘speculative imaginings’ shape
and inform reality. Each future predictions derived from risk
lending article’s assessment procedures. In the final
arrangements with our bank, which message is one of the risks associated article, Mike Levi examines the
we largely have to accept if we want with the uncritical acceptance of the fight against the financing of
to use banking facilities. Else it may anticipatory logic. terrorism – what he calls the
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be more insidious in that certain
health factors or accidents of birth
may be weighted in the calculation
of risk factors and unfairly work
against us without any actual
evidence that they would influence
our behaviour.
The first half of this pre-crime
issue covers various aspects of the
criminal justice processes from
which a pre-crime theme is
emerging: Lucia Zedner writes on
the perils of pre-punishment; Carole
McCartney on the search for the
‘preceeds of crime’. n
David S Wall is Professor of Criminology at
Durham University (formerly at Leeds) where
he researches and teaches cybercrimes,
policing and intellectual property crime. He is
author of Cybercrime: The transformation of
crime in the information age (Polity, 2007).

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