ABSTRACT
This chapter turns to consider the evolution of the criminal justice system in England and Wales from the 1980s until the late-1990s, at which point the Conservative Party relinquished the reigns of power. Exploring the key criminal justice legislation and policies, we find that the criminal justice system, as a whole, became more punitive in a variety of ways. This process was a protracted one (which is still being played out in many respects). Our analyses suggest that, despite all of her statements on crime, law and order, and punishment, the criminal justice system was not “Thatcherised” in the same ways in which the social security or housing systems (see Chapter 3) or the economy (see Chapter 4) were. This lends support to our earlier argument (Chapter 2) that not all policy arenas are impacted equally and that the criminal justice system was, in effect, radicalised as a result of the consequences of radicalism in other domains (namely, the economy and the welfare system).
