The culture of control and transformation in An Garda Síochána

In 2001 David Garland published his work on what he called “The Culture of Crime Control” relating to the systems of criminal justice in the U.K. and U.S.A. He argues that criminal justice in these large jurisdictions has, in the thirty years prior to 2001, become more authoritarian, punitive and coercive. He uses twelve benchmarks or what he calls “the Indices of Change” to make out his case. The author is a retired member of An Garda Síochána with in excess of thirty three years Garda experience. This thesis will use this experience to explore transformation in An Garda Síochána in the last half century since the late 1960s to 2018 to establish if Garland’s theory has any relevance to that transformation. It will be contended that the evidence presented here is compelling proof that Garland’s theory is authenticated in what occurred in Irish policing in the period under review. This thesis specifically examines six of Garland’s “indices of change” to demonstrate how relevant they are in explaining transformation in An Garda Síochána and policing generally in the Republic of Ireland. That is not to suggest that Garland’s remaining six indices are not relevant. They are, but they impact on Irish policing in a more indirect way and are more relevant to other agencies in the criminal justice system. It will be maintained Garland’s indices can be used to describe how An Garda Síochána has become scandal ridden and never more so than in the most recent decades. However, it will also be asserted that Garland’s theory can be the template for the Garda organisation to extricate itself from scandal and implement measures and procedures that will ensure good policing practice and a less turbulent future.