FOCUS: CONTROL IN CAPITALISM
Control in capitalism. An intersectional perspective
by Jenny Künkel
Capitalism was out of fashion for a long time. Since the financial crisis and pandemic, social movements with different relationships to the repressive state apparatus as well as critical criminology, in which abolitionist traditions are reviving, have increasingly turned their attention to capitalist socialisation. This article outlines the questions that need to be asked and addressed in the future.
Capitalism and police. Continuities and (current) change
by Bernd Belina
The role of the police in capitalism is characterised by both continuity and change. On the one hand, it is always and everywhere the institution that enforces the capitalist order with violence, always focussing on the poor and „aliens“. On the other hand, the nature, extent and justification of police work change depending on the demand for labour. Partly because the latter is currently threatening to become a problem in this country, the role of the police is subject of public and political debate.
Right in the centre and not on the sidelines. Security authorities and the gentrification of cities
by Laura Flierl
The rising rental markets in major cities and their central role in the production of capitalist surplus value is once again giving rise to a flourishing practice of rent extraction strategies. In order to generate maximum returns on ivestment from real estate, landlords are also resorting to evictions on a massive scale, which, alongside other displacement tactics, have always driven the gentrification of cities. Particularly since the global financial crisis, protests against the violent displacement of insolvent and socially marginalised people have been on the rise. With the emergence of collective eviction blockades and practices of solidarity, a political actor whose role in the re-segregation of cities often remains underexposed – the police and their partners from the security business – is also increasingly coming to the fore.
The penitentiary system and the poverty spiral. Unequal before the law and after the judgement
by Christine Graebsch
Most prison sentences have a poverty background. The payment of a statutory minimum wage and pension insurance contributions would also be conducive to „resocialisation“ behind bars. Instead, the penitentiary system is part of a system of individualised attribution of poverty.
Developments in the security business. Is a master law coming for the sector?
by Florian Flörsheimer
The private security business, which has been growing for years, is benefiting from the current crises, but is also struggling with high cost pressure, staff shortages and a poor reputation. Cases of abuse of power, mistreatment or the employment of neo-Nazis have already led to reforms of the relevant legislation in the trade law. Now the Federal Ministry of the Interior has presented a draft bill for new regulations. The reform is aimed at better qualification and stronger control of the security business, but leaves fundamental questions unanswered.
Surveilled childhoods. Between protection, activation and (self-)control
by Verena Schreiber, Dana Ghafoor-Zadeh and Antonia Appel
Childhood takes place in an ambivalent relationship between protection, activation and (self-)control. As central addressees of future-oriented discourses and practices that promise security, participation and a better life, young people play an important role in current developments. However, these promises do not come without limitations and expectations. Based on recent trends in the city and in the field of digitalisation, we will discuss how subtle forms of control and increasing data collection further restrict young people’s freedoms.
NON-THEMATIC CONTRIBUTIONS
Colonial continuities of policing. The French Civipol in West Africa
by Eva Magdalena Stambøl and Leonie Jegen
The historical entanglements between colonialism, corporate interests and policing are reflected in the ways in which Europe seeks to control migration from West Africa. In this article, we first look at the role of public-private partnerships and surveillance during and after French colonisation and examine Civipol, a French company that specialises in capacity building for the internal security of African states and is owned by the French state and major French security companies.
Controversial statistics. PMK recording put to the test
by Leonie Gränert and Luisa Seydel
German statistics on politically motivated crimes (PMK) have recently come under fire several times for the way they are recorded and categorised. But how did controversial terms of political dispute make it into the police statistics? The article focuses on the definition system of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the attitude of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the categories of „hostility towards men“ and Germans as well as the ever-growing phenomenon of „not attributable“, which includes numerous „Reichsbürger“ (sovereignists) offences. We call for a revision of the recording practices and greater involvement of external actors in order to improve the statistics and prevent political misuse.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations not allowed? Ethnographic and legal remarks
by Clemens Arzt and Alexander Bosch
Hamas‘ rogue attack on Israel has also led to strong reactions in Germany. Politicians have declared support for Israel to be a reason of state. Nevertheless, there are people demonstrating in support of the Palestinians. In October 2023, the assembly authorities and police intervened against this on a broad scale. Total bans on gatherings were the rule for many days in Berlin-Neukölln, where many people with a Palestinian or Arab background live. This is analysed in more detail below from an ethnographic and legal perspective. Is this state action compatible with freedom of assembly, and has the excessive and legally questionable state reaction not been precisely the cause of some violent clashes?
Police lethal shootings in 2022
by Otto Diederichs and Norbert Pütter
For the year 2022, the official firearms usage statistics of the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) record a total of 54 shots fired at people. 11 persons were killed as a result. That is three more than in the previous year. Legally, these shots were classified as self-defence/emergency aid. 41 persons were injured by police use of firearms.