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When suspects are arrested, they spend their time in police custody largely in isolation and out of public view. These custody blocks are police territory, and public controversies about what happens there often only arise when a detainee dies.
Custody visitors are volunteers who make what are supposed to be random and unannounced visits to police custody blocks to check on the welfare of detainees. However, there is a fundamental power imbalance between the police and these visitors, which calls the independence and effectiveness of custody visiting into question.
Investigating this largely unexplored part of the criminal justice system, this timely book includes the voices of the detainees who have a unique insight into the scheme. It offers detailed proposals for radically reforming custody visiting to make it an effective regulator of police behaviour, with an explanation of the political context that could make that a reality.
John Kendall previously worked as a commercial solicitor. He was originally the sole author of Kendall on Expert Determination (5th edition, Sweet & Maxwell, 2014).
In retirement John worked as a custody visitor, and found it profoundly unsatisfactory. He undertook a self-funded research project and obtained access to the visitors, custody blocks, the police, and detainees. He was awarded a PhD for this research by the University of Birmingham, and this book is the result of that research.
Visiting the state's secret places
Gutting a good idea
Getting the visitors on side
Does custody visiting achieve anything?
Could custody visiting be made to work?