Unfinished business: how private sector management theory precipitated the crisis in the criminal justice system of England and Wales and how it can show the way out

Private sector management theory has become ever more central to the criminal justice sector in England and Wales over the past 20 years. This article argues that as a model for criminal justice services it is inappropriate because it was developed to improve efficiency in industrial processes at the turn of the 20th century, and not to manage the complexities and contradictions inherent in the 21st century criminal justice system. It contends that, confronted with analogous complexities and contradictions, the private sector has embraced consumer culture; by engaging with consumer culture, criminal justice services will be able to achieve their goals more effectively and realise their core values.