From parking tickets to the pandemic: Fixed penalty notices, inequity, and the regulation of everyday behaviours

Kath Murray; Susan McVie; Ben Mattews; Vicky Gorton

doi:10.1093/bjc/azae016

From parking tickets to the pandemic: Fixed penalty notices, inequity, and the regulation of everyday behaviours

Kath Murray^*, Susan McVie, Ben Mattews, Vicky Gorton

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Since the 1960s, Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have become a widely-used, sanction in the UK, used to deal with various low-level offences. More recently, the sanction came to prominence as the mechanism chosen to enforce the Coronavirus Health Regulations. This paper critically examines the decision to employ FPNs in this context, and the implications in respect of inequality and inequity. We show that the decision was at odds with contemporaneous policing trends, and, drawing on new research evidence, argue that the Regulations stretched FPNs beyond their intended use, creating inequalities in enforcement and inequitable punishment effects. Our findings raise policy questions about the impact of the Health Regulations and what actions should be taken in the event of future pandemics.

Original language	English
Article number	azae016
Pages (from-to)	1310-1327
Number of pages	18
Journal	The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society (BJC)
Volume	64
Issue number	6
Early online date	13 Apr 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azae016
Publication status	Published - Nov 2024

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

fixed penalty notices
policing
Covid-19
Scotland

Access to Document

10.1093/bjc/azae016Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

MurrayEtal2024BJCFromParkingTicketsFinal published version, 721 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

1 Finished

Policing the pandemic: The Role of Enforcement in Securing Compliance with the Coronavirus Regulations
McVie, S.
ESRC
24/03/21 → 23/03/23
Project: Research

7 Commissioned report
4 Other contribution
2 Other report
1 Article
More
- 1 Digital or Visual Products

Investigating the association between health vulnerabilities and police enforcement during the Covid-19 pandemic: A novel study using linked administrative data in Scotland
Gorton, V., McVie, S., Matthews, B. & Murray, K., 8 Nov 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Criminology.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
Evidence submission for the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers
McVie, S., 28 Apr 2023, 20 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Other report
Policing the pandemic in England and Wales: Police use of Fixed Penalty Notices from 27 March 2020 to 31 May 2021
McVie, S., Murray, K., Gorton, V. & Matthews, B., 9 Mar 2023, Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh. 104 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report

Open Access

Cite this

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title = "From parking tickets to the pandemic: Fixed penalty notices, inequity, and the regulation of everyday behaviours",

abstract = "Since the 1960s, Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have become a widely-used, sanction in the UK, used to deal with various low-level offences. More recently, the sanction came to prominence as the mechanism chosen to enforce the Coronavirus Health Regulations. This paper critically examines the decision to employ FPNs in this context, and the implications in respect of inequality and inequity. We show that the decision was at odds with contemporaneous policing trends, and, drawing on new research evidence, argue that the Regulations stretched FPNs beyond their intended use, creating inequalities in enforcement and inequitable punishment effects. Our findings raise policy questions about the impact of the Health Regulations and what actions should be taken in the event of future pandemics. ",

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From parking tickets to the pandemic: Fixed penalty notices, inequity, and the regulation of everyday behaviours. / Murray, Kath; McVie, Susan; Mattews, Ben et al.
In: The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society (BJC), Vol. 64, No. 6, azae016, 11.2024, p. 1310-1327.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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From parking tickets to the pandemic: Fixed penalty notices, inequity, and the regulation of everyday behaviours

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Policing the pandemic: The Role of Enforcement in Securing Compliance with the Coronavirus Regulations

Research output

Investigating the association between health vulnerabilities and police enforcement during the Covid-19 pandemic: A novel study using linked administrative data in Scotland

Evidence submission for the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers

Policing the pandemic in England and Wales: Police use of Fixed Penalty Notices from 27 March 2020 to 31 May 2021

Cite this