Custody visiting: The watchdog that didn’t bark

Abstract

This article argues that in qualitative research into the work of a regulator, it is as important to watch out for that regulator’s omissions and silences as it is to examine what the regulator does and says. The argument is illustrated by data drawn from a study of the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme, the purpose of which is (or should be) to safeguard detainees and to deter police from misconduct which might lead to deaths in custody. Research into the scheme included using the technique of watching out for what the visitors did not do and did not say. The data obtained by this method are interpreted through the lens of Lukes’ theory of power to suggest that this watchdog has been debarked as a result of the power of the police.

Police custody in rural Scotland: negotiating boundaries, risk and organisational change

“…Beyond these legal and welfare roles, police custody has been conceptualised in several ways. There is a growing body of literature on police custody focused on vulnerability (Dehaghani (2021), independent custody visiting (Kendall, 2022) and power, legitimacy and the material conditions of custody (Skinns et al ., 2023). For example, Wooff (2019) explored the role of the police custody suite as a site of emotion, risk and resistance.…”