Narrow Margins: the criminalisation of trespass, the politics of property, and life on the margins in England

背景在2019年，保守党提出的在英国进一步将非法侵入行为定为刑事犯罪的提议，在英国脱欧的话语主导下没有进行公开辩论。现在，新冠肺炎已经占据了人们的议事日程，同时也揭露了我们现行财产和住房制度的断层。英国通过一系列立法稳步将非法侵入行为定为刑事犯罪，这直接影响了那些被现有不平等财产制度最边缘化的人。对一些社区来说，非法侵入可能是满足基本需求的唯一途径，如住房、安全和社会支持网络，以及设法在抗议或公开辩论中主张被忽视的声音(例如，通过抗议和直接行动)。在更长的历史范围内，与刑事化相对应的是，财产也得到了正规化，所有权通过登记和所有权得到越来越多的保护。这代表着一种转变，即不再强调“使用”作为合法所有权的基础，而是转向财产“所有权”，这使得财产使用更容易两极分化，集中在越来越少的人手中。正是在狭小的边缘，这两个刑事化和正规化的过程正在产生影响，使弱势群体陷入困境。总而言之，非法侵入行为的刑事化和财产的正规化代表着国家在仲裁合法财产使用方面的一种历史性的新颖干预，将民法转变为一种惩罚性方法，寻求代表所有者惩罚违法者。目标/目标该项目旨在探索将非法侵入行为稳定地定为刑事犯罪及其对英格兰边缘化社区的影响。研究问题(RQ1)询问犯罪化和正规化对被边缘化社区的日常影响是什么，目标(OBJ1)是鼓励围绕财产和非法侵入的辩论。这是对英国政府将非法侵入行为定为刑事犯罪的直接回应，将通过建立一个证据基础来实现，该基础可以支持被边缘化的团体和运动，并为公共辩论和政策制定提供信息。RQ2专注于非法侵入和财产的共同和不同经历。这将为这些趋势在不同动机和目标的群体中的影响构建一幅横截面图景，目标(Obj2)是更好地从经验上理解在英格兰边缘的非法侵入和财产的生活经历。这4个案例研究代表了不同的社区、动机和人口统计学，以比较和对比不同的经历，并提高他们的边缘化的可见性。最后，RQ3解包了支持非法侵入犯罪化的假设和理由，并试图探索财产正规化与殖民主义的地理历史交集。目标(目标3)是综合现有的关于财产和非法侵入的方法(社会科学和法学)，以及对案例研究和非殖民化文献的子学科方法，以开发一个新的概念框架来理解英国的这些问题。潜在应用/好处通过优先处理同时受到现有财产制度诽谤和挤压的侵入者的生活经历和声音，收集的数据将构建一幅关于刑事化和正规化的日常影响的图景，通过跨越4个案例研究来开发洞察力。项目成果将通过提供证据基础来支持这些社区和合作伙伴的声音，这些证据基础可以在竞选活动中动员起来，并用于为公众辩论提供信息。通过该项目，还将扩大学术界和公众对刑事定罪更广泛影响的理解，消除对这些社区的负面成见和误解。最后，这项研究将为围绕这些政策的政府决策提供信息。

ContextIn 2019, the Conservative Party's proposals to further criminalise trespass in England went without public debate under the discursive dominance of Brexit. Now, Covid-19 has taken over the agenda, whilst simultaneously revealing the fault lines of our current property and housing system. The steady criminalisation of trespass, through a series of legislation in the UK, has directly impacted on those most marginalised by existing unequal property systems. For some communities, trespass can be the only route to meet fundamental needs, such as shelter, security, and social support networks, as well as finding ways to assert ignored voices in protest or public debate (e.g., through protest and direct action). On a longer historical scale, and mirroring criminalisation, there has also been a formalisation of property, where ownership is increasingly protected through registration and title. This represents a shift away from emphasising 'use' as the basis for legitimate ownership, and towards property 'title', in a way which makes it easier for a polarisation of property use concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. It's on the narrow margins where these twin processes of criminalisation and formalisation are taking their toll, trapping vulnerable communities. Together, the criminalisation of trespass and formalisation of property represent an historically novel intervention by the state in arbitrating legitimate property use, transforming civil law towards a punitive approach that seeks to punish offenders on behalf of owners. Aims/ObjectivesThe project aims to explore the steady criminalisation of trespass and its impact upon marginalised communities in England. Research Question (RQ1) asks what the everyday impacts of criminalisation and formalisation are on marginalised communities, with the objective (Obj1) of encouraging debate around property and trespass. This is in direct response to the government's proposals to criminalise trespass in England and will be achieved through building an evidence base which can support marginalised groups and campaigns, as well as inform public debate and policy-making.RQ2 focuses on the common and contrasting experiences of trespass and property. This will build an intersectional picture of the impact of these trends across groups with different motivations and aims, with the objective (Obj2) of a better empirical understanding of lived experiences of trespass and property on the margins in England. The 4 case studies represent different communities, motivations, and demographics, in order to compare and contrast varied experiences, and advance the visibility of their marginality.Finally, RQ3 unpacks the assumptions and rationales which underpin moves towards trespass criminalisation, and seeks to explore the geo-historical intersection of property formalisation with colonialism. The objective (Obj3) is to synthesise existing approaches to property and trespass (Social Sciences & Law), with sub-disciplinary approaches to the case studies, and decolonial literature, in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding these issues in the UK.Potential Applications/BenefitsBy privileging the lived experiences and voices of trespassers who are simultaneously vilified and squeezed by existing property systems, the collected data will build a picture of everyday impacts of criminalisation and formalisation, working across 4 case studies to develop insights. The project deliverables will support the voices of these communities and partners by providing an evidence base, which can be mobilised in campaigns and used to inform public debate. Scholarly and public understanding of the wider impacts of criminalisation will also be expanded through the project, countering negative stereotypes and misunderstandings of these communities. Finally, the research will inform government decision-making around such policies.