The Social World of an English Crown Court : Witness and Professionals in the Crown Court Centre at Wood Green

The first ethnographic study of a Crown Court Centre, this book describes the origins and early history of a pioneering project to support victims and prosecution witnesses appearing before the court--the Witness Support Project. Paul Rock analyzes the major divide which exists in the life of the court between professional insiders and public outsiders. He provides details of how this division is built into court architecture, administration, and social relations, and examines how it stems from the preoccupation of court officials with the control of knowledge, public order, and emotion.