Avoiding the emperor’s prophecy: a case for the primacy of emergency management in criminal justice and human security studies

Abstract

Recent events have illustrated the reciprocal nature of the relationship between emergency management actors and law enforcement agencies. Emergency management and disaster studies, as fields of practice and academic scholarship are inherently interdisciplinary. Primary among the fields impacting their development is criminal justice. This relationship is confirmed as criminal justice departments continue to include specialized Homeland Security curriculum. However, even as universities and colleges around the country are integrating emergency management into traditional criminal justice programs, there remain gaps in recognition of the unique practical skills and perspectives disaster scholars bring to criminal justice programs. In many ways, disaster scholarship complements existing law enforcement-focused programs by expanding the breadth of what is considered public or community safety. During each phase of the disaster management cycle (preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation), emergency management research highlights the assistance of volunteer community disaster response organizations that are utilized to assist victims and survivors, and to distribute necessary aid and information. This essay provides a discussion of the linkages between emergency management, disaster studies, and criminal justice, and supports a call for a broadened, integrative approach to human security that fully recognizes the role of each.

Keywords:

• emergency management
• disasters
• curriculum
• criminological theory
• homeland security

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express deep appreciation to Dr Deeanna Button and anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments leading to a greater development of the manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Funding

No funding was obtained to support this work and the author will receive no financial benefit from publication.