(2) AC 3.2 - Describe the contribution of agencies in achieving social control

Question 1

Social control agencies.

Answer 1

Environmental - design, gated lanes.
Behavioural - ASBO, token economy.
Institutional.
Disciplinary procedures - rule making, staged/phased.
Gaps in state provision.

Question 2

Environmental tactics in achieving social control.

Answer 2

CPTED, prison design, Gated lanes, CCTV

Question 3

CPTED

Answer 3

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design - C. Ray Jeffery.

Design is based on the idea that crime results partly from the opportunities presented by the physical environment.
We can a,tear the physical environment so crime is less likely to occur.
Interior and exterior (good lighting in doorway, lack of hiding spaces, fencing)

Question 4

Does CPTED work?

Answer 4

Brownsville and Van Dyke - higher crime in cities with high rise blocks than for the low level buildings. (New York)
Ohio - CPTED partnership plan with housing authority management, residents and police - 13% decline in crime in the first 3 years.

CPTED principles suggest criminals operate in hidden places - not always true (for example graffiti).
Crime may be displaced rather than prevented.

Question 5

Prison design

Answer 5

Panoptican (all seeing)
Allows guard to observe all prisoners without their knowledge, there is a tower in the centre to see into each cell - visibility is a trap.
Prisoners cannot communicate with each other so the crowd is ‘abolished’

Question 6

Example of panoptican prison

Answer 6

HMP Pentonville (UK)
Over crowded - designed to hold 900 but has over 1300.
Big drug problem - 37% had a problem going in, 9% developed problem while there. Shows drugs are easy to get.
Some inmates are only let out once every 2 days - lack of association time, not helping rehabilitate, more institutionalised.
69% reoffending rate.

Question 7

Examples of other prisons

Answer 7

Supermax Prisons - Florence, Colorado. Holds terrorists and murderers in solitary confinement. Has 360 inmates. Costs 2/3x more to build and operate than traditional maximum security prison.
Supermax prisons are the most secure, they provide long term segregated housing for inmates, classified as highest security risk.

HMP Berwyn - Wrexham (Wales). Newest in England and Wales and biggest (2106 category C men). Focuses on rehabilitation.

Bastoy Prison - Norway. Island that focuses on sustainability and rehabilitation. Reoffending rate is 20% (60% in UK, 69% in Pentonville).
In 2014 - 75 per 100,000 in Norway, 707 per 100,000 in USA.

Question 8

Gated lanes

Answer 8

Placed in alleyways to deter burglars from using them to gain access from rear of houses.
Government regulations - 1st April 2006 - giving local authorities powers to erect gates on public highways.
Used in Preston, Cardiff and Hartlepool.

Question 9

Do gated lanes work?

Answer 9

Positive difference in Preston - reduced crime. However some concerns about cleanliness of closed off areas.
Over 70 alley gates in Cardiff - reduced antisocial behaviour.

Question 10

CCTV

Answer 10

Closed circuit television.
Use of cameras to record crimes taking place and easily identify offender.
Effective deterrence as people know they will be caught.

Cases : Boston bombings, London Riots, James Bulger.

May not be clear

Question 11

Behavioural tactics in achieving social control.

Answer 11

Changing behaviour to make them more socially acceptable.

ASBO, token economies, probation.

Question 12

ASBO

Answer 12

Anti social behaviour order
UK is the worst country in Europe for antisocial behaviour.
Useful for persistent offenders (graffiti)
Seen as a badge of honour.

Case: Naked rambler - Stephen Gough - jailed for 2 years after breaking ASBO.

2014 - ASBO replaced with CBO (Criminal Behaviour Order).
Issued by courts - could be banned from certain activities or places and requires to address behaviour (drug treatment).
Aimed at serious persistent offenders.
Breach could cause 5 years in prison.

Question 12

Do ASBOs/CBOs work?

Answer 12

1st April 1999 - 31st December 2009 - 7248 ASBOs issued to people ages 10-17 in UK.
2013 - 58% ASBOs breached.

Use of CBOs increased by 35% in 2016.
2600 CBOs given our in 2020.
CBOs have more positive conditions (attending treatment).
Possibly too early to tell if CBOs are a better replacement.

Question 13

Token economies

Answer 13

Based on behaviour modification - rewarding positive behaviour and punishing negative behaviour.
Prison Reform Trust - promotes conforming behaviour through rational choice, enables people to earn benefits in exchange for responsible behaviour.
Prisoners given rewards for good behaviour.

The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme.
Basic - lose TV, no longer allowed own clothes (prisoner uniform)
Standard - TV, wearing own clothes, association, visits, money.
Enhanced - more job opportunities, more visits, more association time.

Question 14

Do token economies work?

Answer 14

Token economy is not implemented in the real world.
Some prisons in US withhold food.
Effective on a long term scale (Hobbs and Holt 1979)
Fo and O’Donnel (1975) - buddy system more impact on serious offenders.
Helps make prisoners more managable.

Question 15

Other behavioural tactics.

Answer 15

Probation - attempt to change offenders behaviour, offender manager to oversee and monitor offender could be ordered to take courses or treatment.

Question 16

Disciplinary procedures and institutional tactics.

Answer 16

Some institutions have their own rules and guidance on how to maintain control.
The main institution is prison.

Actions breaking the law - behaving in a way that could offend, threaten or hurt someone else, escaping from prison, causing damage to the prison/young offenders institution.
Possible punishments - privileges could be taken away for up to 42 days, locked in a cell by yourself up to 35 days, spend extra days in prison, up to 42 days for each offence.

Phases/staged discipline - first offence is dealt with more leniently (loss of privileges for a few days for prisoners. Warning, caution or conditional discharge otherwise.)
Repeat offending, likely met with stronger sanctions (probation, prison).

Question 17

Gaps in state provision and reasons for them.

Answer 17

Unreported crime - accounts for large percentage of crime - 60%. Unreported crimes have a larger percentage than crimes reported to police (dark figure of crime), gaps in understanding the true extent of criminal activity. Now there are different methods to report crimes (phone).

Unrecorded crime - In 2014, police recorded crime was at its lowest (3.5 million). However, it has slowly increased since.

Budget cuts - Lack of police means that too many crimes are dealt with cautions, as there is not enough funding to investigate all crimes. Prison budget fell by 16% and staff by 15%. 30% reduction in CPS budget between 2011-2018.

Lack of resources - Number of officers in the 43 forces has fallen by 20,000 since 2010. Decline in number of police community officers and civilian staff which provides vital back up roles. Lack of prison staff means prisoners spending lots of time in cells - restricting rehabilitation. Competing for demand (for example, NHS)

Existing laws - Human Rights Law 1998 can prevent deportation of criminals, this has happened with terrorists, allowing them to stay in the UK. New type of harm emerges - no existing laws to forbid it, so unable to prosecute and therefore control behaviour (for example, social media - questions whether allowing crimes to be broadcasted puts them at fault).