3.1-Roles of Agencies in Social Control Flashcards
What are the philosophies/aims and objectives of the prison reform trust charity?
-improve treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families
-reduce unnecessary imprisonment and promote community solutions to crime
-promote equality and human rights in the justice system
-works to create a just/humane/effective penal system
How is the prison reform trust funded?
Functions solely on public donations
What are the working practices of the prison reform trust?
-does not work with offenders directly but rather focuses on how the prison system can be reformed to benefit prisoners
-carry out research on aspects of prison life/ compositions of prisoners within prison and their life before
-provides advice and information to prisoners? CJS Agencies/members of the public/students by organising lectures/ conferences to promote their charity
-campaigns to improve the penal system ( “out of trouble”- reduce the number of children/young people in prison and “out for good-lessons for the future”-secures employment for prisoners on release
What are the philosophies/aims and objectives of the Howard League for Penal Reform?
-seems to transform prison for those behind bars
-oldest penal reform charity in the uk (1886)
-aims for less crime/safer communities/fewer people in prisons
How is the Howard League for Penal Reform charity funded?
-memberships and subscriptions
-public donations
What are the working practices of the Howard League for Penal Reform?
-many successful campaigns (“books for prison”- won a charity award in 2015)
-works with the media/parliament/agencies
-campaigns to reduce the criminalisation of children which worked closely with the England and Wales police forces (child arrests fell by 58% between 2010-2015)
-National reach
What are the philosophies/aims and objectives of NACRO?
-described as a social justice charity (strengthen communities/prevent crime/change lives)
-aims to overcome stereotypical views of ex-offenders)
-provides services to achieve their aims
What services are provided by NACRO?
Education: 4900 studied through this service in 2018
Campaigns: campaigns to change laws/policies affecting ex-offenders ( reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974)
Resettlement advice: provide advice and support (education/accommodation/employment)
Outreach projects: keep young people from offending
Housing:houses 3000+ tenants in its own properties. 2600+ left custody with secure accommodation
what types of offenders/offences does NACRO work with?
-a range of ex-offenders including those released from prison
-works with at risk young people (those excluded from mainstream schools)
-concerned with the needs of the disadvantaged young people and adults
what reach does NACRO have?
-a national organisation with local activities/projects in around 50 different parts of England and Wales at any one time
-has a large full time staff and many unpaid volunteers
how is NACRO funded?
-has an average income of £50m per year
-public donations
-government grants
-contracts for providing its services
what are the philosophies of the National Probation Service?
its core values and ethical principles include:
-belief that offenders can change
-belief in the worth and dignity of the individual
-a commitment to social justice/social inclusion/equality and diversity
what are the aims and objectives of the National Probation Service?
-supervise high risk offenders released into the community
-provide statutory support to victims of violent/sexual crimes
-protect the public
-rehabilitating offenders (tackling causes)
-work with partnerships with a range of organisations (courts/police/local councils/private and voluntary sectors)
–>until 2020, it worked with 21 private sector community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) (Sodexo Justice Services)
–>CRCs provided probation services for low/medium risk offenders)
what types of offences/offenders does the NPS work with?
-at any one time there around around 250,000 offenders on probation
-offenders deemed safe enough to serve their sentence in the community (or to complete it if they are released on license)
what reach does the NPS have?
-it is a national service
-works with the same standards throughout the country but delivering the same service regionally and locally
how is the NPS funded?
-the NPS is part of the HMPPS which had a budget of £4.6bn (2018) shared between the two services
-budget is provided by the government from tax
how are CRCs funded?
-private business that had a contract with the MoJ to provide probation services
-they are paid for meeting rehab targets agreed in the contracts
-19/21 CRCs missed their targets and some were supervising by telephone
-the HoC public accounts committee concluded that up to £342m had been spent on CRCs without any clear benefits and by 2020 the MoJ had spent £500m more than expected
-the government ended all contracts for probation work and reorginised the service on a regional basis. from 2022 it will be organised into 12 regions (Wales +11English regions)
what are the philosophies of the Prison Service
–describes its purpose as ‘preventing victims by changing the lives of offenders’
what are the aims and objectives of prisons?
-protect the public from harm
-help people who have been convicted of offences by rehabilitating them
-hold prisoners securely
-implementing sentences and orders of the court
what types of offenders/offences do prisons work with?
-typically deal with higher risk offenders no suitable to serve their sentence in the community
-the range if seriousness of the offence varies
rehabilitating offenders with prison activities and routines
-a prisons aim is to rehabilitate offenders but most prisons are criticised or the lack of activities/training/education/work opportunities
-in 2020 Chief Inspectors of prisons said that half the prisons had too few programmes and useful activates
-under 2/5 were assessed as delivering ‘good’ or ‘reasonably good’ activities compared to more than 2/3 in 2009/10
what is the incentives and earned privileges system in prisons?
-IEPs is a reward system
-prisoners can earn reqards for keeping within the rules
-there are 3 IEP levels (basic, standard. enhanced)
-all start on the standard level
- good behaviour means the prisoners move up a level and earn more privileges
-misbehaviour and they move down a level reducing their privileges.
what reach does the prison service have?
-a national organisations with numerous prisons around the UK
-offenders are first placed in a local prison after sentencing
they are then given a security classification based on a risk assessment
-they may be moved to a more appropriate prison elsewhere
what are the four prison categories?
3 closed prisons:
CAT A- those who escape would be highly dangerous to the public(murder/rape/terrorism)
CAT B-do not require max security but for whom escape must still need to be made difficult
CAT C-cannot be trusted in open conditions but unlikely to escape
1 open prison:
CAT D- can be reasonably trusted not to escape
how are prisons funded?
-paid by the government out of tax
-the total budget for prisons was £3bn (2018) which was 16% lower than in 2010
-this resulted in cuts in staffing with a 15% fall in the number of prison officers (2010-2018)
-as a result more experienced officers left the service (as of 2020 almost 1/3 of staff had less than 3yrs experience)
-the average cost of keeping prisoners in public sectors was $41,136 per yr while private sectors cost £42,591 (2019)
what philosophies does the jdiciary have?
-independence and fairness (prosecuting without bias)
-honesty and openness
-treating everyone with respect
-behave professionally and striving for excellence
what aims and objectives does the judiciary have?
-their basic role is to interpret and apply the law to cases
what are the aims and objectives of the judiciary in the Crown Court?
-the judge must manage the trial
-the judge must ensure fairness to all parties
-the judge must explain the legal issues/procedures to the jury
-the judge must sum up the evidence
-the judge must pass the sentence if the defendant is found guilty
what are the aims and objectives of the judiciary in the Court of Appeals?
-judges make the rulings on the appeals that come before them from lower courts
-may involves creating precedent which then bind the future decisions of lower courts
what types of offenders/offences does the judiciary deal with?
-judges deal with all types of offences and offenders
-except the least serious cases which are usually dealt with in the magistrates court
what reach does the judiciary have?
-the Supreme Court has nationwide jurisdiction and settles points of law of national importance
-Lower Court handle cases more locally
how is the judiciary funded?
-the pay of judges is decided by an individual body
-in 2020 the most serious judge (Chief of Justice) recieved £262,000 while district judges in lower ranks earned £112,000
-despite this some senior barristers working in commercial law earn in excess of £1m (this may be a disincentive for people becoming judges)
what does the judiciary have to ensure their independence is maintained in order to uphold the law and defend rights of citizens?
security of tenure:
-judges cannot be removed from office except by a petition to the King passed by both Houses of Parliament
A guaranteed salary
what philosophies does the CPS have?
-independence and fairness (prosecuting without bias)
-honesty and openness
-treating everyone with respect
-behave professionally
-equality and inclusion (to inspire greater confidence in the CPS from victims and witnesses)
what aims and objectives does the CPS have?
-set up in 1986 by the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985
-took over the role of prosecuting from police to reduce the risk of bias
-advise the police on investigations about lines of inquiry and evidence needed to build a case
-independently assess evidence
-decide whether to prosecute and what charges to bring
-prepare and present the case
-assists/informs/supports victims and witnesses of the case
what offences/offenders does the CPS deal with?
-a range of offences and offenders except for very minor crimes
what reach does the CPS have?
-a national body throughout England and wales with 14 regional area team for prosecuting locally
-Each team is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor who work closely with the local police teams and other criminal justice partners
-CPS direct is a virtual 15th area (provides charging decisions to police nationwide 24/7 265 days a year)
how is the CPS funded?
-mos of the funding comes from the government with half a million per year
-the CPS recovers necessary costs through the courts awarding costs against the defendant and recovering assets confiscated from the defendant (fines)
-suffered fudning cuts. their budget fell by 25% and had lost 1/3 of its staffing (raising concerns about their ability to perform effectively) in 2018
what philosophies does the police have?
-prevent crime and disorder
-depend on the public’s cooperation
-the use of physical force is a last resort
-carry out their duty impartially
-the police are the servants of the public and the law
what aims and objectives do the police have?
-keep the peace and maintain order
-protect life and property
-prevent/detect/investigate crime
-bring offenders to justice
-the achieve these aims by using powers given by PACE 1984
-Stop
-Question
-search
-arrest
-detain in a police station
what types of offenders/offences does the police deal with?
-police dea with all types of offenders and offences
-there are specialist law enforcement agencies that deal with certain crimes:
-detectives in CID
-fraud and drug squads
-covert operations/surveillance
-traffic mounted police
what are the different types of police?
unarmed police;
-with exceptions of certain specialist units (force is the last resort
special constables:
-unpaid, part time volunteers who undergo the same training and have the same legal powers as paid officers
Police Community Support Force (PCSOs):
-limited in their power. mostly deal with anti-social behaviour (issue FPNs for littering/confiscating alcohol from underage people). they can ask a police officer to make an arrest if needed
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs):
-elected representatives of the people of the area covered y a police force. give the local population a voice in policing and aim to cut rime and ensure efficient policing. they set the local police priorities and budget
what reach does the police have?
nationwide organisation:
-39 regional forces in England
-4 forces in Wales
-1 force in Scotland
-1 force in Northern Ireland
-there are also specialist organisation with UK wide reach (British Transport police)
how are the police forces funded?
-total budget of £15.2bn (2020/21)
-2/3 comes from government
-most comes from council tax
- a small amount comes from service charges (attending football matches)
-funding fell by 19% between 2010-18 which led a fall of 20,000 police numbers.
-by 2020 there were 123,000 officers in England and Wales.
