3.3 - Examine the limitations of agencies in achieving social control Flashcards
Why do agencies not always achieve social control?
- Environment
- Local and national policy
- Repeat Offending
- Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- Finance
- Access to resources / support
- Crime committed by those with moral imperatives
- Guess what percentage of adults do you think reoffend within one year of being released?
- What is the percentage for those adults serving less than 12 months?
Repeat Offending
- 46%
- 60%
- Guess what percentage of children do you think reoffend within one year of being released?
- What is the percentage for those children serving less than 12 months?
Repeat Offending
- 69%
- 77%
What is recidivism?
Repeat Offending
Recidivism refers to the tendency of previously incarcerated individuals to reoffend and return to prison.
What impact does the increasing prison population have on rehabilitation?
Repeat Offending
The increasing prison population negatively impacts the ability to rehabilitate prisoners, creating a vicious circle.
How does a limited budget affect prison rehabilitation?
Repeat Offending
A limited budget must be spent on an increasingly large prison population, further reducing available resources for rehabilitation.
What is the effect of the widening staff-to-prisoner ratio?
Repeat Offending
The widening ratio between staff and prisoners leads to an increase in violence directed towards both prisoners and staff.
What challenges do released prisoners face?
Repeat Offending
Released prisoners often face limited social provision, which can include finance, housing, and employment.
How does limited social provision affect recidivism?
Repeat Offending
Limited social provision can lead many prisoners to feel they have few options, increasing the likelihood of reoffending.
Why do criminals reoffend?
Repeat Offending
Prisons are ‘universities of crime’
Why do criminals reoffend? - Sutherland: Differential Association Theory
Repeat Offending
- Sutherland: Differential Association Theory
- Sutherland considered differential associations and the impact they had on learned behaviour which caused some offenders to effectively ‘improve’ in their criminality.
- He suggested that offenders often learn more in prison from their peers, hence the high re-offending rate of prisoners that are released in the UK.
- This means that released prisoners are more accesable to commiting a larger number of crimes
Why do criminals reoffend? - Other theories
Repeat Offending
- Bandura: Social Learning Theory
- Labelling Theory
What are civil liberties?
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
Civil liberties are basic human rights and freedoms granted to citizens through law.
What civil liberties do we benefit from in the UK? Give three examples
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
Human Rights Act 1998
1. the right to life
1. the right to respect for private and family life
1. the right to freedom in religion and belief
What civil liberties do we have in the CJS? Give three examples
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- right to remain silent
- right to a laywer
- righs to a notice telling you all your rights
Link to Due process model
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
Prioritises the intrest of the individual suspect who is confronted by the mighty power of the state
How do civil liberties and legal barriers limit social control? Give three exampels
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- Agencies (e.g. the police) can be frustrated with detainee’s rights under PACE 1984. For example, the right to remain silent or the right to a lawyer.
- Freedom of speech could mean the police are restricted from preventing marches and processions.
- Restrictions on surveillance may also limit social control
How do civil liberties and legal barriers limit social control? - Police
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- Civil liberties are a restriction placed on agencies such as the police, as people have freedom of speech and movement.
- For instance, there are foreign nationals with criminal convictions who cannot be removed from the UK due to EU regulations.
- Deportation cannot take place due to prisoners being in danger in their country.
Case Study - Aso Mohammad Ibrahim
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- Foreign nationals with criminal convictions may not be deported if they face danger in their home country
- He caused the death of a 12yrs old girl in a driving accident
- He wasnt deported to Iraq as eh clasimed he has the right to a family(who live in the UK)
Case Study - Abu Qatada
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
- Foreign nationals with criminal convictions may not be deported if they face danger in their home country
- An Islamic preacher who couldnt be deported
- As if he were to be tried in Jordan it would be based on evidence obtained through torture
Case Studies - Why would Marxist theory say these human rights were necessary?
Civil Liberties and Legal Barriers
As theyre in place to reduce oppression which may result in an increase in crime
Government funding for public sector jobs effect on CJS?
Finances + Social Control
- Social control agencies such as the police, CPS, probation service and prisons are limited in power to deal with crimes.
- Union action has resulted in many strikes for higher pay and more funding but this is yet to be seen.
- Lack of appropriate finances has had a huge impact on achieving social control.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What percentage were police budgets cut between 2010 and 2018?
Finances + Social Control
Police budgets were cut by 19% between 2010 and 2018.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What is a consequence of police budget cuts on crime prioritization?
Finances + Social Control
Police have to prioritize crimes against workload due to budget cuts.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What happens to some investigations due to lack of funding?
Finances + Social Control
Some investigations have to be cut as there is not the funding to carry them out.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
How might offenders react to reduced police investigations?
Finances + Social Control
Offenders may think they can get away with minor crimes and might reoffend.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What impact can budget cuts have on social norms?
Finances + Social Control
Social norms could change as a result of reduced police presence.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
Which type of crime receives a solid budget despite cuts?
Finances + Social Control
Homicide gets a solid budget.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What challenges do other police sections face due to budget cuts?
Finances + Social Control
Many sections find it difficult to carry out necessary lab investigations.
Police - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What is a potential outcome of insufficient evidence in court?
Finances + Social Control
Some offenders can end up facing no prosecution at all as there is no case to answer.
Prison - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What budget cut occurred in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) from 2011 to 2015?
Finances + Social Control
NOMS decreased its budget by a quarter, equating to £900 Million.
Prison - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What impact did budget cuts have on vulnerable prisoners?
Finances + Social Control
There was a rise in incidences of suicide, self-harm, and attacks on staff.
Prison - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What warning did the Prison Officers Association issue?
Finances + Social Control
They warned that inmates with mental health problems are in danger without a boost to finances.
CPS - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What percentage funding reduction did the CPS suffer?
Finances + Social Control
The CPS suffered a 30% funding reduction.
CPS - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What impact do budget cuts have on the CPS?
Finances + Social Control
Budget cuts lead to a significant reduction in staff, causing miscarriages of justice and less social control.
Probation - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What is the role of the probation service?
Finances + Social Control
The probation service is responsible for rehabilitating offenders and reducing reoffending.
Probation - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
How do budget cuts affect the probation service?
Finances + Social Control
Budget cuts lead to high caseloads, limited supervision, and inadequate rehabilitation programmes.
Probation - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What is the impact of underfunding on ex-offenders?
Finances + Social Control
Underfunding makes it harder to reintegrate ex-offenders into society.
Probation - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?:
What happens when ex-offenders do not receive proper support?
Finances + Social Control
Without proper support, many ex-offenders reoffend, undermining efforts to maintain social control.
Charities - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What impedes the effectiveness of groups like the Prison Reform Trust?
Finances + Social Control
The lack of secure funding due to reliance on voluntary contributions.
If they do not receive public donations, they are unable to function.
Charities - How can budget cuts lead to less social control?::
What happens to government grants for organizations like the Prison Reform Trust?
Finances + Social Control
Government grants that the organizations are able to claim are being reduced.
Role of Policies
Policy + Social Control
Policies from local or central government are targeted at helping to reduce particular types of crimes, often these are the ones that have been most heavily featured in the media and have therefore led to moral panic.
National Policies:
Policy + Social Control
- From 2010 to 2015 the police were focused on tackling knife, gun & gang crimes nationwide. They introduced new offences such as gang injunctions (engaging, assisting or encouraging gang violence) to improve the prosecution rate.
- This sends a message to people that this type of crime is increasing however it my not be the case, this could cause moral panic
Local Policies:
Policy + Social Control
- The Mayor of London introduced plans to tackle hate crimes and boost the metropolitans anti-terrorism squad in 2017.
- This can lead to other crimes, such as white collar crimes or fraud, to be ignored as it’s not in the government’s interest.
Resource Allocation Issues
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- Policies that focus on specific crimes (e.g., knife crime or drug offenses) may divert funding away from broader crime prevention strategies
- weakening the ability of agencies like the police and probation service to maintain overall social control.
Erosion of Trust and Weakening Deterrence
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- There have also been allegations the police won’t investigate or prosecute certain crimes, focusing on certain offences to meet government targets / policies.
- If people believe that certain crimes will go unpunished, they may lose faith in the justice system.
- This undermines the authority of law enforcement, making it harder for them to maintain order.
- Also, the fear of being caught and punished is a key deterrent to crime.
- If that fear diminishes, people may be more likely to engage in criminal behavior.
Erosion of Trust and Weakening Deterrence - Additional
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- Remember, strong social bonds, such as family ties and community involvement, can act as a form of social control.
- When these bonds weaken, people may be more likely to engage in deviant behavior
- Also, when people perceive that laws and social norms are not being enforced, it can lead to a general breakdown of respect for those norms.
Reduced Police Presence
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- Policies prioritising cost-cutting, such as reducing police numbers or merging departments, can lead to fewer officers on the streets.
- A visible police presence is essential for deterring crime and reinforcing informal social control through community reassurance.
Probation and Rehabilitation Challenges
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- Crime policies may prioritise punishment over rehabilitation, leading to high reoffending rates.
- Without adequate probation support, ex-offenders struggle to reintegrate, undermining efforts to maintain social control.
Legal Constraints on Enforcement
Policy + Social Control
How can the introduction of local and national crime policies limit social control by agencies?
- Strict policies may create obstacles for agencies, making it harder for them to respond flexibly to emerging threats.
- This limits their ability to adapt and enforce laws effectively.
Access to resources and support effect on social control
Access to resources and support
- One reason we are not able to achieve social control is because upon release from prison an offender will face problems with finance, accommodation and employment.
- The lack of support may mean that ex-offenders will return to crime, as they have no other choice to support themselves
The Bromley Briefings (2024)
Access to resources and support
The Bromley Briefings (2024) highlights several challenges faced by prisoners that hinder their successful reintegration into society, potentially leading to reoffending and undermining social control.
What does The Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile ( 2024) highlight?
Access to resources and support
- Highlights key challenges that hinder prisoner reintegration and increase reoffending.
1. Overcrowding limits access to rehabilitation, reducing job prospects post-release and increasing criminal relapse.
1. Mental health support is inadequate, leaving many prisoners unable to cope with reintegration pressures.
1. Resettlement services fail to secure housing and employment, pushing ex-offenders toward crime for survival.
1. Weak family ties due to restrictive visitation policies reduce emotional support, raising reoffending risks.
Recommendations to Increase Support and Resources:
Access to resources and support
- Reduce overcrowding with alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.
- Expand mental health services to address underlying issues.
- Strengthen resettlement programs for better housing and job support, link to Charities like NACRO
- Improve family connections through supportive visitation policies.
Environment
