3.4 Flashcards
A positive of the police
Effective at working in the community to prevent crime & keep public safe.
Also issuing notices and having specialist teams to deal with particular issues.
Negatives of police
Police have been labelled institutionally racist by the media following the
Stephen Lawrence case.
Police closed almost half of offences with no suspect identified. This suggests
a lack of effectiveness of social control.
Police believe crime is on the increase through statistics i.e. 20% increase in
gun and knife crime, however statistics have to be used cautiously due to validity issues
Judiciary issues
Suggested lack of effectiveness of the judiciary due to the increased number
of appeals following lenient sentences by judges/courts.
The media portray judges as being ‘out of touch’ with real society so cannot
apply relevant knowledge to a case and subsequent suitable verdict.
Judges have at times made inappropriate comments during trials, leading to
sentences thought to be unsuitable given the circumstances.
For example: Judge
lets off a thief and commends his ‘enterprise’ or a model caught stealing from
Harrods is spared jail after judge praised her ‘TALENTS’
A positive of the probation service
In certain areas, probation has been shown to be of good quality with strong
leadership
Negatives of probation service
Reports suggest probation staff spend too much time and focus on
paperwork and targets at the expense of prisoners.
Too many prisoners have been released without knowing where they would
sleep that night.
Lack of mentors for offenders released from prison & risk assessments not
always being carried out adequately.
A positive of CPS
Is an independent agency in charging and prosecuting individuals.
It is a fair agency that allows a due process model of justice to occur.
Negatives of CPS
Occasions when the CPS has failed to bring about social control due to funding problems and the amount of bureaucratic ‘red tape’.
There has at times been a lack of effort to take formal action
against known offenders i.e. Abu Hamza.
Negatives of prison service
Many statistics show that the prison service is limited in achieving social control
i.e. prisons have a poor record for reducing reoffending.
Within prisons, there are questions over social control due to the rising numbers
of prison disturbances. Riots are becoming more common within the UK prison
system.
Drug use and their availability is increasing inside prisons, again suggesting a lack
of social control.
Assaults on prison staff by prisoners are rising.
Positives of charities and pressure groups
Many campaigns to work towards an effective penal system.
Many campaigns designed and promoting topics on mental health and
vulnerable individuals.
Work with other agencies of society such as police & the NHS on campaigns.
Negative of charities and pressure groups
Effectiveness can be limited by only being able to put pressure on governments, they cannot force them to take action.
Explain the Howard League of Penal Reform
Is it a positive or a negative of campaigns?
Has run many successful campaigns – Books for Prisoners & a campaign to reduce the criminalisation of children by working with police forces. This results in the number of child arrests dropping by over 50%. There have been many individual success stories.
