3.4. Evaluate the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control.

Question 1

Strengths of the effectiveness of the police in achieving social control:

Answer 1

• Extended police powers helps to remain social control e.g. they are able to detain suspected terrorists for 14 days allows them to be more effective.
• Increase in number of crimes could be because police are now better at recording them.
• Police started to prioritise offences of public concern e.g. domestic abuse, where cases being reported and recorded are increasing.

Question 2

Limitations of the effectiveness of the police in achieving social control:

Answer 2

• Police ineffective at achieving social control as many serious crimes involving brutal offenders have often taken long time to be brought to justice e.g. Stephen Lawrence.
• HOS - crime had increased by 10% in July 2017. Suggest the police are being ineffective at tackling crime.
• evidence of police failing to investigate large numbers of offences reported to them e.g. from 2013-18, the Met police screened out 525,000 crimes on the same day they were reported.
• Macpherson Report 1999 found the Met Police to be institutionally racist e.g. stop and searches are disproportionately used against black people and other minorities.

Question 3

Strengths of the effectiveness of the CPS in achieving social control:

Answer 3

• Effective in achieving social control as they’re responsible for bringing the prosecution to court by using the Full Code Test. Bringing a case to court enables administration of justice to take place.
• Prosecutes 80,000 cases in CC and 450,000 in magistrates’ during 3 month period. 80% of the defendants they prosecute are convicted.

Question 4

Limitations of the effectiveness of the CPS in achieving social control:

Answer 4

• Some high-profile cases have seen the CPS fail to build an adequate case, leading to the prosecution collapsing e.g. Damilola Taylor’s case, CPS relied on a lying witness, when proper checks would’ve picked up on their unreliable source.
• Media reporting of CPS isn’t favourable, and their handling of rape cases has been criticised e.g. in 2018, the Guardian reported that CPS specialist rape prosecutors were advised to drop ‘weak’ cases.
• CPS has budget cuts of 25% and staff loss of 1/3 in recent years.

Question 5

Strengths of the effectiveness of the judiciary in achieving social control:

Answer 5

• Judges applauded for their clever interpretation of ‘outdated’ pieces of government legislation. Due to statutory interpretation, they’re able to approach the law with flexibility and judge a case on its own merits.

Question 6

Limitations of the effectiveness of the judiciary in achieving social control:

Answer 6

• Media portrays judges as being out of touch with mainstream modern society. Portrays judges as old, white, upper-class males.
• Judges can be biased towards people who are of a different background than them.
• In 1989, Judge Pickles sentenced a man to probation after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old. In the same year, he jailed a women for contempt of court when she refused to give evidence against her ex who assaulted her. Gender bias.
• Some judges/magistrates impose really harsh/too lenient sentences e.g. London riots 2011, people got custodial sentences for minor thefts.

Question 7

Strengths of the effectiveness of prisons in achieving social control:

Answer 7

• Basic requirement of prison is keeping inmates in custody, which it does well as there’s been almost no escape.

Question 8

Limitations of the effectiveness of prisons in achieving social control:

Answer 8

• Prison officers fell by 15% due to budget cuts.
• Overcrowding: in 2018, 58% of prisons were overcrowded, meaning more inmates to control and cramped conditions.
• 36% of all ex-prisoners reoffend.
• Drug use among prisoners has risen - availability of drugs in prison undermines discipline and control as well as reducing rehabilitation.
• In 2020 there were 9,800 assaults on staff and 76 suicides.

Question 9

Strengths of the effectivness of the probation service in achieving social control:

Answer 9

• Ideology of conservative government is biased towards privatisation. Despite this, former head to probation service said the part-privatisation was irredeemably flawed and concluded the work of engaging, monitoring and rehabilitating offenders should be in public hands.
• National probation service has had more success than Community Rehabilitation Companies (privatisation) in achieving social control, and has 1/2 the rate of reoffending compared to prison.

Question 10

Limitations of the effectiveness of the probation service in achieving social control:

Answer 10

• No support for people on release - end up homeless and committing further crime.
• 2017 report on prisons suggest that staff spend too much time on paperwork and targets than on prisoners and their development.
• Doesn’t face the same scrutiny and regulation as other government-funded agencies - uncertain of what they really do.

Question 11

Strengths of the effectiveness of charities and pressure groups in achieving social control:

Answer 11

• NARCO provides accommodation, food and access to education for offender released on prison. Help to achieve social control as they actively prevent people from committing crime by providing them with help and support.
• Help raise awareness and put pressure on the government to change, make of amend laws.

Question 12

Limitations of the effectivesness of charities and pressure groups in achieving social control:

Answer 12

• They cannot force their campaigns onto the government, so are not always successful in achieving social control.
• Are voluntary work, so only exist where people are concerned about a certain issue/groups.