ac2.3: assess how forms of punishment meet the aims of punishment - imprisonment

Question 1

mandatory life sentences

Answer 1

• the most serious punishment available, applies to a murder conviction
• these people spend on average 16 yrs in prison
• even when released they are monitored and have restrictions, they can be returned to prison at any point if they break the terms of their license

Question 2

discretionary life sentences

Answer 2

• given for serious offences other than murder, e.g. manslaughter, robbery or rape

Question 3

indeterminate sentences

Answer 3

• given with no release date
• abolished in 2012 but some people are still serving them
• in 2018 john worboys who was serving this was to be released, but this was met with public outcry

Question 4

suspended sentences

Answer 4

• a custodial sentence served in the community
• if they commit more crime when serving this, they are sent to prison

Question 5

wayne couzens

Answer 5

• a metropolitan policeman who used his power to kidnap rape and kill sarah everard on march 3rd 2021. he had previous indecent exposure allegations
• he was sentenced to 19 months inprisonment for 3 counts of exposure, and a whole life sentence for the rape and murder of sarah

Question 6

karen matthews

Answer 6

• her daughter shannon went missing on february 19th 2008. she was found on march 14th alive, drugged in the base of a bed in michael donovan’s bed (uncle of karens bf). him and karen worked together to kidnap shannon for the reward money
• she was sentenced to 8 years and served 4

Question 7

the 2011 london riots

Answer 7

• the mark duggan murder by police incited violence against officers. riots began in london then spread across the uk. people looted and behaved violently
• 2 men were sentenced to 4 years for inciting a riot on facebook that never happened, a student was given 6 months for stealing £3.50 worth of water bottles

Question 8

john worboys

Answer 8

• found guilty in 2009 of sexually assaulting 12 women, police think he used ‘date rape’ drugs to attack over 100 women from 2002 to 2008
• originally sentenced to a min term of 8 years for 19 offences. then in 2019 an additional 2 life sentences with 6 year min for attacks on 4 more women

Question 9

prison meets retribution

Answer 9

• prisoners have their civil liberties removed, they deserve the punishment. whole life sentences are given and this can be seen as revenge
• we overuse prison sentences in england and wales. the prison pop has increased by 70% in the last 30 years
• sentence lengths are increasing, for indictable offences the average sentence in 2 years longer than in 2008. minimum terms have increased, 13 years in 2001 to 20 years in 2020

Question 10

prison doesn’t meet retribution

Answer 10

• reoffending rates are 45% within a year of release, this is 63% for short sentences
• 369 people died in the year to sep 2021 in prison, 81 to self done (6x more likely in prison). 21% of these in the first 30 days
• self harm rates are the 2nd highest ever recorded. women are 4% of the prison population but account for a disproportionate number of self harm incidents
• there is a rewards scheme in prison, argued this is a fairly nice experience

Question 11

prison meets rehabilitation

Answer 11

• engagement with education can significantly reduce reoffending (34% compared to 45%). it can help change mindset, gain employment and with addiction
• there’s about 2000 prisoners in higher education, estimated this reduces reoffending by 20-40%

Question 12

prison doesn’t meet rehabilitation

Answer 12

• only 36% of prisoners received a positive rating for purposeful work activity (2019-2020)
• nearly 2/3 of prisoners enter prison with literacy skills of an 11 year old. a lot of work would need to be done to even achieve gcse’s
• you need at least 6 years on your sentence to qualify for he, with the increase in short sentences this isn’t possible for everyone

Question 13

prison meets deterrence

Answer 13

• prisons aren’t nice places to be, they’re overcrowded and unsafe. 51% of mens prisons were deemed unsafe
• basic physical and mental needs aren’t met. most prisoners would choose to not return
• people learn more crime in prison - 14% of men and 12% of women develop a new drug addiction in prison. people don’t want this
• people can be deterred by observing others receive a harsh punishment, e.g. the 2011 london riots

Question 14

prison doesn’t meet deterrence

Answer 14

• reoffending rates are 45% within a year of release, this is 63% for short sentences
• the prison system as a whole has been overcrowded since 1994, its expected to increase by 19000 by 2026
• we don’t often hear about punishments given. even if we do, the crimes don’t stop. e.g. after sarah everard crimes against women haven’t decreased

Question 15

prison meets public protection

Answer 15

• scotland, england and wales have the highest imprisonment rates in europe
• longer sentences are 2 years higher than in 2008. minimum terms have increased, e.g. 13 yrs in 2000 to 20 yrs in 2020 for murder
• the public are protected from dangerous criminals with indeterminate sentences, e.g. john worboys was going to be released but this was overturned

Question 16

prison doesn’t meet public protection

Answer 16

• there’s been an increase in shorter sentences, these don’t protect us and have a higher reoffending rate (63%)
• high reoffending rates (45%) show that although we are protected while people are in prison, when released they may commit more crime
• the public were surveyed and think that prison sentences are too lenient, perhaps they don’t feel protected

Question 17

prison meets reparation

Answer 17

• it could be argued that by taking the punishment of prison they are making amends for their crime, the family know they are paying for it
• some take part in restorative justice, they may write to the victim or the victims family. this is their chance to apologise

Question 18

prison doesn’t meet reparation

Answer 18

• suicide rates are high in prison, are these people really making amends?
• it isn’t direct payback to the victim or their family
• some prisons don’t take part in schemes such as restorative justice
• prisons are argued as being relatively nice places and not harsh enough

Question 19

prison meets denunciation

Answer 19

• prison is the punishment that most of society think of when we hear of someone committing a crime
• half of employees said they wouldn’t interview someone with a conviction, this reinforces that they’ve done something that society disagrees with
• when offenders are sent to prison they are reminded that what they’ve done is wrong, this lets boundary maintenance take place, e.g. like with wayne couzens and karen matthews

Question 20

prison doesn’t meet denunciation

Answer 20

• the reoffending rate of 45% shows that even giving long sentences to show our disapproval doesn’t actually reduce crime