AC3.1 Flashcards
Aims and objectives of prisons
prisons must provide some form of punishment, which involves the deprivation of liberty and all the consequences that has for the prisoner.
rehabilitation should be attempted for the individual, so that when they are released, they return to society as law abiding.
this may mean tackling issues and challenges in outside life that have contributed to their criminal behaviour.
funding of prisons
most prisons are government funded with finances being raised through taxation.
in 2015, the budget was £3.4 billion.
according to an official study, compiled by the University of Lausanne for the council of Europe, taxpayers in England and Wales are paying more to run prisons than most other major countries in Western Europe.
According to the report, expenditure was at £87 a day in 2012. £15 higher than the European average of £72 a day per prisoner.
In 2015, it was estimated that the average cost of keeping a prisoner was £36,000 a year.
Philosophy of the prison service
the prison service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts.
their duty is to look after prisoners with humanity and help them lead law abiding and useful lives while in custody and after release.
working practices of prisons
most prisons are public sector and run by the government.
109 of the 123 prisons in England and Wales are organised on this basis and are run by the National Offender Management Service.
There are 14 private prisons which are contracted to the private security company called G4S.
Prisons are divided into different categories depending on the level of security required to oversee the prisoners.
Cat A - Maximum security - high risk
Cat B - High risk to others
Cat C - lower risk but not trusted to be in open conditions
Cat D - very low risk to others and due for release soon - known as open prisons
philosophy of the probation service
The National Probation Service says its values and philosophy are:
- the belief that offenders can change for the better and become responsible members of society
- belief in the worth and dignity of the individuals
- commitment to social justice, inclusion, equality and diversity.
some offenders are able to change for the better, however, it is often only those who have committed low level crimes.
aims and objectives of the probation service
to supervise high risk offenders who have been released into the community.
to support victims of serious sexual and violent crime.
to protect the public by rehabilitating offenders - by tackling the root cause of their offending so they can turn their life around.
they work alongside the police, local council, voluntary partners and justice services to manage offenders.
Evaluation of probation
- underestimating the risk that offenders hold
- since 2010, 697 murders have taken place by someone on probation.
- since 2010, 952 rapes or attempted rape convictions from someone on probation.
- 3,219 serious convictions by individuals on probation, since 2010.
What is the role of Sodexo Justice Service in supervising those serving their sentence in the community?
A private company, which took over part of the probation service.
an example of a community rehabilitation company.
- were contracted to manage low/medium risk offenders.
working practices of probation
Types of offenders:
- at any one time, there are about 250,000 offenders on probation.
1) those who are serving their sentence in the community instead of prison.
2) those who have been released on license from prison.
- those serving sentences of up to 2 years must spend at least 1 year on probation.
- those with longer prison sentences may be released on license after their minimum term and spend the rest on probation.
funding of probation servce
- the probation service is part of the HM Prison and Probation service, which in 2018 had an overall budget of £4.6 billion, shared between prisons and probation.
- the budget is provided by the government and comes from general taxation.
- The community rehabilitation companies were private businesses that had a contract with the Ministry of Justice to provide probation services.
- They were paid for meeting rehabilitation targets agreed in their contracts.
- 19 of the 21 CRCs missed their targets for reducing re-offending and some were even supervising their offenders remotely by telephone.
- A report in 2018 by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee concluded that up to £342 million had been spent on CRCs without clear benefits and by 2020 the MoJ had spent over £500m more than expected on CRCs. Therefore, the government ended private services in 2020 and reorganised the service on a regional basis.
aims and objectives of the police
- protection of the public
- bring offenders to justice
- maintaining law and order
funding of the police
in 2021-2022, they received £15.2 billion in funding
2/3rds comes from the central government/tax payer
1/3rd comes from council tax
a small amount comes from policing events - such as football events
philosophy of the police
-preventing crime and disorder
- the use of physical force as a last resort
- impartially uphold the law
working practices of the police
reach:
- 38 police forces in England, 4 in Wales and 1 in Scotland
- Specialist departments (Public protection unit for sexual offenders, Criminal investigation department for burglary and drugs and the major investigation team for murder)
aims and objectives of the CPS
- set up under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.
-advise police about lines of inquiry
-make a decision on whether to charge
-prepare and present the prosecution case against the offenders
-prepare appeals against unduly lenient sentences
