AC3.1 - Role of Agencies in Social Control Flashcards
Prison’s role in general social control?
Aims and objectives:
- Keep those sentenced to prison terms in custody
Funding
- Government funded
- Taxpayers pay more to run prisons that other major countries (£87 per day)
- 2015 - budget was £3.4 billion
Working practices:
- Types of criminality
- Reach
- Types of offenders
Prison’s working practices?
Types of criminality:
- Divided into different categories depending on the level of security needed (A-D)
Reach: - most are run by HM prison service:
- 109 of 123 are organised on this basis and run by the national offender management service.
- 14 private prisons which are contracted to the private security company G4S
Types of offenders:
- All prisoners enter prison at a standard level. they need to be well behaved to move up to an enhanced level - gives certain rights/activities
Prisons role in external social control?
Coercion
Will hold you against your will to ensure that behaviour is in a controlled environment
Individual deterrence
Continued threat of a prison sentence for future breaking of the law (suspended sentence)
General deterrence
Fear of consequences of a prison sentence (loss of employment)
Length of sentence
The possibility of a substantial term of imprisonement can act as an individual & general deterrence
Charities role in social control?
Aims and objectives
- Support and defend the interests of their beneficiaries
- They are non-profitmaking organisations and often enjoy some tax advantages from the governments
Funding
- All funded either via donations or governmental grants
- They often rely on volunteers to carry out their work
Working practices
- different charities have different working practices
- Two examples of charities are:
- NACRO
- Prison reform trust
NACRO’s role in social control?
Aims and objective
- Change lives, build stronger communities and reduce crime.
- Supports people with mental illness, in custody, have drug addictions, young people and veterans
Funding
- Received income from government grants and contracts as well as income from donations and charitable activities
Philosophy
- To focus on outcomes, and to be courageous, inspiring, reliable and proud
Working practices
- Offering support online for matters such as ressettlement advice. Develop individually tailored resettlement action plans for people
- Offer apprenticeships, traineeships and work programmes
Prison Reform Trust’s role in social control?
Aims and objectives
- Create a just, humane and effective penal system
- Reduce unecessary imprisonment and promote community solutions to crime.
- Improve treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families and to promote equality and humans rights in the cjs
Funding
- Do not receive funding from the government and are entirely dependent on voluntary donations
Working practices
- carry out research on prison life and run campaigns to improve the penal system
- ‘out of trouble’ - sought to reduce the number of children and young people in prison
Police role in social control?
Aims & Objectives
- Investigate crime, arrest, detain and question
- Monitor all criminal activity
Funding
- Divided into force areas that manage their own budget
- Mainly comes from government grants and council tax
Philosophy
- Reduce crime and preserve life
Working practices
- Types of criminality
- Types of offenders
- Reach
Police working practices?
Types of criminality
- Officers work on patrol and general duties in each force area
Types of offenders
- Many people opt for more specialised areas of work including drug squad, dog handlers, firearms, terrorism
Reach
- Police service have national and local reach divided into 43 territorial police force areas (39 England, 4 Wales) - Heddlu De Cymru
- Specialist branches - BTP
Police role in Social control?
Coercion
- Police could use their power to achieve desired result
Threat of Action
- Threat of arrest an detention control both individual and general deterrence
Fear of consequences
- Consequences may result in loss of a job, relationship or housing problems
Court Action
- If court proceedings follow from police ation serve as general deterrent
Shame and embarrassment
- shame of being arrested and questioned by police
Probation role in social control?
Aims & Objectives
- protect the public by the effective rehabilitation of high risk offenders by tackling cause of offending
Funding
- 35 probation trusts, NPS wass funded by national offendder managment service.
- Community rehabilitation are businesses and self-funding
Philosophy
- Enabling offenders to turn their lives around
Working practices
- Types of criminality
- Types of offender
- Reach
Working practices of probation?
Types of criminality
- deal with all types of criminality
- Have left involvement with minor offences (speeding)
- Pre-sentence reports
- Manage approved premises for offenders with a residence requirement
- Assess offenders in prison to prepare them for release
Types of offender
- Different types of offenders, may specialise with certain types
Reach
- National and local reach with 42 areas and 25 trusts
Probation role in external control?
Coercion
- Breach terms, sent back to prison
Individual deterrence
- Continued threat of custody for future breaking of the law
General deterrence
- Fear that probation order be given together with the restrictions and conditions it imposes
CPS role in social control?
Aims & Objectives
- police only investigated prior to the prosecution of offences act (1985)
- CPS became principle prosecuting authority with police maintaining investigatory role
Funding
- Government funded
- 2016-17 budget was over £500 million
Philosophy
- Pursue successful prosecution of offenders
Working practices
- Types of criminality
- Types of offenders
- Reach
Working practices of CPS?
Types of criminality
- A code of practice is used to help decide if a prosecutio should take place - evidence test and public interest). If not enough evidence, threshold test can be applied
Types of offender
- Different types of offenders, may specialise with different types of cases
Reach
- National and local reach consisting of 13 geographical areas
- CPSDirect available 24/7
CPS role in external control?
Coercion
- commit an offence, CPS will prosecute you
Individual deterrence
- continued threat of being prosecuted
General deterrence
- Fear of implication of prosecution
Judiciary role in social control?
Aims & Objectives
- Judges rule on appeal cass. They also interpret the law if it is unclear and set precedent, or legal rules, for other courts
Funding
- Salaries are decided following the Senior Salary Review Body - provides independent advice on the salary of the judiciary
- Dame Hazel Glenn - lawyers put off applying to high court as they could earn up to 3x more in their current post
Working practices
- Types of criminality
- Types of offenders
- Reach
Working practices of judiciary?
Types of criminality
- Low level criminiality will be dealt with my magistrates not judges
Types of offenders
- Judges take the oath of allegiance and the judicial oath.
- They have ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding the freedoms, rights and duties of people
Reach
- Various courts across the country mostly controlled by the judge-based decisions
Judiciary role in external control?
Coercion
- Sentence criminals to various punishment which the offender is forced to obey
Individual deterrence
- Continued threat beinf sentenced by a judge for future breaking of th elaw
General deterrence
- Fear of implication of a sentence
- People in society can envisage the potential consequences of breaking the law and the consequence of the prosecution is on of them
Pressure group’s role in social control?
Aims and objectives
- Do not want power for themselves instead they want to influence those in power
Funding
- Funded via donations or governmental grants.
- Often rely on volunteers
Working practices
- Different pressure groups have different working practices
- Two examples of pressure groups are:
- Howard League Penal Reform
- Liberty
Howard’s League role in social control?
Aims & Objective
- Push changes in how prisons service is conducted and also how prisoners are treated
Funding
- Income from governmental grants and contracts as well as income from donations and charitable incomes
Working practices
- Many successful campaigns - in 2014, the Howard League campaigned against restrictions on prisoners receiving books
Liberty’s role in social control?
Aims & Objectives
- Challenge injustice, defend freedom and campaign to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly
Funding
- Income from governmental grants and contracts as well as income from donations and charitable activities
Working practices
- founded in 1934 in response to brutal police attempts to stop protests during the Hunger marches
- Become the UKs largest civil liberties organisation
- Principles are guided by evidence, expertise and the human impact
