AC3.2 - Describe the contribution of agencies to achieving social control

Question 1

How can built up environments affect level of crime?

Answer 1

• By influencing potential offender e.g., presenting them with opportunities to commit crime
• By affecting people’s ability to exercise control over their surroundings

Question 2

What is environmental design?

Answer 2

What a neighbourhood looks like and how it is designed so it has an impact on criminality

Question 3

What is crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)?

Answer 3

It is based in the idea that crime results partly from the opportunities presented by the physical environment. This being the case, it should be possible to alter physical environment so that crimes is less likely to occur. Crime can be reduced by: creating open spaces with strong lighting, especially in doorways to provide clear visibility. A lack of hiding places to enable people to see around corners and blind spots. Low-level bushes allowing clear visible sight lines

Question 4

What are the four defensible spaces?

Answer 4

Territoriality, natural surveillance, safe image and a safe location

Question 5

What is territoriality?

Answer 5

The environment encourages a sense of ownership amongst residents - the feeling its their territory and they control it. Certain layouts also give the message to outsiders that the area is for the use of private residents e.g., cul-de-sacs project a private image and encourage a sense of community

Question 6

What is natural surveillance?

Answer 6

Features such as easily viewed entrance lobbies and street-level windows allow residents to identify and observe strangers. Cul-de-sacs allow residents to overlook each other’s homes. Whereas high-rise blocks often have concealed entrances that allow offenders to come and go unseen

Question 7

What is a safe image?

Answer 7

Building designs should give the image of a safe neighbourhood where residents look after each other. A negative image means an area will be negatively labelled and targeted by offenders - broken windows theory

Question 8

What is a safe location?

Answer 8

Neighbourhoods located in the middle of a wider crime-free area are insulated from the outside world by a moat of safety

Question 9

What would functionalists say about defensible spaces?

Answer 9

Agree with the idea of defensible spaces and clear boundaries because it acts as boundary maintenance and reminds people of what is right and wrong

Question 10

What would the broken windows theory say about defensible spaces?

Answer 10

By changing an area to make it cleaner, criminals will not be attracted to the area

Question 11

What case study links to defensible spacess?

Answer 11

Damilola Taylor:
Found dead, bled out due to stab wound in leg in stairwell of a condemned housing estate. Nobody observed it, nobody cared for it so crime was more likely to occur there

Question 12

What are indefensible spaces?

Answer 12

Where crime is more likely to occur, confused areas of public space such as anonymous walkways and stairwells. They belong to no one and are cared for by no one and are observed by no one

Question 13

How does environmental design lead to social control?

Answer 13

• Broken windows theory
• Rich areas have less street crime
• Increasing sense of ownership of an area, offenders might be deterred because they know they are more likely to get caught

Question 14

How does environmental design NOT lead to social control?

Answer 14

• Won’t resolve white collar crime, cyber crime or DV
• Crime will be displaced
• Broken windows theory

Question 15

What are the types of environmental deisgn?

Answer 15

CPTED, gated lanes and prison design

Question 16

What are gated lanes?

Answer 16

Gates are installed at the entrance to rear alleyways in order to deter burglars or other criminals from using them to gain unlawful access from the rear of houses. Government regulations came into force in April 1st 2006 giving local authorities power to erect gates on public highways to combat anti-social behaviour

Question 17

What could gated lanes be used to prevent?

Answer 17

Drug dealing, assaults, theft, burglary

Question 18

What did Sidebottom et al find about gated lanes and reduced burglary rates?

Answer 18

• Provide a physical barrier; thus increasing the effort required to commit crime
• Residents taking responsibility for closing fates increases guard ship and surveillance, being watched by residents
• Gates increased resident’s sense of territoriality, pride and belonging
• May reduce the rewards of crime it will be difficult to steal large objects if the offender has to clime over gates with item - deterrence

Question 19

What is the Panoptican prison design?

Answer 19

• Each prisoner has an individual cell that is visible to the guards from a central watchtower
• The guards aren’t visible to the prisoner, therefore the prisoners don’t know if they are being watched but they do know they might be
• As a result they have to behave themselves at all times

Question 20

How does the Panoptican design influence social control?

Answer 20

Surveillance turns into self-surveillance and discipline becomes self-discipline

Question 21

What is Bastøy prison like in Norway?

Answer 21

Minimum security prison on an island. 300 people, 30 buildings, 70 staff. Recidivism rates 20 times lower than US. Farming, or training for a new trade. Visitors can sometimes stay over the weekend. Focus on rehabilitation. Reoffending rate is 20$ compared to 59% in UK but doesn’t achieve retribution

Question 22

What is the American Supermax prison like?

Answer 22

Spend up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement with little to no access to natural light. Inmates who experienced chronic disciplinary problems have little interaction with others

Question 23

What are the two behavioural tactics?

Answer 23

ASBOs and criminal behaviour orders and token economies

Question 24

What are ASBOs?

Answer 24

Brought in to deal with low level anti social behaviour such as vandalism, public drunkenness etc

Question 25

Why weren’t ASBOs effective?

Answer 25

Some individuals saw them as a badge of honour so would do things to get one. In 2009, 56% of ASBOs were breached showing they don’t achieve social control

Question 26

What are Criminal behaviour orders (CBOs)?

Answer 26

Used against anti-social offenders who have committed behaviour that has caused harassment, alarm and distress. Under the order, the person who has been convicted would be banned from taking part in certain activities or going to certain places, and would be required to try and change their behaviour by attending treatment programmed. This positive requirement is the main difference between the old and new order. Breach could result in up to 5 years in prison

Question 27

How do interactionists say ASBOs achieve social control?

Answer 27

Avoid labelling the offender until they breach their ASBO as the offender is not given a criminal record. This can lower the risk of the SFP occurring. Not given a criminal record until breach

Question 28

How do left realists say CBOs achieve social control?

Answer 28

CBOs focus on dealing with he root cause of offenders behaviour and rehabilitating them than simply punishing them

Question 29

What are token economies?

Answer 29

Reward positive behaviour and punish negative

Question 30

What are the list of behaviours promoted in prison?

Answer 30

• Follow all rules
• Keep cell clean
• No fighting
• No intimidation
• No further criminality
• Seek a job

Question 31

What are rewards like in token economies?

Answer 31

Extra visiting hours or financial payment. This achieves social control because prisoners want rewards to make their time in prison easier, enforcing good behaviour. They will also want. this on the outside. Seen as effective long-term social control

Question 32

What did Hobbs and Holt find about token economies?

Answer 32

125 boys aged 12-15 in a correctional facility found that positive behaviour changes lasted throughout the 14 month study. However, when released they won’t have token economy implemented so could go back to their old ways

Question 33

What are institutional tactics?

Answer 33

Institutions can achieve social control through positive and negative sanctions.

Question 34

How do the family enforce social control?

Answer 34

Children must not stay out late without permission
Sanction:
- Grounded
+ Extended curfew

Question 35

How do the school enforce social control?

Answer 35

Complete homework
Sanction:
- Sent out, detention
+ Verbal recognition, praise, sticker

Question 36

How does the workplace enforce social control?

Answer 36

Employees must be punctual everyday
Sanction:
- Disciplinary, if constant - fired, pay deduction - only paid for hours since clocking in
+ Employee of the month, will help when applying for promotion

Question 37

How do prisons enforce social control?

Answer 37

Privileges system

Question 38

How do the courts enforce social control?

Answer 38

Cans sentence offenders for various punishments

Question 39

How do the probation service enforce social control?

Answer 39

Supervising and monitoring behaviour of offenders when they are on release or serving in the community. If they breach go back to court or prison

Question 40

What are the disciplinary procedures?

Answer 40

Rule making, staged and immediate discipline

Question 41

What is rule making?

Answer 41

Institutions set rules e.g., no fighting, no criminal behaviour, seek a job and no intimidation

Question 42

What is immediate discipline?

Answer 42

1. Kept in cell for longer
2. No phone calls
3. No TV
4. No visitations

In real life doctors must not break the hippocratic oath - can’t neglect/harm patients, must do everything to save a patient’s life, if they don’t they could be sent to prison and have their licence removed

Question 43

What is staged/phased discipline?

Answer 43

Issue a warning before punishment e.g., if someone is caught with cannabis it will be confiscated and they will be given a warning to not to be caught with it again or will be arrested.

The NPS will allow minor beaches e.g., don’t attend unpaid work once because ill.

Question 44

What do functionalists say about staged/phased discipline?

Answer 44

Rules and discipline acts as a boundary maintenance which reminds people of right and wrong

Question 45

What does Skinner say about staged/phased discipline?

Answer 45

positive and negative reinforcement, less likely to repeat behaviour if punished

Question 46

What are gaps in state provision?

Answer 46

State agencies of social control can achieve some form of control over criminal and anti-social behaviour through the use of tactics or mechanisms to prevent crime taking place but this can never be complete. This is due to gaps in state provison. They are unable to fully tackle the issue of the dark figure of crime due to things like fear and blackmail

Budget cuts can impact upon criminal cases being tackled especially within the police. A lack of police officers means that too many cases are being dealt §with by cautions

The requirement to adhere to one set of laws can prevent others from being implemented and thus create a gap in provision. A number of foreign terrorists have used the Human Rights Act 1009 to remain in the UK to avoid deportation so cant; full achieve social control as may offend again