AC4.1 Use of theories informing policy development Flashcards
How do biological theories have implications on informing policy?
They have implications for the control and punishment of offenders
What defence in particular are biological theories concerned with?
Raises questions on diminished responsibility and whether it it fair to hold someone responsible when they have ‘no control’
Are there any cases in the UK to support the idea of biological theories having implications on policy?
No legal cases in the UK which a geneticdiagnosis of XYY has used a defence, however in the US it was ALMOST used in State v Roberts 1976
Where has the warrior gene been effectivly used as a defence?
Bradley Waldroup where he killed his neighbour and attempted to kill his wife with a machete, judge ruled childhood abuse and warrior gene means he should have MS not murder
What are problems with the biological theories allowing a defence to a criminal charge?
More murderers would plead D.R
Other murderers would appeal
Genetic experts said the ruling in Waldroup was wrong
What other issue do biological theories raise?
Potentially genetically screening people to identify those at risk of criminality in order to protect society
What is the issue with genetically screening people? 5
If its wrong innocent person could be locked up
Not everyone with a disorder would commit crime
How do you decide when their not a threat anymore?
Promote more crime as self-fulfilling prophecy
Certain groups could be discriminated against
What do individualistic theories of crime have an impact on?
e.g. learning theories has led to increased censorship and age ratings to avoid young people observing and possibly imitating violent and criminal acts
What is an example of learning theories having an impact?
British Board of Film Classification has a statutory requirement to classify games, films etc under the Video Recordings Act 2010
What has the learning theories led to?
Some films being banned in the UK such as Mikey after the murder of James Bulger as it featured a child killer and Human Centipde 2 was originally banned
What arguments can you make against censorship and age restrictions in the media?
You can access it anyway, people want to see them when their banned, the news is real life, sharing on social media and people should make their own decisions
How do social structure theories help policy making?
They have been applied to attempt to reduce offending in high crime areas
What is broken windows theory?
Low level disorder must be tackled quickly otherwise serious offenders will move in and residents will become more worried about crime
What is zero tolerance policy?
Involves relentless order maintenance and aggressive law enforcement against minor offences which will be treated the same as serious as it is easier to prevent a neighbourhoods slide into crime than rescue it
Where was zero tolerance policy successfully applied?
New York in 1994 where 7000 extra police officers were employed and particular attention was paid to graffiti and minor street crime, crime rate dropped by 37% and homicide rate by over 50%
