Agencies Of Social Control Flashcards
What are the aims and objectives of the police?
Reduce crime, maintain law and order and ensuring the protection of life. Also have powers of arrest, detention, search and interviews.
Where do police get their funding from?
Their main source of income is a central government grant but can also get their income through council tax.
What are the working practices of the police?
Police forces have teams of officers who are responsible of dealing with different branches such as dog handlers, firearms, royal protection, anti-terrorism etc.
What are the strengths of the police when ensuring social control?
Coercion - can use force and power to make arrests and take suspects into custody before they are charged for an offence.
They protect the public by interviewing and arresting offenders.
Create a fear of punishment as individuals do not want to be sanctioned for committing crimes and undergo a court trial so it deters crime and reduces criminal rates.
What are the limitations of the police when ensuring social control?
Police cannot punish defendants because it is the CPS who prosecute defendants therefore limits retribution, reparation and public protection.
Police need warrants to find and gather evidence and they have time restraints as only hold offenders in custody for 24hrs.
Not effective with internal social control as don’t change how people think.
What are the aims and objectives of the Crown Prosecution Service?
They decide which cases should be prosecuted. Determine the appropriate charges and advise police in early stages.
Prepare cases for court and are independent are fair.
Where does the CPS get their funding?
Mainly funded by government as budget is decided from parliament but when costs are awarded by courts the CPS recover some costs from prosecuting offenders.
What are the working practices of the CPS?
Provide the police with charging advice and prepare cases for court.
Also follow 2 stages of the full code test - evidential stage and public interest stage.
What are the strengths of the CPS?
They ensure that offenders will be prosecuted and taken to court to undergo trials.
They ensure fear of punishment as they are the ones who prosecute individuals which can result in punishments.
Protect the public from dangerous offenders and reduce crime as criminals are removed from society if imprisonment occurs.
What are the limitations of the CPS?
They receive inconsistent funding from the government meaning that there is a lack of money spent on finding evidence and a staff, result in cases being delayed. - reduction of resources.
Internal social control doesn’t change.
Need large amounts of evidence in order for a prosecution to occur and often crucial evidence is dismissed.
What are the aims of objectives of the judiciary?
Ensure human rights are compliant and explain procedure and legal issues to jury.
Interpret law if unclear and set legal rules for other courts t follow.
Give appropriate sentences when necessary and follow sentencing guidelines to do so.
Where do the judiciary get their funding?
Judicial salaries are decided by the recommendation of the Senior Salaries Review Body SSRB. They provide advice to the PM on the payment.
What are the working practices of the judiciary?
They are independent and make decisions solely on the basis of law and evidence with no improper influence.
Have to take 2 oaths; oath off intelligence and judicial oath. Fair and consistent and their ultimate decision is based on freedom, safety of others and mitigating and aggravating factors.
What are the strengths of the judiciary?
Implement external social control through fear of punishment. - General and specific deterrence as people won’t commit crimes as don’t want to receive criminal offence.
Enforce public protection through sentencing offenders which can remove freedom from offenders - retribution.
Sentencing guidelines ensure realistic punishment is given.
What are the limitations of the judiciary?
Cannot control reoffending rates.
In serious cases the jury have the overall decision and these are people with no qualifications who could be influenced by improper factors such as media.
Different judges interpret laws differently meaning that some people can get away with the same crimes that others don’t - inconsistent sentences applied in different areas.