c1900-present: Modern Britain Flashcards
Continuity or change?
Many crimes have only changed in the means of doing the crime. For example theft has always been a crime but the invention of computers offers many new ways of stealing.
Smuggling
Happened for centuries with Illegal and legal items. In modern Britain cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs are smuggled in normally, human trafficking can also be considered smuggling. smuggling cigarettes and alcohol is considered a social crime.
Cybercrime
Most cybercrimes are new versions of old crimes, what is new is the scale since thousands of people can be targeted in one attack.
Terrorism
Not new, but new weapons, transport and communication means more people are at (low) risk. 7 July 2005 4 suicide bombers claiming to be members of Al Qaeda attacked London, 3 bombs went off on underground trains and 1 on a bus, 52 killed 770 injured.
Timeline of new crimes
- 1967-Abortion Act, decriminalised abortion in certain situations
- 1967-Sexual Offences act, decriminalised homosexuality for men over 21
- 1968-Race Relations Act, illegal to discriminate because of race/ethnicity
- 2005-Criminal Justice Act, more severe punishments for hate crimes
- 2006-Racial and religious Hatred Act, made spreading racial or religious hatred a crime
Changes in society
Multicultural, and more equal. new laws made for changing attitudes. Some activities decriminalised, equality and fairness promoted.
Race Crime
1968 race relations act and 2006 racial and religious hatred act both made certain acts a hate crime. However the 2005 criminal justice act allowed for punishments for normal crimes like assault to be higher if the motive was because of their race, religion or sexuality.
Drug Crimes
1971- misuse of drugs act made taking or supplying some substances illegal. Drugs classified by perceived danger, criminalisation of drugs controversial because some think it is a personal choice.
New driving offences
New crimes due to increase of cars for example:
* driving under influence of drugs
* driving without insurance, MOT, or license
* speeding
* ignoring traffic signs
* driving while on the phone.
Changes in policing
Motorised transport allows police to reach crimes faster, but less police on streets. Some are armed and appear like soldiers, controversial. Now includes women and different ethnic groups.
New special police units
- National Crime Agency- detects and prevents serious organised crime
- Economic Crime Unit- investigates large scale fraud, requires specialist training
- Police Central e-crime Unit- tackles serious e-crimes and raises awareness of e-safety
- Special Branch- aims to prevent all forms of terrorism.
Neighbourhood watch
from 1982- Neighbourhood watch groups have volunteers that prevent and detect crime in neighbourhood. tried to increase vigilance and education to prevent crime. varying success
Move to prevention
Much of modern policing is focused on prevention as well as catching the criminals. Police Community Support Officers introduced 2002 working with schools and community groups. Police also work to challenge extremism and radicalism.
Use of new science and technology
since 1900 rapid advances in technology has helped prevent, discover, and prosecute crime. Radios, DNA evidence, CCTV, Computers, Cars, Motorbikes, Helicopters, and Finger printing has all aided the police.
Abolition of the death penalty
Capital punishment last used in 1964 and abolished in 1998 because:
* Ideas about punishment changed to reform and paying back community being the main aims.
* Controversial cases.
Controversial cases causing end of death penalty
- 1950-Timothy Evans hanged for murdering wife and baby, evidence later proved him innocent
- 1953-Derek Bentley hanged for murdering a policeman even though he didn’t fire the gun and had severe learning difficulties.
- 1955-Ruth Elis hanged for murdering boyfriend who violently abused her for years
Prison changes
- use increased after 1900
- Different prisons for different types of criminals
- since 1907 prisoners released on probation supervised by probation officer and put back if reoffended
- 1948 hard labour and corporal punishment abolished in prisons
- separate prisons for young people
- rise in female prisoners though still only 6%
- Women’s and men’s prisons differ
Open prisons
prisoners aren’t locked in cells, for low grade criminals
high security prisons
prisoners are kept in cells away from other inmates for most of the day
Borstals
set up early 1900s used work and education to reduce re-offending rates. Today’s young offenders institutions have high re-offending rates.
New punishments
- developed in last two decades as alternatives to prison
- Community sentences- working on community projects for example
- Antisocial Behaviour Orders
- Electronic tagging
Rehabilitation
Prisons try to reduce re-offending rates through education and giving work that teaches new skills, mixed success rates and public don’t support ‘holiday camp’ prisons
Conscription
Law that states that everyone who is asked to, is fit, and healthy must fight in the armed forces. This happened. only during the first and second world wars. Conscientious objectors had to make themselves known and be tried at tribunals for their objection to be judged as to whether it is genuine.
Attitudes to Conscientious Objectors
Punishment and treatment of CO’s very different between 2 world wars. shows how those in authority changed views, but general public saw CO’s very similarly in both instances. probably because of the great sacrifices their families were making made them wish others to do the same.
treatment of Conscientious Objectors in WW1
- 1916-Conscription of men
- clause excused COs
- about 16000 men refused to fight
- Military tribunals made up of military officers and professionals to decide if CO genuine
- only 400 given total exemption
- ‘Alternativists’ given non-combatant roles
- ‘Absolutists’ imprisoned, brutally treated and given hard labour. 10 died in prison, 63 died after release, 31 had breakdowns
treatment of Conscientious Objectors in WW2
- April 1939 men conscripted
- December 1941 women conscripted
clause in law excused COs - over 59000 men and women refused
- Tribunals (no military) judged if CO genuine
- All but 12204 given complete or partial exemption
- Those with partial given non-combatant roles
- Far fewer of those without exemption imprisoned and those who did not treated harshly
Treatment of Conscientious Objectors by general public
- COs thought of as cowards and traitors.
- COs shouted at in streets, physically abused, shunned by former friends, found getting work hard.
- Press had fewer organised ‘campaigns’ against COs in WW2 than in WW1.
- During WW1 Order of the white feather encouraged women to give white feathers to young men not in military uniform to show their cowardice
Case of Derek Bentley
- Derek Bentley (19) had a mental age of 10
- he and his friend Christopher Craig (16) decided to burgle a warehouse
- police arrived while they were on roof meaning they were trapped.
- Bentley detained by DC Fairfax
- Craig had a knife and a gun, shot DC Fairfax in the shoulder
- Bentley stayed with DC Fairfax and shouted ‘Let him have it Chris’ before Craig shot and killed PC Sidney Miles.
- When Craig ran out of bullets he jumped off roof and broke his back.
- Both were tried and convicted of murder, Craig sentenced to prison as under 18
- Bentley despite an appeal was hanged on 28 January 1953.
Public and Parliamentary opinion of Derek Bentley
- Huge public outcry against sentence, motion in parliament by 200 MPs to reprieve Bentley but no decision made.
- Home Secretary decided not to reprieve him.
- case received a lot of media coverage mostly for Bentley.
- Bentley’s family continued campaign after his death
- he was pardoned in 1993 and in 1998 conviction of murder was overturned
significance of Bentley’s case
- highlighted vast difference in punishment for murder as some hanged others reprieved.
- Showed reprieving system by Home Secretary is lottery.
- Combined with other controversial cases increased number of people critical of death penalty.
