Control, Punishment and Victims Flashcards
The criminal justice system’s four aims:
- Deter crime
- Public protection
- Retribution (justice for victims)
- Rehabilitation
Situational crime prevention - Right realist influenced
Reduce opportunities for people to commit crime.
E.g. put in home surveillance.
Felson observed that in NY they redesigned bus stations to prevent deviant opportunities.
Toxic gas in Britain used to commit suicide by many people. In the 1960s -> changed gas and the suicide rates fell.
Environmental crime prevention (Wilson and Kelling) - Right realist influenced
The broken window theory = based on Zimbardo’s study called the bronx and left a nice car somewhere in California.
How to deal with it:
- Improve anything damaged in the environment.
- Zero tolerance policing
Social and community crime prevention - left realist influenced
- Positive relationships between the public and police.
- Increase social cohesion in neighbourhoods.
Criticism of situational crime prevention
- Displacement, criminals move somewhere else.
Foucalt - surveillance - postmodernist
Defines two types of discipline:
- Sovereign power = was typical up until the 19th century - when the monarch had absolute power over people. Control was asserted through physical, gruesome punishments such as hanging.
- Disciplinary power = discipline through monitoring, managing and controlling of behaviour. This system became dominated from the 19th century - governs not only the body, but the mind and soul too through surveillance.
Foucalt on disciplinary power
- It has extended everywhere in society, not just in prisons. For example:
- CCTV in public spaces,
- Registers in schools,
- Performance monitoring in work,
- Healthcare documentation.
The panopticon
- This was a design for a prison in which each prisoner in their own cell is visible to the guard, but not to each other.
- They do not know if and when they are being watched.
- Foucalt takes this idea and applies it to surveillance.
Criticism of Foucalt - NORRIS
- Found that CCTV in car parks reduced crime in the actual car parks, but had no effect elsewhere.
Synoptic surveillance
- Synopticon - ‘together seeing’ - the media plays a big part in this.
- For example, the public monitor each other with video cameras mounted to cycle helmets.
- Neighbourhood watch.
- Someone filming the police officer who is filming them.
Surveillant assemblages - Haggarty and Ericson
- Surveillance technologies involve manipulation of virtual objects in cyberspace rather than physical bodies in physical spaces.
- E.g. some CCTV can now use facial recognition software.
Actuarial justice and risk management - Feeley and Simon
- New technology of power is emerging throughout the justice system. Focuses on groups rather than individuals, prevents offenders from offending.
- Uses calculations of risk, e.g. young drivers risk of having an accident. Tried to bring in a law where new drivers cannot have passengers in the car.
Social sorting and categorical suspicion - Lyon
- Counter terrorism scheme was introduced in Birmingham. Certain social groups go under surveillance due to their risk of danger in society. e.g. terrorists - many Muslims targeted.
Labelling and surveillance
- Self-fulfilling prophecy and discrimination can be a cause of surveillance, especially if certain social groups are targeted.
Two roles of punishment in society:
- Reduction (deterrence, rehabilitation, incapacitation)
- Retribution (paying back - justification for punishing crimes)
