Crime and Punishment - Modern, c.1900-2000 Flashcards
How has technology as a whole impacted crime?
New crimes have been defined, and old crimes have been redefined
What new crimes have been defined as a result of technological developments?
Car crime (e.g. speeding; drink driving)
Computer crime (e.g. hacking)
How have old crimes been changed by new technology?
THEFT - now, theft is slightly easier to do, as it’s easier to escape using a car. Theft of bank details can also be done online now
FRAUD (wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain) - can now by done by phishing over emails.
SMUGGLING - better transportation has made it increasingly hard to prevent. Now, drugs, tobacco and alcohol are smuggled daily, as well as people (due to issues such as war)
What act decriminalised homosexuality?
The Sexual Offences Act 1967
What did the Domestic Violence Act 1976 do?
A victim could get an injunction (court order) to ensure their partner stayed away from them
When was the Abortion Act passed? What did this do?
1967 - it legalised abortion if the child was to have serious disabilities or if the mother was at risk
What was the legal limit for abortion set to in 1968?
28 weeks
What happened in the 1950s? What was needed, as a result?
Many people from former colonies of the British empire moved to the UK for work
Different laws were needed to ensure that minority groups immigrating to the UK were treated fairly
What act was passed in 1968? What did this do?
The Race Relations Act made it illegal to refuse jobs, housing or public services to anyone based on their race, ethnic background or country of origin
When did the law recognise rape within marriage?
1991
When was controlling behaviour or force/threats against your partner criminalised?
2014
Which act was passed in 2005? What did this do?
The Criminal Justice Act of 2005 gave courts power to issue more severe penalties for hate crime - including homophobic crime
What are three examples of modern day social crime?
Copyright theft
Minor driving offences
Drug use
When was the maximum limit for the amount of alcohol someone could drink before not being allowed to drive set?
1967
What punishment is used for people who use their phones whilst driving?
6 points and a £200 fine
Which act made many drugs illegal?
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Which act made copyright theft illegal?
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
What is Neighbourhood Watch? When was it set up?
First set up in 1982, this is essentially like a modern-day tithing. These are local committees who raise awareness about crime and encourage neighbours to keep an eye on each other’s property
How many households are involved in Neighbourhood Watch?
3.8 million
Pros of Neighbourhood Watch?
Helps people feel safer
Works well for tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour
Encourages people to take a role in making their community safer
The police need community support
Cons of Neighbourhood Watch?
Most are in wealthy areas, as opposed to poorer areas where crime is more common
Some argue that it’s an excuse to underfund the police
What are some examples of technologies that have helped in policing?
Breathalysers (introduced 1967)
Speed cameras (introduced 1922)
CCTV
Biometric screening
Forensic science
What new weaponry has been introduce to the police force? Consequences?
CS gas, new style truncheons
These weapons help the police with arrest, though some criticise the police for being too quick to use violence
When were cars introduced? What effect did this have to the police force?
1930s
Improved the response times - by 1970s, the ‘bobby on the beat’ was replaced by rapid response teams
When were women introduced into the police force? What effect did this have?
1920s
Women are better able to deal with female criminals/victims
What sorts of communications have been introduced to the police force? What effect have these had?
1920s - morse code transmitters
1930 - two way radio + 999 system introduced
This allows for police forces to communicate between branches and call for help when needed. 999 system also helps response time
When was the police training college introduced? What effect did this have?
1947
All officers were now working to the same standards
What does PNC stand for? When was it set up and what did this do?
Police National Computer
Set up in 1974, this initially held the police records of 25 million individuals. This allowed police forces to easily share information on individuals
How have developments in science helped policing? Examples?
DNA samples and forensics have made it easier to catch criminals, even if they aren’t caught red-handed
What are four examples of specialist branches within the police force?
Fraud squad
Drug squad
Dog Handling Units
Special Branch
When was the fraud squad set up and what does it do?
1946
Deals with fraud in the stocks and business market
When was the drugs squad set up, and what does it do?
After the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Helps deal with issues related to drugs - the National Crime Agency tackles drug trafficking into the UK
When were dog handling units first used? What are they used for?
1938
First used for sniffing out drugs or finding missing persons
What does the Special Branch do?
A branch within each police force that deals with national security threats. They work with MI5 to detect terrorists
What are police forces increasingly trying to do? How do they do this?
The police forces are moving towards crime prevention
They do things such as educating people in schools, or get involved with neighbourhood schemes
Which act raised the minimum age for capital punishment? What was this age, and why was this done?
The Children and Young Persons Act 1933
18 years old. People realised that children weren’t completely responsible for the crimes they committed (they didn’t have the same understanding as adults)
When was capital punishment abolished for murder?
1969
Before 1969, which crimes were capital crimes?
Murder
Treason
What were the three main reasons for the abolishment of capital punishment?
CHANGING ATTITUDES IN SOCIETY - more liberal ideas developed in the 60s, as well as changing attitudes towards children
THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT - the Commons tried to abolish it in ‘48 and ‘56, but were blocked by the Lords. When it was finally abolished, the Home Secretary was strongly in favour of this
CONTROVERSIAL EXECUTIONS - Evans in ‘50; Bentley in ‘53; Ellis in ‘55
When did alternatives to prison begin to be used?
1907
When was there a sharp increase in the number of prisoners? Why?
What did this result in
1947 onwards
The length of the average prison sentence rose; the proportion of people sent to prison for offences like drink driving increased and the number of people in prison awaiting trial has increased
This resulted in overcrowding, staff shortages and - as a result - serious riots (which led to more prisons and prison ships being built in the ’80s)
When were open prisons introduced? What were they?
1933 - these were prisons where prisoners could leave for a day to work, in order to prepare them for ordinary life
What non-custodial sentences were introduced and when?
1967 - PAROLE (offenders could leave prison early on the promise of good behaviour)
1972 - COMMUNITY SERVICE (40-300 hours’ unpaid work)
1990 - ELECTRONIC TAGGING (tracks location; restrictions can be imposed on movements, and a curfew could be set)
1998 - ASBO (stop people from doing certain actions)
How did a declining trend in executions affect the abolishment of the death penalty?
Ending of public executions meant it was only really used for serious crimes like murder and
treason. Bloody code was almost gone, only around 15 executions per year in 1840.
Reasons for the abolishment of the death penalty? WW2.
After the horrors of the holocaust people were against executions, the horrors of the Nazis had a real impact on people.
Who was Derek Bentley?
Was convicted for the murder of a police officer, but it was his friend who shot him who was too young to be convicted. Had learning difficulties
Who was Timothy Evans?
A man who got implicated in the murder of his wife while staying at the house of a serial killer.
Only after he was hanged, did they realise that Evans was innocent.
Who was Ruth Ellis
Found guilty of shooting her abusive husband. There was tremendous sympathy for Ellis, whose glamorous picture often appeared in the newspapers.
What is an open prison?
Prisoners could leave the prison to go and work, reformation
Problems with prisons today?
- Overcrowding, prison population cannot cope to keep up with the number of prisoners. Victoria prisoners were designed to have one prisoner per cell (now 2 or 3). More violence, more drugs
- Lack of government funding, fewer staff
- Decline in meaningful activity, education
- Increase in violence, drugs
What were Borstals?
Like strict boarding schools for under 18s.
