crime and the law Flashcards
economic causes of crime
greed - fiona barclay stole £100,000 from man city for a wedding
unemployment - essex university found that 1% decrease in unemployment caused the auto theft rate to drop by 3.8%
biological causes of crime
sex - for the last 3 years, 93% of homicide was committed by men
warrior gene (MAOA) - men with warrior gene are 13 times more likely to have history of violent behaviour
social causes of crime
upbringing - people with adverse childhood experiences were 15 times more likely to commit act of violence and 20 times more likely to end up in prison
peer pressure - key role in young people joining gangs in glasgow
consequences on victims
emotional trauma - 21.1% of victims experience depression
physical consequences - in 2022, 17 year old, Modinat Raji was attack by acid in london
consequences for perpetrator
suffer guilt or shame - they could turn to substance abuse or other addictions
lose contact with family or friends - disowned by loved ones due to the stigma of committing a crime
consequences on families
a parent put in prison - no longer to afford family home
care for a family member - Angel Lynn required care from her parents after her attack
consequences on communities
moving away from area - homebuyers do not want to live in area
gain a negative reputation - limit employment, increase unemployment
consequences of crime on society
expensive for government - waste of money which could potentially be spent on health care or education
spend more money on prisons - in 2023, uk government spent over £6 billion on its prison systems
roles of police in scotland
protect the public - scottish police deployed more officers during the 2024 scottish cup final between rangers and celtic
prevent crime from happening - studies have suggested police patrols an reduce crime but only targeted in hot spots
police try to tackle crime
CCTV - areas with CCTV decreased crime by 13%
stop and search - help confiscate dangerous or prohibited items
powers of police
stop and search - confiscate illegal or prohibited items
search and entry of premises - in 2024, police seized £1.8 million worth of cocaine in glasgow
why police in scotland are effective in tackling crime
use of early intervention strategies to prevent crime - community police, police officers in secondary school
in their presence - police visibility in crime hot spots reduced crime in 62 out of 78 studies
police are not effective in tackling crime
racial hate figures rising - increases by 4.6% in 2023-24
not doing enough for women and ethnic minorities - scottish police being accused of being racist and sexist, public trust has been lost
government tried to tackle crime
serious organised crime task force - given police additional powers to seize assets from crime groups
taking public health approach to dealing with crime - 137 homicides in scotland dropped to 58
why government has been effective
taking a public approach to public health - 137 homicides in scotland dropped to 58
serious organised crime task force - in 2008, over £130 million has been recovered from criminal gangs
