Crime: Government Responses

Question 1

Government responses to crime

Answer 1

Focus on restorative/preventive justice, public awareness campaigns, Violence Reduction Unit (VRU)

Question 2

Focus on restorative/preventive justice example

Answer 2

Presumptions Against Short Sentences (PASS) is a law that was passed by the government which encourages courts to seek alternatives for offenders who would otherwise be sentenced to 12 months or less in prison

Question 3

Public awareness campaigns example

Answer 3

The ‘Letters from Scotland’ campaign was launched in 2020 to combat hate crime

Question 4

Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) example

Answer 4

The VRU employ former offenders to mentor gang members, helping them turn away from a life of crime

Question 5

Government PASS effective

Answer 5

The reconviction rate for community payback orders is 29.2% compared to the 43.8% reoffending rate among those who serve custodial sentences

Question 6

Government PASS ineffective

Answer 6

The incarceration rate in Scotland remains historically high at 136 prisoners per 100,000 people

Question 7

Public awareness campaigns effective

Answer 7

Since the ‘Letters from Scotland’ campaign, statistics show that the Scottish public is more confident in identifying and reporting hate crimes

Question 8

Public awareness campaigns ineffective

Answer 8

In 2021-22, there were 3,107 charges related to racial hate crime

Question 9

Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) effective

Answer 9

Serious assault and murder only accounted for 5% of non-sexual cries of violence in 2022-23, a 9% decrease from the previous year

Question 10

Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) ineffective

Answer 10

Non-sexual crimes of violence still accounted for 25% of all recorded crime in 2022-23, and 84% of these crimes involved common assault