Crime & Punishment- 20th Century Flashcards
What were some new crimes against the person? (3) Explain why it developed?(2)
What crimes continued?
1) 1976- Domestic Violence Act made the law stricter.
2) 1968- Race Relations Act outlawed racial discrimination
3) Drug crimes- Drugs Act 1971 made it illegal to take drugs
CON:
-murder, assault.
What were some of the continuity/change in some crimes against authority? Explain why it developed? (3)
1) Smuggling legal and illegal items without paying ta so in modern Britain- cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs, people trafficing as well- in the past it was seen as a less serious social crime yet now there are more things to smuggle now and travel is much easier as well.
2) Terrorism- is not new but modern weapons, transport and communications means that more ordinary people are at risk- eg Gunpowder plot was an older form of terrorism whereas today, we had the 2015 Al Qaedo attack in London and resulted in 42 people being killed.
3)Car crime was a change as the majority of adults owned a car and cars were parts of everyday life.
What were some of the continuity/change in some crimes against property? Explain why it developed? (3)
1) Huge increased in the amount of theft recorded and theft remained an opportunist crime- theft was now also classed as ‘cyber crime’ eg fraud, online theft due to development in technology which people use as their mean forms of communication and information
2) Cont- Burglary.
3) Vandalism, trespass
What were the 20th-century factors that led to increased crime? (7)
1) Migration- after WWII migration to Britain increased as people from the British Empire and common wealth encouraged to move to Britain to help rebuild country-> led to increase racism, illegal immigration
2) Liberal attitudes-> led to hate crimes, homophobia, discrimination, racism/sexism.
3) Gender equality- Women rights developed throughout the 20th century and from 1970s, increased number of women rejected the idea of remaining at home to look after their families and gain a career-> led to discrimination and sexual assault.
4) Human rights-destruction of WWI/WWII, horrors of Holocaust led to United Nations being created with the main end to end persecution and ensure everyone had human rights-> led to discrimination, racism but no execution.
5) War & Peace- 1st half of 20th century saw a world war were the country had to pull together and since there, exprecedented peace in Uk and Europe-> conscientious objection.
6) Wealth and Propserity- 1950s, Britain experienced an economic boom which lasted for 20 years- increase in the buying of consumer goods and modern appliances-> led to increased theft.
7) Breakup of traditional communities- areas were bombed in WWII and slums were cleared so many people moved far away from where they were born and did not each other-> more crime against person as lack of trust
Why was there an increase in crime in the 20th century? (3)
1) More types of crime eg car crimes, drug crimes, sexual crimes.
2) More goods to steal.
3) More crimes were reported to the police/ new tecnology like phones/ internet made it easier to report/ report crimes for insurance.
What was the conscientious objection?(5) Give 2 facts and figures.
- WWI started in 1914 and at first people volunteered to fight. The MILITARY SERVICE ACT was passed in 1916 and this introduced conscription so all unmarried men aged between 18-41 WHO WERE FIT AND HEALTHY had to fight yet some people asked for exemption; they had to attend a TRIBUNAL which decided their case.
- If there were given exemption, they were called Conscientious Objectors. There was 16500 COs:
1) Some people were given total exemption.
2) Alternativists agreed to do support roles in the army.
3) Absolutists refused to help at all in the army- they were either imprisoned or forced to fight - only 400 were given total exemption on the grounds of consciousness.
- ‘absolutists’ were imprisoned, given brutal treatment and hard labour- 10 died in prisons, 63 died after release and 31 had a breakdown.
- MANY PEOPLE WHO REFUSED TO FIGHT ALSO WERE RELIGIOUS- MAINLY JEHOVAHS WITNESSES AND CHRISTIANS
What was the attitudes to COs in WWI
- gov(2)
- public(5)
Gov:
- sometimes they faced solitary confinement and could not mix in with other prisoners,
- some were sent to France, to fight on the front line.
- small numbers were sentenced to death but Prime Minister stopped this from happening and reduced the punishment to 10 years.
Public:
- views of COs were unpatriotic and corwardly.
- COs were isolated from friends and families.
- hate mail or white feather to point as a symbol of cowardice.
- many had friends and families who were fighting in the war so it was not right.
- COs were seen as shirkers and traitors.
What was the attitudes to COs in WWII:
- gov(4)
- public(4)
1) Gov:
- conscription from 1939 for men and 1941 for women.
- over 59000 men and women refused to fight.
- all except 12204 people were given total or partial exemption.
- COs were given an alternate occuputation such as farm work and prison was the last resort.
- more pos propaganda to build support for war.
2) Public:
- people were being asked to unite against Hitler & Nazism as a movement that persecuted minorities- would have been hypocritical.
- public attitiudes were still hostile- many felt they were making great sacrifices- verbally attacked or abused/ some lost their jobs from employeers who looked down on Cos.
- the press was less harsh and there was also the Pledge Peace Union to oppose war.
Why did attitudes change for COs?(3)
1) Reaction against oppressive government- did not support Nazis nor Communism as they were not a modern society.
2) Learn from WWI- greater understanding of mental and health issues such as PTSD or shell shock.
3) Liberal attitudes have developed.
What was the Neighbourhood Watch? Why did it develop?
- 1982
- Neighbourhood Watch Groups have used volunteers to help prevent and detect crime in their neighbourhood- this idea was used to increase vigilance and education to prevent crime, as well as reduce the fear of crime, members of the community would look out and report the suspicion to police.
- As crimes increased and budgets were cut, gov ealised that it needed local community to help solve the crime.
What was the Specialisation in police force and explain why it developed?
Specialisation: Drug Squad, Fraud Squad, Dog handlers, counter-terrorist squad, cyber-crime units, etc. As diff types of crime have increased, so the police force has become more specialised to tackle with specific types of crime.
-
What was the new police technology and explain why it developed?
- Portable CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), radio communication, DNA testing(forensic department), fingerprinting.
- New technology has allowed police to catch more criminals with fewer police officers.
- TELEGRAPH DEVELOPED IN LATE 19TH CENTURY FOR IMPROVING COMMUNICATION.
- NATIONAL COMPUTER RECORD KEEPS CENTRALISED DATA SUCH AS FINGERPRINTS, DNA RECORDS, VEHICLE DETAILS, ETC.
What was the crime prevention techniques and explain why it developed?
- CPOs – Crime Prevention Officers advise people on how to reduce crimes eg by fitting locks.
- CCTV, Neighbourhood Watch
- COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICERS- Police also have officers who are linked with schools to help educate young people about the role of the police. Police often attend Neighbourhood Watch meetings and local community groups.
Developed:
-Crime prevention is cheaper than crime detection.
What were some key changes to policing from the 1900 to today? (3)
1) In 1900 around 200 local police force which all ran differently
- little cooperation between forces
- 4200 officers whereas NOW, 126,816 spread across 434 local forces- women officers were introduced in 1920 and the ethnic minority is 5.5% today..
2) 1900 transport was ‘on the beat’ 20 miles a day x 10 times wheres in the 1930s, cars were introduced and in the 1970s effectively replaced the foot patrol/
- police helicopters.
- bikes.
3) Crime detection tools- eyes and ears of the officers, witness statements and footprints whereas now, we use CCTV, ANPR. Their equipment was- torch, wooden truncheron, ‘come along cuffs’ and today we have pepper sprays, truncheons, do not have guns.
When was the abolition of the death penalty and explain why it developed? (4)
1965 – suspended,
1969 – abolished
Reasons:
1) The Gov/ Ind:
-Labour Home Secretary Roy Jenkins was a key driver to change; he liberated many laws including on homosexuality, abortion and capital punishment.
2) Liberal attitudes:
-more understanding of cultures and people were open-minded and understanding of mental health issues and human rights.
3) Creation of the United Nations- 1945- the horrors of the Holocaust and the UN declaration of Human rights- ‘no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel inhuman treatments’- prisoners have human rights.
4) Media campaigns in influencing the public- often by big campaign to stop controversial executions-
Ruth Ellis, Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley
