Crime, Punishment, Law Enforcement c1900-present Flashcards
What were the new crimes?
Domestic violence
Abortion
Rape within marriage
Hate crimes
What were the new social crimes?
. Illegal to drive a car while drunk in 1925 but it was considered normal to drive home after drinking large quantities of alcohol
. Government advertising campaigns for the dangers of speeding
New opportunities for old crimes?
Terrorism - 17th century (Gunpowder plot) now: 1970/80s IRA used violence to campaign Irish nationalism. Prevention on terrorism has been focused on Al-Qaeda and ISIS
People Trafficking - early 19 century (sold girls into prostitution) now: people from poor countries bought to UK to work for low wages or none
Fraud - earlier (approaching individual and tricking them to reveal details) now: sent emails hoping people reply with details
Extortion - earlier (threatening people through letters to get money) now: through phone numbers
What were changes in the prison system?
1896 - Mentally ill prisoners treated separately to other prisoners (BROADMOOR hospital opened)
1902 - hard labour ended
1907 - Alternatives to prisons used
1922 - increased focus on prisoner welfare, separate system ended
1933 - new focus on preparing prisoners for life after serving sentence (First Open prison in New Hall, Wakefield) - more relaxative regime and prisoners allowed out on day release to work and prepare for reintegration into society
Alternatives to prisons?
ASBOs: court order to place restrictions on what a person can do
Restorative Justice: criminal meets victim of crime to talk about what they have done
Community service: people convicted of minor offences are ordered to improve their community by doing supervised work
Electronic tagging: court orders a convict to wear an E-tag to monitor the criminal’s movements
Drug/ Alcohol treatment programmes: offered help and treatment for their addiction if crime involved a problem with drugs/alcohol
Changes in policing?
. Women first recruited in 1920s
. Police Training college set up to train new recruits in 1947
. 1901- Fingerprints branch set up at Met Police HQ
. 1909 - police bicycles introduced
. 1930s - police cars, two-way radios, 999 emergency phone
. 1960s - Met police use computers
1980 - Police National computer launched holding information about 25 million individuals
1988 - First murder conviction used DNA samples
What were changes in preventing crime?
. Breathalysers 1967 - traffic police to test drivers blood alcohol level
. Speed cameras 1992 - possible to catch criminals drink driving and speeding
. CCTV - deter criminals to commit crime if being watched
. Mass video surveillance 1961 - allows private companies to analyse large amounts of footage
. Biometric screening - unique body characteristics like fingerprints, eye patterns to restrict access to data/places
What are the specialist units?
1946 Fraud Squad - tackle crime in business and stock market and high value crime
1971 Specialist Drug trade units
2013 National Crime Agency - tackle drug trafficking into UK
1938 - trained police dogs to accompany police officers on local beat
1946 - Met Police specialist dog unit to sniff out drugs, find explosives, search missing persons
Special Branch - tackle threats to national security and terrorism works with MI5 to detect and prevent terrorists
What was the communal law enforcement?
Neighbourhood Watch is a local committee -raise awareness about crime and encourage neighbours to keep an eye on each other’s property
1982 - UK’s first neighbourhood watch of 3.8 million households involved
Early 1980, rose from 1000 to 29000
It helped police prevent crime, reduced fear of crime and reported crime trends to police
PM (MARGARET THATCHER) like hue and cry
What were borstals?
Kent 1902
Prisons for boys only
Purpose to ensure youth convicts were kept entirely seperate from old criminals
1908 Prevention of Crime Act - national system of borstals and emphasis on education
Structured day, inmates took part on physical exercise, education, work programmes, and learning practical skills
Reoffending rates were 30% compared to 60% now
Criminal Justice Act 1948 - reduced use of prisons for juveniles (detention and attendance centres)
Children and Persons Act 1963 and 1969 - raised criminal age from 8 to 10 and favoured care orders/supervision by probation officers+social workers
1982 Criminal Justice Act BORSTALS ENDED replaced with youth custody centres
How were conscientious objectors in WW1 treated?
1916 Military Service Act - conscription introduced
They faced solitary confinement
Views spread on COs being unpatriotic and cowardly
Recieved hate mail and white feathers
How were conscientious objectors in WW2 treated?
They were offered alternative occupations such as farm work
Prison used as last resort
Harsh punishments were seen as hypocritical as people asked to unite against Hitler and Nazism
The abolition of the death penalty?
1908 Children’s Act - ends hanging U16
1922 Infanticide Act - mothers who kill babies no longer recieve death penalty
1933 Hanging of U18 end
1956 Death penalty bill passed by HoC, rejected by HoL
1957 Homicide Act - limits death sentence to 5 categories of murder
1965 Death penalty abolished for most crimes
1998 - High treason and piracy with violence no longer punishable by death
1999 - Home secretary signs 6th protocol of European Convention on Human Rights formally ending death penalty in BRITAIN.
