Government responses to crime Flashcards
Government responses
Focus on restorative and preventative justice, public awareness campaigns, violence reduction unit
Government response: focus on restorative and preventative justice
The government has advocated for a system that focuses on preventing crime and reducing reoffending
Government response example: focus on restorative and preventative justice
Presumptions Against Short prison Sentences (PASS) is a law that encourages courts to find alternative punishments for sentences of less than 12 months
Government responses: public awareness campaigns
Educates citizens about the law so they can prevent crime. Campaigns prevent potential offenders, and inform potentional victims of risks
Government response example: public awareness campaigns
The “Letters from Scotland” campaign was launched in 2020 to combat hate crime
Government response: violence reduction unit
Government funded organisation that tackles violence like a public health matter, employs police officers and crime experts to reduce the spread of violence
Government response example: violence reduction unit
The VRU employs former offenders to metor gangmembers and support them with training to reintegrate them into society
Effectiveness of government responses
Reducing reconviction rates with the PASS scheme, engaging the public in awareness campaigns, reducing violence
Effective: reducing reconviction rates with the PASS scheme
Focuses on alternative punishments where the prison sentence would be 12 months r less, law has reduced reconviction rates through restorative justice
Effective example: reducing reconviction rates with the PASS scheme
The reconviction rate for Community Payback Orders is at 29%
Effective: engaging the public in awareness campaigns
The government has made various campaigns to turn potential offenders away from crime and to make potential victims aware of risks
Effective example: engaging the public in awareness campaigns
Since the “letters from Scotland” campaign, statistics show the public are more confident in identifying and reporting hate crime
Effective: reducing violence
VRU treats violence like a public health matter, uses mentorship and other methods to reduce the spread of violence
Effective example: reducing violence
in 2022-23, serious assault and murder made up only 5%on non-sexual violent crime
Ineffectiveness of government responses
Incarceration rates are still high, they haven’t been able to reduce hate crime, they haven’t been able to reduce violent crime
Ineffective: incarceration rates are still high
Despite PASS scheme, amount of prisoners are still very high. Government hasn’t been able to tackle serious crimes where prison sentences are over 12 months
Ineffective example: incarceration rates are still high
In Scotland, incarceration rates are historically high with 136 prisoners per 10,000 people
Ineffective: they haven’t been able to reduce hate crime
The government have launched various campaigns, but hate crime levels are still high (shows that campaigns have little impact in preventing crime)
Ineffective example: the haven’t been able to reduce hate crime
In 2021-22, there were 3107 charges related to racial hate crime
Ineffective: they haven’t been able to reduce violent crime
Despite the VRU trying to reduce the spread of violence through mentorship and other schemes, statistics show that violence is still a huge problem in Scotland
Ineffective example: they haven’t been able to reduce violent crime
Non-sexual violent crime accounted for 25% of crime in 2022-23 in Scotland
