LO4 4.3 how campaigns affect policy making Flashcards
newspaper campaigns
Sarah’s Law
individual campaigns
Ann Ming and Double Jeopardy
Clare’s Law
Lilians Law
Pressure groups
Protection against stalking
Howard League for Penal Reform
British Lung Foundation
Sarah’s Law campaign and its policy
Sarah’s Law otherwise known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme allows parents, careers or others to ask the police to check if someone in contact with a child has a record of sexual offences. The campaign came about following the abduction and murder of 8 year old Sarah Payne by the paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000 by her parents - this campaigned aimed to protect children from such horrific attacks in the future
was Sarah’s law successful?
Yes - it was championed by the News of the World newspaper and backed by Sarahs parents - in 2000 the newspaper named and shamed 50 paedophiles and promised to continue until it had named every paedophile in Britain and the Child Sex Offender Discloser Scheme was introduced throughout England and Wales
Clare’s Law explanation
Ms Wood was strangled and set on fire at her home by her ex George Appleton who continued to harass her after she ended things with him - it was discovered that Appleton had a history of domestic violence and had previously been in prison for it Her father Michael Brown campaigned to enable women the right to ask about a partners violent past also for a right to know where the police inform a potential victim without them having to ask - he worked for 4 years gathering petitions and winning support from charities etc.
was Clare’s Law successful
in 2018 6496 ‘right to ask’ requests were made and 40% were granted and it has saved many people
Ann Ming and the Double Jeopardy amendment
Mrs Ming found her daughters mutilated body hidden under her bath - Billy Dunlop was arrested and charged with her murder but was acquitted after a jury failed to reach the verdict twice - he later confessed to killing her while in jail for another crime but the double jeopardy law said he couldn’t be trialed again - therefore Mrs Ming and her husband campaigned to get the law changed which was backed by The Northern Echo and in 2006 Dunlop was jailed for life for murder - this resulted in the 2003 Criminal Justice Act were certain serious crimes can be re-tried
protection against stalking explanation
in 2011 protection against stalking launched a campaign to introduce a new law making stalking an offence - the way the police previously dealt with stalking was inadequate and victims weren’t being taken seriously - they set up an independent parliamentary inquiry persuading them to serve it which lasted several months and heard about the intimidation, fear and harm stalkers inflict from victims and lawyers etc
was protection against stalking successful
support from 60 MP’s and it became the Protection of Freedoms Act in 2012 - it was successful because it allowed the voices of victims to be heard and gained support from a wide range of organisations and kept the campaign in the medias eye
Howards league for penal reform explanation
aims for less crime, fewer people in prison and safer communities - share with the media the harms of prison and have played a role in the elimination of the death penalty and caused a significant reduction in child offenders
British Lung Foundation explanation
shared the importance of lung health as not many promoted it - created the Children and Families Act making it illegal for someone to smoke in the car with someone under 18
