Policies

Question 1

SOCIOLOGICAL : restorative justice (crime control policy)
What is it?

Answer 1

Looks at the impact of offending on the victim, community and offender themselves. Encourages offender to take responsibility for their actions. In minor cases, victim can have a say what happens to the offender (particularly youth offending). In extreme cases the victim can be asked if they want to be involved in RJ (usually have to meet offender face to face in a controlled setting). The victim has a chance to tell the offender the damage they caused and the offender MUST listen and consider why they did this. Becoming more common, has even been used in serious crimes such as rape and murder.

According to Prison Fellowship, states that RJ can reduce PTSD in victims and in some cases motivate offenders to turn away from crime.

Ministry Justice found that 85% of victims who took part in RJ programmes were satisfied.

Government analysis says that RJ has reduced crime by 14%.

Question 2

What are the limitations of Restorative Justice?

Answer 2

-relies on co-operation of all parties and doesn’t always happen

-some victims don’t want to face their-their loved ones perpetrator (particularly in violent cases)

Question 3

SOCIOLOGICAL : multi-agency model (crime control policy)
What is it?

Answer 3

Some left wing sociologists believe that co-operation between agencies in society will reduce crime. Police, social services, media, education, etc play a part in improving a persons ‘moral context’. Believe communication is needed with families/people at risk (allow for early intervention).

No single agency can reduce crime alone, but when they work together a solution can be made.

Cooperation between the prison service, police, law enforcement agencies and probation services to crackdown on a surge in the number of of drones smuggling drugs and mobile phones into prison in England and Wales.

Question 4

What are the limitations of Multi-agency model?

Answer 4

-Right wing sociologists think this is too idealistic

-think we need harder punishments and stricter control to prevent/reduce crime

Question 5

SOCIOLOGICAL : zero tolerance (crime control policy)
What is it?

Answer 5

policing strategy that involves persistent order maintenance and aggressive law enforcement. favoured by right realists.
- New York City, 1990s “zero tolerance” was hailed as the answer to urban crime following a police strategy introduced (major crime fell by 39%, murder by 49%)

Question 6

What are the limitations of zero tolerance?

Answer 6

-accusations of heavy-handedness by police

-crime has fallen in areas without zero tolerance policing

• possibility of racial tension if people feel victimised (the case in USA)

-policy is just an attempt to ensure that the working classes conform

-doesn’t address the causes of crime/favours the upper classes/unequal distribution of wealth

Question 7

SOCIOLOGICAL : penal populism (crime control policy)
what is it?

Answer 7

Government’s attempts at proposing laws to punish offenders that will be popular to the general public.
PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON said this started as a result of JAMES BULGER murder case, gained media attention. direct impact on prison sentences (UK now has more life sentences than the whole of Europe combined

Question 8

what are the limitations to penal populism?

Answer 8

-resistance to it from judges/lawyers/academics /restorative justice movement

Question 9

SOCIOLOGICAL : custodial (prison) and non-custodial sentences (crime control policy)
What is it?

Answer 9

CUSTODIAL: locking up offenders to prevent them from committing further crimes (incapacitation), discouraging offenders/would-be offenders from committing crimes (deterrence), help offenders to reintegrate back into society (rehabilitation).

NON-CUSTODIAL: fines/probation/reparation and restitution

Question 10

what are the limitations of custodial (prison) and non-custodial sentences?

Answer 10

-percentage of criminals that reoffend after leaving prison is 47% in the first year

Question 11

SOCIOLOGICAL : CCTV (crime control policy)
what is it?

Answer 11

designed to change the environment where crime occurs, rather than trying to change the attitudes and capacities of offenders, increasing the threat of potential/actual offenders being identified/collecting evidence (identifies suspects and witnesses)
often put with other measures (general improvements of a location/other security measures such as fencing /improved lighting).
makes for a small, but statistically significant reduction in crime.
JAMES BULGER case as CCTV showed the boy being led away by his killers in a shopping centre

Question 12

What are the limitations of CCTV?

Answer 12

-has no impact on levels of violent crime

-can raise privacy issues for employees/public (especially if cameras are placed in sensitive areas)

-can fail, be hacked/suffer from technical issues (poor image quality)

Question 13

INDIVIDUALISTIC : psychoanalysis
What is it?

Answer 13

Therapy can help a person address/change these unproductive/detrimental beliefs/views/thoughts. founded by FREUD, is a treatment where the patient verbalises their thoughts (aims to access unconscious/ repressed thoughts, believed to have led to the criminal activity) and bring it to the conscious mind where they can be dealt with. Done lying down on the couch facing away from the analyst.

Question 14

what are the limitations of psychoanalysis?

Answer 14

-least favoured to working with offenders

-time consuming, unlikely to provide quick answers

-BLACKBURN states there are very few positive evaluations of classic psychoanalysis as a treatment method with offenders

-creates a power imbalance between therapist and client (ethical issues)

-discover very painful memories that were deliberately repressed (ethical issues)

Question 15

INDIVIDUALISTIC : behaviour modification
what is it?

Answer 15

focuses on techniques to get rid of undesirable behaviours, promoting desirable ones.
reinforced=strengthened
punished=weakened (criminal behaviour, thought-process leading to it)

TOKEN ECONOMY SYSTEM:
when a token is given for the desired action, which is later exchanged for a ‘treat’ (prisoners who follow rules can earn privileges, which is called the ‘Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme)

‘BUDDY SYSTEM’:
FO and O’DONNELL - adult volunteers were assigned to a young offender to provide consistent reinforcement for socially acceptable ways of acting (has improved the behaviour of serious offenders)

Question 16

what are the limitations of behaviour modification?

Answer 16

-TOKEN ECONOMY SYSTEM is only effective short-term with offenders rather than long-term

-BUDDY SYSTEM, impact on those who had committed less serious offences was mixed

Question 17

INDIVIDUALISTIC : anger management
what is it?

Answer 17

by using cognitive behavioural techniques it aims to avoid violent offences taking place by people unable to control their anger. NOVACO suggests that because offenders cant deal with their anger effectively, tends to be expressed in anti-social ways and displaced onto inappropriate targets

Question 18

what are the limitations of anger management?

Answer 18

-once training has stopped, the benefit from it can often be forgotten/even totally disappear in the long term

Question 19

BIOLOGICAL : death penalty (state punishment policy)
what is it?

Answer 19

said to be used for those cases of people who are ‘born criminal’s. LOMBROSO believed that these types of people were ‘stigmata’ and should be removed from society
death penalty=remove these criminals and have better social order

UK: temporary abolition of the death penalty in 1965 (murder rate didn’t soar as a result), permanent abolition in 1969

Question 20

what are the limitations of the death penalty?

Answer 20

-unethical

-USA: murder rate is lower in states that do not have the death penalty, suggests the death penalty is not a deterrent from crime at all.

-Often people kill in the heat of the moment, while under the influence of drugs/alcohol/suffering from a mental illness (unlikely to make reasoned and rational decisions based on a fear of future consequences -being given the death sentence)

Question 21

BIOLOGICAL : eugenics (crime control policy)
what is it?

Answer 21

argued for the improvement of human genetic qualities. reinforce ‘biological determinism’ (person’s personality/behaviour is caused by the genes they’ve inherited rather than social factors).

wants higher rates of sexual reproduction among people with desirable traits (POSITIVE EUGENICS) and reduced rates of sexual reproduction/sterilisation of people with less-desired traits (NEGATIVE EUGENICS), reducing the risk of bringing more criminals into the world.

OSBORN and WEST provides some support to this theory:
-found that 40% of boys whose fathers had criminal records had criminal records themselves (compared to 12% of boys whose fathers didn’t have a criminal record)

Question 22

what are the limitations to eugenics?

Answer 22

-unethical

-worries about the presence of force/compulsion

-arbitrary standards of perfection

Question 23

BIOLOGICAL : neurochemicals (crime control policy)
what is it?

Answer 23

brain’s chemistry can be influenced by diet (e.g. food additives/drugs such as steroids)

GESCH ET AL:
- 231 young male prisoners agreed to take either a daily vitamin mineral and essential fatty acid supplementation or a placebo drug
-group that took the supplement, a 35% reduction (of “disciplinary incidents”)
-placebo group only dropped by 7%
-violent acts dropped by 37% in the supplement group
- 10% in the placebo group

Question 24

what are the limitations of neurochemicals?

Answer 24

-focus on aggression (doesn’t satisfy reasons for
all types of crime, especially property-related offences)

-Recent studies on steroids
are inconclusive (other anti-social lifestyle
factors can have a significant
impact)

Question 25

what is formal policy making?

Answer 25

official ideas to prevent crime (fines/custodial and community sentences)

Question 26

what is informal policy making?

Answer 26

non-official ideas to prevent crime (grounding/chores/confiscation of phone/detentions)

Question 27

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around smoking (public perception)?

Answer 27

-1930s, it was the social norm to smoke cigarettes. It was seen as glamorous and even encouraged by doctors

-1964, USA, Surgeon General found a link between lung cancer/chronic bronchitis and cigarette smoking

-2006 banned smoking in enclosed work/public places

-2008, packaging had to contain picture warnings

-2014, Children and Families Act prohibited smoking in vehicles when children are passengers

Question 28

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around homosexuality (public perception of crime)?

Answer 28

-16th century, homosexual acts punishable by death

-19th century, law prohibited sexual activity between males​

-1967, homosexuality was decriminalised and age of consent set to 21​

-1994, The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act lowers age of consent to 18​

-2004, Civil Partnership Act allows civil partnerships for same-sex couples​

-2010, Equality Act means it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation

-2014, The Marriage (same-sex couples) Act allows same-sex marriage​

Question 29

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around domestic violence (social structure)?

Answer 29

-In the 1960/1970s, there was a massive comeback of feminist activity, at the same time as the women’s liberation movement.

-The social structure of society has changed = women’s roles

-Increasing drive for equality (The Equality Act​)

-1992, Domestic Violence classed as a crime​

-2003, Sexual Offences Act. Rape within a marriage (spousal rape) was made illegal.​

Question 30

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around racism (social structure/perception/culture change)?

Answer 30

-Prejudice/discrimination/resentment by an individual/ community/institution against a person/people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial/ethnic group, typically one that is a minority/marginalised.​ (casual/indirect, direct, systematic)
​
-RACE RELATIONS ACT 1965, prohibited discrimination on grounds of race in public places/established the Race Relations Board where you could pass on discrimination complaints. ​

-1968, extended the protection against discrimination beyond public places.

-1999 MACPHERSON Report, done after the racially motivated murder of STEPHEN LAWRENCE. Report found the police force were institutionally racist. ​

-2010 Equality Act, mustn’t be discriminated against because of your race
​
-2020 BLM movement, largest movement in both the UK and US on racial discrimination/injustice. ​

Question 31

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around disability (cultural change/ public perception)?

Answer 31

-a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities

-1986 Disabled Persons Act: required social services to provide a written assessment for disabled people when deciding on the level of care needed.​

-1995 Disability Discrimination Act: gives rights to disabled people to prevent discrimination on the grounds of disability. It is unlawful to discriminate in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, the management, buying or renting of land or property, education and transport. ​

-2010 Equality Act: states you must not be discriminated against because of a disability. ​

-2012 First British Paralympics

Question 32

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around FGM (cultural change)?

Answer 32

-Around the world 130 million girls are live with the effects of FGM

-It is a barbaric/unnecessary/very dangerous procedure still carried out in many African/Muslim nations (believe a woman is worth more in a marriage if she has been ‘cut’)

-llegal in the UK since 1985

-Since 2003 anyone taking a child out of the UK to be cut faces 14 years in prison

-Many girls are taken away during the summer holidays ‘the cutting season’ (yet many are cut in the UK)

Question 33

SOCIAL CHANGE : how did social change influence the development of policies around assisted suicide (public perception)?

Answer 33

-In recent years, been a shift in public/medical opinion as to whether assisted suicide should remain completely criminal

-SUICIDE ACT 1961, this made it an offence to encourage or assist the suicide (/attempted suicide) of another.

Question 34

CAMPAIGNS : how did newspaper campaigns influence the development of policies?

Answer 34

Newspapers up and down the country frequently campaign on social issues (bring awareness)

‘CINDERELLA’S LAW’: (child/emotional/physical abuse)
-bring about social change
-have government make changes in law
-DAILY TELEGRAPH
-took 3 years to change the law
-mainly done through newspapers but people were encouraged to complain through social media/emails/letter/approaching MPs in public

‘SARAH’S LAW’: (allow people to know the whereabouts of released sex offenders)
-GUARDIAN OF THE NEWS
-campaigned for eight years before

Question 35

CAMPAIGNS : how did individual campaigns influence the development of policies?

Answer 35

individuals can create a campaign if they feel extremely passionate about a situation. Tend to be small scale and possibly local to the individual but with the development of the internet and social media its now possible to go national level - done by:
-posters
-asking for support (signatures)
-social media platform (to be heard)

‘JAMIE OLIVER’S ‘FEED ME BETTER’: (decided we aren’t educating children on how to eat healthy)
-started own campaign to improve school dinners across UK
-use of media, campaign grew to national level
-government revised/released news guidelines that schools had to follow for school dinners to ensure children were eating healthier meals

Question 36

CAMPAIGNS : how did pressure group campaigns influence the development of policies?

Answer 36

organisations which campaign for changes in law or new legislation in specific areas. They can have strong influence on public opinion. They also allow people the opportunity to participate in democracy (being involved in social change). They allow for free expression of opinion/opportunity to influence governments. Use things such as:
-demonstrations (direct action)
-petitions (raise awareness among politicians about public feeling)
-media advertising (public sympathy)

‘AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’: (abolish death penalty worldwide)
-doing for 40 years
-began work in 1977 (16 penalties across world abolished death penalty, now its 104)