Sociological Theories Informing Policy Development Flashcards
What is penal populism?
The governments attempts at proposing laws to punish offenders that will be popular with the general public.
Which sociological theory is penal populism based on?
Right Realism.
What do right realist believe in terms of penal populism?
That tougher penalties should deter criminals because they have a rational choice to offend.
What are the two aims of prison?
- Incapacitation.
- Deterrence.
Which professor presented evidence for when penal populism began?
Professor David Wilson (2014).
Which case is seen to have started penal populism?
The James Bulger case in 1993.
What did the public become concerned about during the James Bulger case (1993)?
Violent crime in the community.
What happened as a result of the rise in concern about violent crime (James Bulger 1993)?
There was a consensus between political parties that they needed to be tough on crime.
How did an increase in concern (James Bulger 1993) about violent crime impact the prison population?
More people were given prison sentences - the UK has more life sentences than the whole of Europe combined.
When was Tony Blair Prime Minister?
May 1997 to June 2007.
Does penal populism reduce criminality?
No, doesn’t work a day deterrence as England and Wales have the highest prison population (shows people are not intimidated by the tougher sentences).
What are the 4 types of prison sentences?
- Concurrent.
- Suspended.
- Determinate.
- Indeterminate.
What is a concurrent prison sentence?
Where two or more sentences are given and served at the same time or consecutively.
What is a suspended prison sentence?
Served in the community with conditions often relating to unpaid work.
What is a determinate prison sentence?
A sentence of a fixed length?
What is an indeterminate prison sentence?
A sentence of no fixed length.
Short prison sentences are ____ effective than community sentences at reducing reoffending.
- less.
What percentage of adults are reconvicted within one year of release?
46%
What percentage of adults are reconvicted who served a sentence of less than 12 months?
60%.
How much does reoffending by all recent ex-prisoners cos the economy annually?
Between £9.5 and £13 billion.
Prison has a ____ record for reducing reoffending.
- poor.
What is zero tolerance?
A policy that demands that all crime is acted on, no matter how trivial they are.
Where in America has zero tolerance been successful?
New York.
Where has the zero tolerance policy been used in the UK?
King’s Cross (London), Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Strathclyde,
What theory is zero tolerance based on?
The ‘broken windows’ theory (James Wilson and George Kelling, 1983).
In New York in 1993, by how much did major crime and murder drop by?
Major crime fell by 39% and murder fell by 49%.
In Hartlepool, how much did crime fall by in 28 months?
38%.
What is a negative consequence of zero tolerance?
Aggressive policing leads to accusations of heavy-handedness by police.
In what areas does zero tolerance work well and work not so well?
It works well in heavily populated areas with high policing levels and petty crime.
It may not work so well in areas where the population is dispersed or the crime rate is low.
It can be argued that the ____-____ effects of zero tolerance are unknown.
- long-term.
What did Tony Blair state in a landmark pledge?
That we must be “tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime”.
What have successful political parties introduced to be tough on crime?
Punitive laws.
What do punitive laws result in?
Punishments that include automatic life sentences, a second serious offence and minimum fixed term custodial sentences.
