THEORIES INFORMING POLICY DEVELOPMENT : SOCIOLOGICAL

Question 1

Outline restorative justice as a form of policy development (Functionalism)

Answer 1

Durkheim says crime and deviance is positive and inevitable in society to those who were inadequately socialised. Those who offend have gone against value consensus. Crime produces a reaction from society which creates social solidarity which reinforces boundaries between what is right and wrong.

Restorative justice focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through voluntary reconciliation with victims. It has led to a 14% reduction in recidivism.

Question 2

One strength of restorative justice: Supporting research

Answer 2

The Prison Fellowship in 2017 found that it can reduce post-traumatic stress in victims. In addition, 85% of victims willing to go face to face with the offender are satisfied with the outcome.

This shows that restorative justice is effective as it can help victims to gain closure after a crime has been committed against them.

Question 3

One strength of restorative justice: Cost effective

Answer 3

Although it takes time to organise restorative justice, it is cost effective in the long term. The Restorative Justice Council (2016) found that the restorative justice policy had led to 14% reduction in re-offending as it can motivate offenders to change their values and turn away from crime.

This means that it can be effective as it can be a good value for money as offenders can learn from the impact of their crimes through talking to the victims and change their values.

Question 4

One weakness of restorative justice: Ethics

Answer 4

Restorative justice isn’t appropriate for all victims of crime. Some victims will be fearful of facing who has harmed them, e.g. sexual offence victims.

This shows that restorative justice is not always effective as it can by limited by ethical concerns by causing psychological harm to victims.

Question 5

Outline decriminalisation, diversion policies and reintegrative shaming as forms of policy development (Interactionism)

Answer 5

DECRIMINALISATION: To stop treating an act as illegal or as a criminal offence. Means minor offences like possession of cannabis would label fewer young people as criminals.
- A criminal record could prevent them from getting a job and lead to secondary deviance.

DIVERSION POLICIES: Aim to keep an offender out of the justice system to avoid labelling them as criminals.
- Informal –> Police discretion, e.g. choosing not to charge someone
- Formal –> speed awareness or anger management courses to avoid prosecution.

DISINTEGRATIVE SHAMING: Both crime and criminal are labelled as bad and the offender is excluded from society. This can push them into secondary deviance.
–> REINTEGRATIVE SHAMING labels the act not the actor, e.g. ‘he has done a bad thing’ rather than ‘he is a bad person’.

Question 6

One strength of policies informed by interactionism: Evidence

Answer 6

Evidence shows these policies deal effectively with minor offenders and young offenders as they prevent a criminal label being attached meaning that they will not commit further crime or deviance. Also, the CJS has found that it saves expenditure.
This shows that decriminalisation, diversion and shaming policies can prevent and reduce reoffending as well as being cost effective.

Question 7

One weakness of policies informed by interactionism: Not appropriate for all offences

Answer 7

These policies aren’t appropriate for serious offences such as violent crimes and sexual offences as the punishments do not remove the offender from society.

This shows that the effectiveness of decriminalisation, diversion and shaming policies can be limited to minor crimes and are not effective in punishing all offenders.

Question 8

Outline community policing as a form of policy development (Left realism)

Answer 8

Left realists argue that the government could reduce crime by acting to reduce economic inequality and to create a more fair society where people don’t feel socially excluded, e.g. ensuring everyone has access to good schools / job opportunities / a living wage.

Question 9

What did Lea and Young say about community policing

Answer 9

Lea and Young argue that the police have lost support in poorer, inner city areas where people often feel marginalised and criminal sub-cultures begin to flourish. In order to win back public trust, the police must involve local communities in deciding their priorities.
Also, use more informal sanctions when policing crimes such as possession of cannabis.

This would proactively police crimes that victimize people living in inner city areas, such as domestic violence and hate crime.

Question 10

One strength of community policing: Prioritisation of certain crimes

Answer 10

This can be effective when prioritising certain crimes. Many police forces lower the priority of policing the possession of cannabis but rather focus on crimes like domestic violence and hate crime.

This is effective as it can help with focusing on tackling particular crimes in certain areas.

Question 11

One weakness of community policing: rebuilding police & public relationship

Answer 11

It can take a long time to rebuild a relationship with a community.
As there are so many examples of institutionalised racism and police brutality, some more deprived communities and vulnerable groups may not trust the police and therefore would not be willing to work with them.

This shows that community policing is limited in effectiveness as it relies on trust between the police and communities that have been broken for a long time.

Question 12

Outline multi-agency approaches as a form of policy development (Left realism)

Answer 12

Argue that crime control must involve many other agencies apart from the police, e.g. schools, the NHS, local councils, social services and the probation service.

Prevent: The Home Office works with local authorities, health, a wide range of government departments, and community organisations to deliver the Prevent strategy. The police also play a significant role in Prevent, in much the same way as they do when taking a preventive approach to other crimes.

Question 13

One strength of multi-agency approaches: Reduce reoffending

Answer 13

By having specialist agencies and organisations cooperating with he police, it can improve facilities for those in deprived areas and help tackle causes of crime to prevent them from offending again.

This means that multi-agency approaches can be effective because a coordinated approach can help deal with complex social issues causing crime.

Question 14

One weakness of multi-agency approaches: Ethics

Answer 14

Due to a lack of public trust in the police force, professionals may feel uncomfortable sharing information with the police as they might not want to get individuals in trouble.

This shows that effectiveness is limited as it relies on honesty and strong communication between all agencies which might not take place.

Question 15

Outline penal populism as a form of policy development (Right realism)

Answer 15

If criminals get tougher prison sentences, in terms of tariff and regime, then they are less likely to reoffend.
Penal populism aimed to build more prisons and lock people up for longer.

Question 16

One strength of penal populism: Protection for the public

Answer 16

Prisons are said to work temporarily in the short term as offenders can’t commit crimes against the public whilst in jail. This means that this policy can be beneficial as incarcerating offenders for longer means the public continue to be protected as long as criminals are kept off the streets.

Question 17

One weakness of penal populism: Doesn’t prevent recidivism

Answer 17

Statistics from the CJS show that 48% of adults are reconvicted within one year of release.
This shows that penal populism is not always effective as a lot of criminals don’t think about the tough punishments before committing crimes.

Question 18

Outline Situational Crime Prevention (target hardening) as a form of policy development (Right realism)

Answer 18

SCP policies aim to reduce the opportunities for crime by increasing the risks or difficulties of committing crimes and reducing their rewards. SCP is based on the rational choice theory.

Question 19

One strength of SCP (target hardening): prevents offending

Answer 19

Hirschi argues that criminals make a rational choice to commit crime based on the risks of getting caught and the benefits of committing the crime. Therefore, target hardening measures will make offenders think twice before committing crimes which means it can be effective in reducing the number of crimes committed by offenders.

Question 20

One weakness of SCP (target hardening): Displaces crime

Answer 20

Rather than reducing crime, it just displaces. If criminals are rational thinkers, when they find a target too hard to crack, they will simply look for an easier target.

This shows that SCP policies are limited in effectiveness as it just moves crime to different areas rather than reducing crime.

Question 21

Outline zero tolerance policing as a form of policy development (Right realism)

Answer 21

Zero tolerance policing means that even trivial offences that affect people’s quality of life (e.g. littering) are dealt with (3rd strike).

Question 22

One strength of zero tolerance policing: Short term effectiveness

Answer 22

In New York in the 1990s, after zero tolerance was introduced crime rates fell. Major crime by 39% and murder fell by 49%. The UK saw similar results in Hartlepool where crime reduces by 38% in 28 months.

This shows that ZTP is able to reduce crime rates.

Question 23

One weakness of zero tolerance policing: targeting ethnic minorities

Answer 23

Although effective, due to institutional police racism, zero tolerance can lead to ethnic minorities being targeted due to the. introduction of more heavy-handed policing.

This means it can be less effective in the long term as it can lead to groups feeling targeted and victimised.