Topic 11: Charities And Pressure Groups Flashcards
Outline the role of charities
Charities are not government funded so bring an independent and challenging function to the justice system.
Charities and voluntary agencies exist to support and defend the interest of their beneficiaries.
They are non profit organisations
What are the 2 examples of charities?
- The prison reform trust
- The Howard league for Penal Reform
When was the PRT established?
1981
What is the main aim of the PRT?
To improve prison conditions, defend and promote prisoners human rights
According to the PRT how can they meet their aim?
By reducing unnecessary imprisonment and promoting community solutions to crime
What are the 3 working practices of the PRT?
- Research aspects of prison life
- Organise lectures and conferences to help promote its work
- Run campaigns to improve the penal system such as the out of trouble campaign
What did the PRTs out of trouble campaign aim to do?
Reduce the number of children and young people in prison
What is the oldest penal reform charity?
The Howard league for penal reform
What does the Howard league aim for?
And for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison, seeking to transform prisons for those behind bars
How is the Howard league funded?
Funded by voluntary donations and membership subscriptions
What campaigns did the Howard league run?
Books for prisoners and a campaign to reduce the criminalisation of children
What are the evaluation points for charities?
+ can focus on niche aspects of social control
- rely on publicity
+ provide support for overworked justice system
- government under no obligation to implement their work
Explain charities being able to focus on niche aspects of social control as a strength
P: a strength of charities is that they can focus on niche aspects of social control
E: for example, the Howard leagues Books for Prisoners scheme increased prisoners access to books and won a charity award in 2015. Furthermore, judges ruled ban on sending booking as unlawful since books can be key for rehabilitation
E: this is a strength because charities can focus on areas which may be vital in the rehabilitative process so reducing recidivism
Evaluate the importance of publicity as a limitation of charities
P: a limitation of charities is that they rely on publicity to achieve their aims meaning that it is hard to compete
E: for example, the PRT and Howard League have similar aims and compete for publicity of the same target audience
E: this is a limitation because charities are independent from the government so rely on donations, this means that funding is split between charities so they have less financial backing if they struggle to gain publicity so can’t be effective
Explain how offering support to an overworked justice system is a strength of charities
P: a strength is that the criminal justice system is overworked Dk charities can provide social control which the government doesn’t have time for
E: for example, the PRT launched the ‘care not custody’ scheme to ensure people with mental health issues got treatment rather than being placed in the prison system. This was supported by parliament in 2014 with a £50 million investment
E: this is a strength because the scheme focuses on diverting vulnerable people from the justice system to get support, addressing the root cause of crime rather than solely punishing, so reducing recidivism
Explain why the government being under no obligation to implement charities work is a limitation
P: a limitation of charities is that the government are under no obligation to implement their work
E: for example, charities can only put pressure on the government to agree to their request, they cannot force them to act
E: this is a limitation because charities may experience funding and resource constraints since the government controls public funding so if they don’t back their initiative then they are unlikely to invest
