Unit 2 - Criminological theories - 4.3 Discuss how campaigns affect policy making Flashcards
Newspaper campaigns to affect policy making
Briefly explain the campaign that resulted in Sarah’s law (Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme)
The campaign came about following the abduction and murder in July 2000 of 8-year-old Sarah Payne in West Sussex by Roy Whiting, who was arrested in 1995 for abducting and sexually assaulting another 8-year-old girl
Briefly describe the role of the News of the World newspaper in the campaign
The newspaper backed the campaign for Sarah’s law run by Sarah’s mother, who believed that a sex offender murdered her daughter, this was confirmed in 2001 when Roy was convicted of the murder and it was revealed to the public that he had previous child sexual assault convictions. The newspaper was vital to the campaign’s success. In July 2000 it ‘named and shamed’ 50 people that it claimed were pedophiles and it promised that it wouldn’t stop until it named and shamed every pedophile in Britain
What was introduced as a result of the Sarah’s law campaign?
It persuaded the government to introduce the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme through England and Wales in 2011. However, It should be noted that while anyone can ask the police for information on if someone who is in contact with a child has a record of child sex offences the police are not obliged to disclose information and will only do so if they believe the child is at risk of harm and disclosure is necessary to protect the child
The year and a day rule
What happened to Michael Gibson in 1992?
Michael Gibson was assaulted by David Clark and a group of men in Darlington in April 1992. Michael was placed in a coma and died after 22 months. Clark could only be charged with GBH and was jailed for 2 years and was free before Michael died
What is the year and a day rule?
It is a law dating back to 1278. The rule said that if victims of assault lived for a year and a day after the assault, their attackers could not be tried for murder or manslaughter
Why did the year and a day rule apply to Michael Gibson’s case?
Gibson died 22 months after the assault so legally David could not be tried for murder or manslaughter as he survived longer than a year and a day after the assault
Briefly describe the role of the Northern Echo newspaper in the ‘Justice for Michael’ campaign
They launched the ‘Justice for Michael’ campaign urging its readers to sign a petition demanding that the year and a day rule be scrapped. They also put a photo of Gibson in a coma on the front cover of the newspaper. Thousands signed the petition
What was introduced as a result of the ‘Justice for Michael’ campaign?
In 1994, a local MP, Alan Milburn, Introduced a bill into the HOC to scrap the ‘year and a day’ rule, but It was defeated. However, following the delivery of the Northern Echo’s petition to the Law Commission (makes proposals for reforming existing laws) , a bill was passed by parliament to become the 1996 Law Reform ( year and a day rule) Act. The newspaper’s role was vital for achieving success by mobilising public support.
Individual campaigns to affect policy making
What happened to Clare Wood in 2009?
She was beaten, raped, strangled and her body was set on fire by George Appleton whom she had been in a relationship with until 2008 but Appleton continued to harass her
What previous convictions did Appleton have?
Convictions for violence against women and a 5-year sentence for holding an ex-girlfriend at knifepoint
and convictions for repeated harassment and threats
Briefly describe how the case unfolded with Clare wood’s murder
After Clare’s death, Clare’s father Michael discovered that she had made several complaints to the Greater Manchester Police, alleging that after the relationship ended Appleton had harassed, threatened to kill and tried to rape her but the police took no action. The inquest had to wait 26 months while her death and the police’s failures were investigated. In the end, the coroner wrote to the home office asking why Clare had not been informed of Appleton’s past. Angry at these failings, Michael launched a campaign to change the law to enable women to know about their partners violent past. He worked for 4 years, gathering evidence, organising petitions and winning support from charities, politicians and the media for a change In law
What two procedures did the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme introduce?
- The right to ask allows a member of the public to apply to the police to disclose information. They can ask about their own partner or the partner of someone they know
- The right to know allows the police to disclose information to protect a potential victim, even without being asked to do so
Who might the police consult to decide whether to disclose information?
The police are not obliged to disclose information and they will meet safeguarding agencies to declare whether disclosure is necessary to protect the person in question and to decide who should receive the information and they will set up a safety plan for the victim
In 2018, how many disclosure requests were made and how many were granted?
6,496 requests were made and 2,575 were granted
Suggest one reason for differences In the rate of disclosure between different police forces
Different levels of knowledge and training for the scheme in different forces
