3.4- evaluating the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control

Question 1

how does the strength of community policing in the poice achieve social control

Answer 1

-community policing initatives like the neighbourhood policing team directly adress local concerns and act as a visible deterrent
-from 2018 to 2021 the initative of operation concordant in manchester reduced anti social behaviour by 32%

Question 2

how does the strength of specialist units in the poice achieve social control

Answer 2

-trained to deal with complex issues like the counter-terrorism unit which is trained to handle high risk situations
-during the 2017 london bridge attack the threat was neutralised within 8 minutes
-this prevents further casualties

Question 3

how does the strength of emergency response in the poice achieve social control

Answer 3

-provide 24/7 emergency response service and often appear first at a crime scene
-on average the response time to 999 calls is 10 seconds where they arrive within 15 miniutes to cat 1 incidents
-follows the golden hour where responding within an year results in securing significantly more evidence

Question 4

how does the weakness of budget cuts in the poice fail to achieve social control

Answer 4

-not enough officers to maintain external social control
-in 2010 the budget was cut by 20% resulting in the loss of 20,000 officers
-means theres fewer resources available and an increase in response time making communities feel less protected especially rural areas

Question 5

how does the weakness of police prioritisation in the poice fail to achieve social control

Answer 5

-leads to investigations being dropped due to a lack of resouces
-in 2021 the home office reported that 77% of burglary cases were closed without a suspect
-also prioritisation results in minor crimes being unresolved like vandalism
-this creates feelings of injustice and the perception that some crimes arent taken seriously which reduced public confidence

Question 6

how does the weakness of police misconduct in the poice fail to achieve social control

Answer 6

-in the form of excessive force or corruption
-in 2023 the home office found thay 115 officers were found guilty of crimes
-for example Wayne couzens misused his authority while being a serving officer to abduct and murder sarah everard
-highlights systematic failures like poor vetting
-undermines the legitimacy of the police

Question 7

how does the strength of independence in the CPS achieve social control

Answer 7

-operates as an independant body established under the prosecution of offences act 1985
-by being separated from the police it prevents a conflict of intertests
-must access whether cases meet the required standards of the full code test
-ensures that cases are conducted without undue influence or bias

Question 8

how does the strength of availability in the CPS achieve social control

Answer 8

-the CPS direct operates 24/7 providing immediate legal charging advise to the police
-in 2021, the CPS direct handled over 240,000 cases ensuring a timely decisions
-promoting efficency as charges are decided promptly

Question 9

how does the strength of victims and witness support in the CPS achieve social control

Answer 9

-initative of the vicitms right to review scheme (VRR) gives victims the power to challenge decisions not to prosecute
-witness care units (WCU) care for vicimtims and witnesses from charge to conclusion of a case
-improves confidence and cooperation

Question 10

how does the weakness of unsuccessful prosecutions in the CPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 10

-lack success in prosecuting in complex cases such as rape
-heavily criticised due to significant collapses
-in 2019/20 only 1.6% of reported rapes resulted in charge
-from 2016 to 2020 the rape prosecutions have fell by 59%
-undermines confidence on ability to protect victims

Question 11

how does the weakness of budget cuts in the CPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 11

-led to significant understaffing and increased workloads
-in 2010 the budget was cut by 25% and staff fell by over 2,400
-the house of commons justice committee in 2021 found that this led to a loss in experienced personnel
leads to prosecutorial errors

Question 12

how does the weakness of delayed justice in the CPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 12

-critised for being overly bureaucratic which slows the process of justice
-the national audit office have consistently flagged concerns due to the long administrative process
-during mid 2021 there was the backlog of 60,000 outstanding cases
-results in delayed justice

Question 13

how does the strength of indepedence in the judiciary achieve social control

Answer 13

-under the constitutional reform act(2005) it is formally separated from government branches
-furthermore judges take an oath to uphold impartially and no bias
-reinforces their duty to make decisions solely on evidence and the law
-this protects citizens rights and maintains integrity

Question 14

how does the strength of consistency in the judiciary achieve social control

Answer 14

-judges use precedents and sentencing guidelines to ensure consistency
-principle of “stare decisis” requires courts to follow precedents by higher courts
-in 2019, 75% of sentences closely adhered to to the guidelines
-leads to standardised judicial decisions showing impartially

Question 15

how does the strength of expertise and legal knowledge in the judiciary achieve social control

Answer 15

-enables them to interpret complex legislation and adjudicate a range of cases
-the judicial appointments commission appoints judges based on merit
-evident as judges in higher courts are typically former barristers
-once appointed judged undergo further training by the judicial college

Question 16

how does the weakness of unduly lenient sentencing in the judiciary fail to achieve social control

Answer 16

-undermines public confidence
-in 2021, 106/151 of cases reffered to the scheme were given a sentence increase after review
-in 2020 a man recieved the sentence of 5 years for raping a child however this was later increased to 9
-cases like lavinia woodward create a perception of injustice

Question 17

how does the weakness of lacking representation in the judiciary fail to achieve social control

Answer 17

-perceived as being out of touch with reality which impacts public confidence
-doesnt reflect the diversity of the population
-in 2022 the judicial diversity forum revealed only 8% of judges were black, asian or ethnic minority(BAME), and only 34% women
-described as “pale, male and stale”
-perception of bias

Question 18

how does the weakness of limited availability in the judiciary fail to achieve social control

Answer 18

-limited judges has led to backlogs and delays
-only 1,000 crown court judges which is insufficent for growing demand of trials
-crown court sitting days have been capped which reduces availability
-as of 2023 there is delays of 65,000 crown court cases
-leads to lack of faith in system as offenders remain unpunished

Question 19

how does the strength of incapacitation in the prison service achieve social control

Answer 19

-protects the public from harm by incarcerating those who pose a risk
-in 2023 the prison population was 88,000 offenders
-by being unable to harm the public, theres immediate protection and reassurance which upholds public trust

Question 20

how does the strength of fear of punishment in the prison service achieve social control

Answer 20

-deter potential offenders through fear of punishment
-consequences such as loss of liberty
-therfore the prospect of prison acts as a warning

Question 21

how does the strength of rehabilitation in the prison service achieve social control

Answer 21

-helps offenders reform
-offer structured inititives
-such as “learning together” adress the underyling causes which was the case for Ryan Herbert who had his sentence reduced
-these equip the offender with skills and the mindset to reintegrate into society

Question 22

how does the weakness of overcrowding in the prison service fail to achieve social control

Answer 22

-undermines rehabilitation efforts
-in the last 30 years prison population has risen by 80%
-led to many prisons being over capacity such as HMP Wandsworth which was designed to accomomdate 1,000 has currently 1,600
-as a result inmates spend 22 hours a day in their cell with limited access to education

Question 23

how does the weakness of budget cuts in the prison service fail to achieve social control

Answer 23

-led to subsequent staffing cuts
-in 2010 budget was cut by 22% leading to a 15% staff reduction
-resulted in an increase of unexperienced staff, with 1/3 of officers with under 2 years of experience
-makes it harder to maintain control such as the 2016 HMP Birmingham riot lasting 15 hours

Question 24

how does the weakness of high recidivism rates in the prison service fail to achieve social control

Answer 24

-result of poor quality rehabilitation
-the prison reform trust found many offenders recieve limited access to meaningful education
-in 2021 only 13% of offenders participated in full time education
-leads to high reoffending rates, with 42% reoffending after 12 months
-imposes additional costs to society

Question 25

how does the strength of adressing the root cause in the NPS achieve social control

Answer 25

-provide access to rehabilitation programmes like alcohol treatment -the ministry of justice (2021) found offenders who completed rehabilitation programmes were 40% less likely to reoffend -facilities offenders reintegration back into society

Question 26

how does the strength of lowering recidivism in the NPS achieve social control

Answer 26

-supervising high risk offenders -managed via risk assessments and tailored intervention plans -the HM inspectorate of probation(2022) found close supervision of high risk offenders leads to a 25% decrease in recidivism -protects the public

Question 27

how does the strength of collaberation with other agencies in the NPS achieve social control

Answer 27

-through MAPPA the NPS works alongside the police and prison service to monitor high risk offenders -the HM prison and probation service(2022) found MAPPA effectively reduced violent recidivism -close monitoring such as electronic tagging ensures risk are mitigated

Question 28

how does the weakness of budget cuts in the NPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 28

-reduced the number of spaces on specialist rehabilitation programmes -offenders are left without access to vital support -the MH inspectorate of probation found that 43% of offenders could not promptly enroll -additionally only 1/6 drug users are being regulary tested -undermines service goal of addressing the root cause

Question 29

how does the weakness of understaffing in the NPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 29

-as a result of chronic underfunding theres higher caseloads and lower quality support -in 2022 there was a shortfall of 1,700 officers according to the ministry of justice -led to a 20% increase in caseload per officer leading to rushed risk assessments -for example, Damien Bendall murdered 3 children and his pregnant partner after being rated as medium risk -comprises public safety

Question 30

how does the weakness of failed privitisation in the NPS fail to achieve social control

Answer 30

-during a partial privitisation there was poor quality supervision -in 2014 21 CRC's were tasked with supervising low risk offenders on a payment result basis -19/21 failed to meet targets with many being supervised via telephone -provided inadequate protection to the public -led to contracts being terminated in 2020

Question 31

how does the strength of raising awareness in charities achieve social control

Answer 31

-encourage societal change -the prison reform trust uses the bromley briefings to highlight systemic issued -published biannually, providing detailed analysis and stats on state of prisons -highlights issues like overcrowding and reoffending rates -an evidence based approach influences public opinion

Question 32

how does the strength of successful legal reform in charities achieve social control

Answer 32

-NACRO helped end friday releases to aid smoother transitions of newly released offenders -the howard league were successful in pressuring the government to overturn the policy on banning books being sent to prisoners -by aiding rehabilitation they are actively improving the CJS

Question 33

how does the strength of specialist knowledge in charities achieve social control

Answer 33

-strong committment for specific issues -the women in prison charity recognises their unique challenges and care giving responsibilites -adress specific needs of marginalised groups by offering tailored support -helps them reintegrate into society thus breaking the cycles of crime

Question 34

how does the weakness of dependence on public support in charities fail to achieve social control

Answer 34

-are voluntary organisations and only exist when people are concerned about a particular issue -meaning smaller organisations adressing less visible issues like rural crime struggle with funding -leads to an uneven distribution of resources -in 2018, 570 charities closed with 370 starting -this reliance makes their pressence inconsistent

Question 35

how does the weakness of limited budget in charities fail to achieve social control

Answer 35

-dont receive government funding making them reliant on donations and fundraising efforts -in 2003 the government awarded £6 billion in grants, however over last 20 years this has been reduced by 50% -by working on a precarious budget it impairs ability to provide long term support -struggle to deliver essential services

Question 36

how does the weakness of lack of authority in charities fail to achieve social control

Answer 36

-no direct power to enforce laws thus reducing influence -the success of the howard league for penal reform is entirely dependent upon the willingness of agencies -this hinders their ability to immediately implement solutions