AC 3.4 - evaluate the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control

Question 1

POLICE: increased use of out of court disposals (S)

Answer 1

• 2021: 164,000
• 9% increase from the previous year
• reduces offenders in prison so less money is spent

Question 2

POLICE: improved responses to violence against women & girls (S)

Answer 2

• 2021 HM Inspectorate found:
  
  • better service provision for victims
  • better identification of repeat victims
  • more tailored responses
  • increased use of body-worn video
  • committed & professional officers & staff

Question 3

POLICE: gaps (W)

Answer 3

• data gaps at local & national levels about protected characteristics
• police areas not sharing the best practice (especially prevention tactics)
• unexplained variation between police areas in how often protective powers are used / enforced
  
  • e.g : domestic violence protection powers
• management of repeat offenders varying

Question 4

POLICE: funding cuts (W)

Answer 4

• 2010-2018: 19% funding cuts
• leading to:
  
  • staff shortages
  • public losing trust
  • procedures not being followed efficently

Question 5

POLICE: case study - John Lowe (W)

Answer 5

• threatened to kill his step-daughter
• police took away his guns but they were given back to him in a few months
• resulted in the murder of his partner & step-daughter

Question 6

POLICE: fewer crimes solved but more crime happening (W)

Answer 6

• 2022: increase in most types of crime amd some exceeding pre-pandemic levels (sexual)
  
  • homicides: increased by 25%
  • fraud : increased by 17%
• 5.6% of crimes resulted in charge or summons
  
  • decreased from 2015 where it was 16%
• police closed 36% of offences w no suspect
• 12% cases remained open & unsolved

Question 7

POLICE: institutional racism (W)

Answer 7

• macpherson report found:
  
  • met police to be institutionally racist
  • made 70 recommendations to improve policing
• investigations have been compromised due to failing to establish positive relationship w all sections of the community

Question 8

POLICE: stop & search 2020-2021 (W)

Answer 8

• males aged 15-34 from black & minority communities accounted for 1/3 of stop and search
• 1 in 5 of all stop & search were of black individuals
• 1/2 adults arrested in london were from minorities compared 15%
• 2/3 children arrested in london were from minorities compared to 1 in 5

Question 9

POLICE: case study - Child Q (W)

Answer 9

• a 15-year-old black schoolgirl was strip searched while she was menstruating, and her mother was not told

Question 10

POLICE: case study of institutional corruption - Daniel Morgan (W)

Answer 10

• attacked with an axe in London but no one was convicted
• 5 police inquiries made & inquest
• e was on the verge of exposing corruption within police & organised crime

Question 11

POLICE: casey review - institutional failure (W)

Answer 11

• sexual offences covered up / downplayed
• stop & search , use of force is excessive
• evidence destroyed by lunchbox left in fridge with rape kits

Question 12

POLICE: media & police prioritisation (W)

Answer 12

• police giving in to pressure from media leads to a waste of time & resources
• police invited bbc to film raid Cliff Richard’s home who had a history of sexual abuse charges
  
  • no evidence found

Question 13

CPS: strengths

Answer 13

• around 80,000 cases are prosecuted in the Crown Court & 450,000 in the Magistrates
• around 80% cases are convicted
• full code test & other restrictions cause some to argue that social control isn’t fully achieved

Question 14

CPS: criticisms from victim groups, politician/ police - centralised( w)

Answer 14

concentrate control of an activity or organisation - under a single authority

Question 15

CPS: criticisms from victim groups, politician/ police - bureaucratic (w)

Answer 15

relating to a system of controlling or managing a country, company or organisation operated by a large number of control

Question 16

CPS: criticisms from victim groups, politician/ police (W)

Answer 16

• ineffiecient & slow in proceeding with cases such as rape
• too close to the police: corruption

Question 17

CPS: rape allegations (W)

Answer 17

• criticism for the handling cases: hard to gather evidence for
• 2018: campaigners accused CPS of dropping supposedly ‘weak’ cases in order to improve rate if successful prosecution
  - limiting victims access to justice
• 2010 = funding gap: 25% staff lost

Question 18

CPS: controversial cases (W)

Answer 18

• damiola taylor: no checks on lying eyewitness testimony
• lord janner: died & no justice given

Question 19

CPS: ethnic diversity

Answer 19

• ethnic profile has become more diverse over last 5 years
• more employment of staff from more ethnic backgrounds
  
  • driven by recruitment if mixed thnic backgrounds
  • more knowledge for varying cases

Question 20

judiciary: ULS scheme (S)

Answer 20

• allows victims, prosecutors & members of public to apply to the Attorney General
• applies to sentences for serious offences ( murder, rape etc)
• very few application made: indicating sentences are fair
• 2017: 173 cases referred to COA & 137 had sentences increased

Question 21

judiciary: strengths

Answer 21

• experienced & highly qualified lawyers (training)
• use system of precedent to ensure consistency & fairness

Question 22

judiciary: lack of diversity

Answer 22

• 2/3 male
• more than 1/2 aged 50+ (can’t change mindset which leads to bias)
• BAME groups underrepresented only 1 in 5
• 3/4 privately educated or went to oxbridge
  
  • bias against lower classes
• hindering social control

Question 23

judiciary: case study - Lavinia Woodward (w)

Answer 23

• too clever to go to prison for stabbing her boyfriend

Question 24

judiciary: sentencing (W)

Answer 24

since 2016 white defendants had lower average sentence length than other ethnic backgrounds
- white: 19.6 months
- black: 26.8 months
- asian: 28.6 months

Question 25

prisons: strengths

Answer 25

- few escape - march 2021: 101 escaped - prisoners escaping has decreased since 2009

Question 26

prisons: ineffectivness (W)

Answer 26

- not rehabilitating offenders - unable to cope w causes of offending: - mental health - drug & alcohol dependency - illiteracy & lack of qualifications - short sentences doesn't allow time for needs to be met leading to recidivism - diverse population : many issues & backgrounds

Question 27

prisons: funding crisis (W)

Answer 27

- 2010-2018: officers decreased by 15% - experienced officers likely to leave - 1/3 had less than 2 years experience - harder to maintain control over prisoners

Question 28

prisons: overcrowding (W)

Answer 28

- contributed to dicontent & rule breaking - many breaches of security (drugs, sims) - 2018: 8,400 assaults on staff - 22,000 prisoner assaults - 5 homicides - lecister prison: 50% over populated - breakdowns od order & loss of control by staff has increased

Question 29

prisons: overcrowding examples

Answer 29

- strangeways riot which lasted 25 days - 2016: birmingham riot

Question 30

prisons: recidivism rates

Answer 30

- many reoffend especially those on a short sentence - due to lack of staff & overcrowding, leaving them unable to receive rehabilitation - prison reform trust: short sentences less effective than community sentences

Question 31

prisons: part-privatisation

Answer 31

- jan 22: 14 prisons run by 3 private companies (Secro) - 2019: G4S lost government contract over Birmingham prison - private prisons have nothing to do with MOJ

Question 32

probation:

Answer 32

- local service for offenders

Question 33

probation: effectiveness lies in achievement of

Answer 33

- rehabilitating offenders to ptotect the public - supervising offenders in the community - under 1/4 million people are supervised by the probation service -prison reform trust: community orders more effective

Question 34

probation: weaknesses

Answer 34

- officers don't feel supported enough - too many responsibilities - monitoring competition of additional requirements

Question 35

probation: Inspectorate of Probation (W)

Answer 35

- less money - high vacancy rate - unmanageable work loads

Question 36

probation: education, training & employment opportunities limited (W)

Answer 36

- 61% offenders w community sentences are unemployed - 90% ex prisoners are unemployed on release

Question 37

probation: part-privatisation

Answer 37

work done on 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) was having a poor impact on reducing recidivism rates

Question 38

probation: CRC run projects also found:

Answer 38

- staff focusing on paper work & tragets than meeting offenders needs - many prisoners released w no accomodation - prisoners risk to public had been inadequately assessed prior to release

Question 39

probation: loss of CRCs contracts

Answer 39

- 2021: MOJ withdrew contacts - effectiveness still limited

Question 40

probation: lower recidivism rates (S)

Answer 40

2020: 28% offenders w community sentence reoffended - compared 57.5% of those with prison sentence

Question 41

charities: stronger commitment (S)

Answer 41

- reduce recidivism rates as they have commitment to one particular cause or group - they are motivated to help & go further than agencies may not

Question 42

charities: gaps in provision (W)

Answer 42

- largely voluntary - only exist when people are concerned for an issues - may be set up for victims & won't contribute to the rehabilitation of offenders

Question 43

charities: media reporting (W)

Answer 43

- demonise categories of offenders making it harder for charities to form

Question 44

charities: funding (W)

Answer 44

- may rely on government funding - public may not want to offer funds to charities catered towards offenders rather than victims