AC3.1 explain the roles of agencies in social control Flashcards
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
The Police
The aim of the police is to reduce crime and maintain law and order within society. They do this by following the philosophy of acting with self-control and tolerance, to never abuse or compromise their position and to not discriminate unlawfully or unfairly. They are funded by the government but some of their funds are also raise through general tax and council tax. The police operate within 45 geographical forces making them both national and local with 39 in England, 4 in Wales, 1 in Scotland and 1 in Northern Ireland. Some of their local reach includes cops who work on ‘the beat’. The police are available 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
The CPS
The CPS aims to prepare and present every case in court as well as provide information and assistance to victims and prosecution witnesses. They do this through the philosophy that they prosecute independently, without bias, and seek justice in every case and if a mistake is made, to be honest, and explain their decision. They are financed by the HM Treasury. The CPS operates across England and Wales with 14 regional teams prosecuting cases locally. This is done through the code of practise to decide whether prosecution is possible. This code has two parts; the evidential stage and the public interest stage and a case must pass both stages for it to move forward.
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
Judiciary
The aim of the judiciary is to oversee fair trials, make judicial precedents, and legal decisions including interpretation of the law and passing sentences. They do this by taking the oath of allegiance, and the oath of judicial and follow the philosophy that they are free from government interference but have loyalty to the monarch. This allows them the power to uphold the rule of the law and safeguard the right of citizens against the power of the government. They are funded by the Ministry of Justice. They work independently from the criminal courts in a hierarchical system with the Supreme Court being the highest and Trial Courts being the lowest allowing for them to have a large reach nationally and locally. They have security of tenure and their salary is guaranteed
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
Prison
Their aim is to keep those sentenced to prison in custody and help them lead law-abiding, useful lives whilst living in prison. They do this by following the philosophy of acting without discrimination and bias against certain minorities. They are funded by the government but some of their income is also raised by council tax. Most prisons are public sector and run by the government however there are fourteen private prisons run by private security companies. These prisons are divided into four levels; Category A which are high-risk maximum prisons, Category B which are local or training prisons, Category C which are training and resettlement prisons, and Category D which are open prisons.
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
The National Probation Service
The NPS aims to protect the public by rehabilitating offenders, tackling the causes of their offending, and enabling them to turn their lives around. They do this by following the philosophy of acting with integrity, believing that offenders can change, appreciate the rights of victims, and possess a commitment to social justice. They are funded by the government and general taxation. The NPS focus on the two types of offenders; those that are serving a sentence in the community rather than in prison, as a result of a community order by the court, and those who have been released on license from prison.
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
Charities
A charity is an organisation that is established with the aim to help those in need. Their overall aim is to promote the interest and welfare of the people they are concerned with. They do this by following the philosophy that states in its constitution or governing documents that it must use all of its property to further its charitable purpose and to not use its property to pay or provide benefits of any kind to its members, except in specific circumstances. They are self funded meaning they rely on support from beneficiaries rather than the government. One example of a charitable group is the Prison Refrom Trust whose aim is to make campaigns that work towards a just, humane and effective penal system. There most successful campaign was the ‘Care not custody’ coalition which is a partnership between National Federation of Women’s Institues that stresses the need for improvements on outcomes for people mental health conditions, learning disabilities, and autism in the criminal justice system. This led to the Secretary of State for Health & Justice to announce a commitment to develop services for vunerable suspects and defendants in 2011.
Aim, philiosophy, funding, and working practise
Peer pressure groups
Pressure groups are organisations that wish to influence political desicion making. Their overall aim is to promote the interest and welfare of the people they are concerned with. They do this by following the philosophy of serving the public interest or common good through philanthropy and social well being. They are self funded meaning they rely on support from beneficiaries rather than the government. One example of a peer pressure group is the Howard League of Penal Reform whose aim is to campaign for change in the criminal justice system, for less crime, safer communties, and for less people in prison. They have campaigned for over 150 years with many successes within their working practises. One of these are ‘books for prisoners’ that started in March 2014 and was supported within the first week when a campaign letter was sent to the Daily telegraph from many of the country’s leading authors against the policy that placed restrictions on books for prisoners. The restrictions on sendings books for prisoners which had been in place since 2013 were seen to be a part of a wider crackdown on what ministers described as prisoners ‘perks and privileges’. But this practise argues that books and essentials such as underwear should not be seen as a perk or privilege. Reading books go hand in hand with education, rehabilitation and humanity.
NACRO
NACRO is a social justice charity that stands for National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. They are a national organisation with local projects in around 50 parts of England and Wales whose aim is to seek to change lives, strengthen communities, and prevent crime. They do this by following the philosophy of overcoming stereotypes surrounding ‘ex-offenders’ or ‘ex-prisoners’. They are funded from public donations and government grants. They have provided services such as housing for over 3,000 ex-offenders and those in need of bail accomodation, education which was recorded to have improved 4,400 offenders on their educational achievements through accessing the support and services provided by NACRO in 2018. They give resettlement advice about employment, education, and accommodation to people with criminal records and training to the professionals who work with them. Finally they provide outreach projects to keep young people from offending.
