Ac3.3 - Examine The Limitations Of Agencies In Achieving Social Control

Question 1

Social control agencies are not always fully successful in achieving social control and this can be due to a variety of reasons:

Answer 1

Repeat offending
Civil liberties and legal barriers
Access to resources, support and environment
Finance and policy
Crime committed by those with moral imperatives

Question 2

REPEAT OFFENDING (Recidivism rates)

Answer 2

• In 2019 taking into account all offenders and all punishments in 12 months these individuals committed over half a million new offences (28%)
• Offenders released from prison the reoffending rate is 36% and it increased to 64% for short sentences.
• Around 37% of juveniles (10-17) re-offend within a year, for juveniles released from custody 63% reconvict within a year.

Question 3

REPEAT OFFENDING (Recidivism rates) continued

Answer 3

The prison population has doubled since 1993 the reason for this is due to repeat offending.
Offenders are now receiving longer
sentences:
• In 2018 sentences for serious indictable offences were on average over 26 months longer than they had been ten years earlier.
• For murder sentences it has increased from 12.5 years in 2003 to 21.3 years in 2016

Question 4

What are the sections in repeat offending

Answer 4

Who reoffends
Theory (right realism and Marxism)

Question 5

• who reoffends?

Answer 5

1) In 2018 almost half (47.5%) of offenders who already had more than 10 convictions reoffended
2) Offenders who received a prison sentence are more likely to reoffend than those who received a warning, fine or community sentence.
3) Males are more likely to re-offend than females.
4) Offenders with drug or alcohol addictions, those who are homeless, those with few qualifications and those who are unemployed are more likely to re-offend.

However the dark figure of re-offending does exist.

Question 6

Theory - right realist

Answer 6

• argue that ‘prison works’
• offenders are rational actors
• the fear of prison acts as a deterrent
• however the high rate of reoffending shows this is not the case

Question 7

Theory - Marxism

Answer 7

Argue it is not surprising that unemployed offenders are more likely to reoffend

Question 8

CIVIL LIBERTIES AND LEGAL BARRIERS
What are the sections

Answer 8

Civil liberties and legal barriers
Abu Qatada
What about prisoners?
Due process supporting the rights of suspects and defendant

Question 9

CIVIL LIBERTIES AND LEGAL BARRIERS

Answer 9

Civil liberties are basic human rights and freedoms granted to citizens of a country through the law. They include:
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of movement
• Freedom from arbitrary arrest
• Freedom of assembly and association
• Freedom of religion and conscience
• Freedom from detention without trial
• The right to privacy

Question 10

Continued

Answer 10

Civil liberties can limit social control, as people have the right to freedom of speech/movement etc. this can limit agencies such as the police in achieving social control

Question 11

Abu Qatada

Answer 11

• The case of Abu Qatada shows how civil liberties can make it harder for the government to keep control and protect the public.
• He was seen as a threat because of his links to terrorism, but the UK could not send him back to Jordan for a long time.
• This was because of the Human Rights Act 1998, which includes the right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
• The courts were worried that if he was sent to Jordan, evidence gained through torture might be used against him.
• This shows how human rights laws, while important, can sometimes stop the government from acting quickly to protect society.

Question 12

What about prisoners?

Answer 12

Individuals who are in prison have their civil liberties taken away from them to a certain extent.

For instance, privileges such as jury service, freedom of movement and the right to take part in a political vote are not accessible to inmates.

Inmates lose some liberties as punishment and to keep prisons safe. This includes things like freedom and privacy. Some people think this is fair, but others say it’s wrong to take away basic rights, even from prisoners. It raises questions about justice and human dignity

Question 13

Due process

Answer 13

• Due process supports the rights of suspects and defendants by making sure they are treated fairly by the legal system.
• It means the police and courts must follow clear rules, like explaining the reason for an arrest, giving access to a lawyer, and allowing a fair trial.
  -This helps protect people from being wrongly punished or unfairly treated, and ensures justice is done properly.

Question 14

ACCESS TO RESOURCE AND SUPPORT
What are the sections

Answer 14

• Resources and support inside of prison
• resources and support in the community
• the ‘end Friday release’ campaign
• community sentences

Question 15

Resources and support inside prison

Answer 15

Offenders need resources and support to help them rehabilitate and prevent them from offending

Question 16

Name them

Answer 16

1. Short sentences
2. Inadequate resources for education and training
3. 15% cut in the number of prison officers
4. Release on temporary licence (ROTL)

Question 17

Expand them

Answer 17

1. Short sentences - due to many offenders receiving short sentences it is not enough time to receive help and support
2. Inadequate resources for education and training- 2020 report from chief inspector of prisons
3. 15% cut in the number of prison officers- has resulted in few staff rehabilitating for example some prisons are often locked up by 6pm preventing them accessing the facilitates.
4. Release on temporary licence (ROTL) - the aim of this is to allows prisoners to attending training, employment, interviews but in reality only a few have access to this.

Question 18

Resources and support in the community

Answer 18

Once a prisoner is released from prison they are on a license, however once a prisoner is released they face difficult circumstances such as:
1. Lack of money
2. Lack of job
3. Homeless

Question 19

Expand them

Answer 19

1. Lack of money - prisoners earn very little money in prison, once they are released they receive only £46 pound.
2. Lack of job - only a quarter of all prisoners have a job to go to.
3. Homeless - according to Nacro 1 in 9 prisoners have no settled accommodation to go to on release. Prisoners who spend more then 13 weeks in prison lose entitlement to housing benefit.

Question 20

The ‘end Friday releases’ campaign

Answer 20

Over a third of all releases from prison happen on a Friday. Charities such as Howard league and Nacro having supported a campaign to end Friday releases from prison. If a prisoner is released on Friday they are on a race against time for accommodation, drug medication and benefits before it closes for the weekend.
The impact of this is:
1) Reoffending
2) Homelessness
3) Surviving on the grant for the weekend

Question 21

Community sentences

Answer 21

Community sentences have been argued to be more successful than imprisonment however a small minority do reoffend:
1. Inadequate support for complex needs - often treatment
programmes have limited spaces not accessible for all.
2. Inadequate supervision by probation services - have been criticised
for being too lenient on missed appointments.
3. Failures by the privatised community rehabilitation companies -
CRC failing to meet the targets set in 2020 resulted in them closing.

Question 22

FINANCE
What are the sections?

Answer 22

Agencies of social control (the police, the CPS, prisons, the probation service)
National and local policies

Question 23

Agencies of social control
- Police

Answer 23

The police
• Budget was cut by 19% and staff cuts from 20,000
• There is evidence the police are dropping more investigations into
crimes such as sexual offences. The police may drop more serious
offences due to how long they take to solve for example rape cases
take an average of 129 days to solve.

Question 24

• CPS

Answer 24

The CPS
• Between 2010 to 2018 the CPS budget was cut by a quarter and the organisation lost one-third of its staff.
• The CPS have been accused of not investigating all cases and downgrading of offences so they are heard in a magistrate court and not a crown court (cost effective)

Question 25

- prisons

Answer 25

Prisons • Between 2010 to 2018 the budget fell by 16% and staff levels by 15%. • Due to a lack of staff and overcrowding prisons it is having a negative impact on offenders such as lack of opportunities, mental health crisis, assaults etc. • E.G 2016 HMP Birmingham prison riots.

Question 26

- the probation service

Answer 26

The Probation service • in 2020 the probation service was changed to 12 regions and no longer using private companies. • The new chief inspector Justin Russel warned in 2020 the probation 'must be properly funded, vacancies for probation officers must be filled and staff properly trained.

Question 27

National and local policies - national policies

Answer 27

The central government will create policies which can affect the work of agencies of social control. In April 2019 the home secretary announced that he was making it easier for police officers to stop and search anyone for an offensive weapon without having reasonable grounds (Criminal justice and Public Order Act 1994).

Question 28

Local policies

Answer 28

Priorities for policing can be set nationally however police forces can put in place local polices in response to locals. For example if particular crimes are high in one area such as knife crime extra measures can be put in place. One example is known as weapons amnesties where from time to time local police forces hold amnesties where they will not arrest people who surrender a illegal weapon. A two week gun amnesty in London in 2017 led to 350 fireman's and 40,000 rounds of ammunition being handed in.

Question 29

National and local policies

Answer 29

Local and National policies can be impacted by Moral Panics created by society (DDA Act 1991)

Question 30

CRIMES COMMITTED WITH MORAL IMPERATIVES

Answer 30

when a person feels morally compelled to act and breaks the law as a result, this is often referred to as ‘crimes committed by those with moral imperatives’. The individuals often feels they are actually doing ‘good’ and they think that it will benefit society in some way e.g. stealing from the rich to give to the poor

Question 31

Name the crimes committed with moral imperatives

Answer 31

Kay Gilderdale Alan Blythe The Suffragettes The Stansted 15

Question 32

Kay Gilderdale

Answer 32

- Kay Gilderdale assisted her severely ill daughter, Lynn, in ending her life after years of suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), an act that led to her prosecution for attempted murder, later reduced to aiding and abetting suicide. - Despite the illegality of her actions, the court imposed only a suspended sentence, acknowledging that Gilderdale acted out of compassion rather than criminal intent, illustrating how individuals may break the law due to a moral imperative and the relief of unbearable suffering over legal prohibitions. - This case underscores the ethical tensions between law and morality, particularly in debates on assisted dying and the extent to which personal conscience can justify unlawful acts.

Question 33

Alan Blythe

Answer 33

- Alan Blythe, a former financial analyst, exposed corporate fraud by illegally accessing confidential documents, arguing that whistleblowing justified his hacking. - While his actions led to prosecutions for corruption within the company, he himself faced charges for unauthorised data access. - His defence hinged on the necessity of breaking the law to prevent greater harm, sparking debate on whether ethical motives should mitigate legal consequences. - This case highlights the tension between legal accountability and moral justification in civil disobedience.

Question 34

The suffragettes

Answer 34

The suffragettes committed a range of crimes—including vandalism, arson, and public disorder—as a form of protest to demand women’s right to vote. These actions, while illegal, were driven by strong moral imperatives: the belief that women deserved equal political rights and that traditional, peaceful methods of advocacy had failed. By deliberately breaking the law, suffragettes aimed to disrupt the status draw urgent attention to their cause, framing their civil disobedience as a necessary response to institutional injustice.

Question 35

The stansted 15

Answer 35

The Stansted 15 were a group of activists who broke into Stansted Airport and chained themselves around a government-chartered deportation flight to prevent it from taking off. The flight was scheduled to deport individuals to countries where they claimed they faced persecution or death. The group was later convicted under terrorism-related legislation, sparking significant controversy. Although their actions broke the law, including trespass and obstruction of airport operations, they argued their motives were rooted in moral imperatives: to protect vulnerable people from harm and highlight the injustice of the UK’s deportation policies. Their case raised complex questions about civil disobedience, proportionality, and the intersection of legality and morality.

Question 36

What is the linked theory?

Answer 36

Functionalism

Question 37

Functionalism

Answer 37

- These are all individuals/groups that have broken the law. Some have accomplished legal change which echoes Durkheim's views about breaking the law to change the law. - This is an interesting viewpoint given the fact that the Suffragettes effectively committed, what would now be considered, as acts of terrorism. - It can also be applied to the view that society have the right to be morally entitled to take its revenge therefore need to be changed.