topic 6 - tactics of social control Flashcards
(13 cards)
core knowledge - crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)
defensible spaces are defendable because they have:
-territortionality
-natural surveillence
-safe image
-safe location
CPTED attempts to ‘design out’ crime
some ideas were influences by Wilson and Kelling’s broken windows theory
how do environmental tactics aim to achieve social control?
they aim to ‘design crime out’ of a situation by manipulating the environment.
This occurs in two main ways:
Limiting an offender’s opportunity to offend
Allowing people control their spaces
state and explain the 5 principles of CPTED (core knowledge)
natural surveillance:
-Criminals do not want to be seen or recognised, so they will chose to commit crime where they can easily hide or escape. If natural surveillance incorporated, crime can be prevented.
natural access control:
-Criminals want to feel in control, but the element of control can be denied but changing the approaches to buildings into defined areas
territorial reinforcement:
-Making the distinction between private and public property, where owners will challenge intruders
maintenance:
-if private property is well looked after it will give the impression that it is cared for and even minor changes would be noticed
target hardening:
-Make a building harder to force entry into
environmental tactics - expanded knowledge (defensible and indefensible spaces)
defensible spaces:
-they are owned and observed and often have lots of people to take responsibility for what happens there
-crime is less likely to occur
e.g. offices, shopping centres, cul-de-sacs
indefensible spaces:
-cannot be defended from crime
-no one takes responsibility for them, no one owns them, no one observes them
-crime is more likely to occur
e.g. alleyways, public car parks, stairwells
environmental tactics example - gated lanes
they are lockable gates installed to prevent offenders gaining access to alleyways, such as those that run behind old terraced houses
-> mainly used to prevent burglaries and fly tipping
limitations:
-don’t work against criminals that live in the gated area
-not all neighbourhoods know and trust each other so may be less likely to come together to get them installed and take responsibility of them
behavioural tactics core knowledge - token economies
A token economy for offenders is a reward system used within prisons to encourage good behaviour from offenders, by giving them tokens, that they can then exchange for something they would like
These things include:
Following rules
Staying clean from drugs
Keeping cells clean
No fighting or intimidation
Seek a job
for token economies to work, several things are needed including:
-clear definitions of what constitutes ‘good behaviour’
-there cannot be a deprivation in human rights involved - tokens should not cover human rights like food
-rewards must be consistent
-there should be a gradual increase in the expectation and level of good behaviour
behavioural tactics expanded knowledge - Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO’s)
they are court orders which aim to stop persistent anti-social behaviour:
-they can include: prohibitions from entering certain areas, restrictions on contact with specific people, required rehabilitation programmes
-can be issued to adults and children over 10
-the police can apply for a CBO through the CPS
if a CBO is broken, it will result in further legal action
the CBO replaced the anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) in 2014
what are institutional tactics of social control?
approaches taken by different institutions to achieve social control
including: criminal justice system, families and education
institutional tactics core knowledge - sanctions
sanctions are consequences or penalties for certain behaviours
if rules set out by institutions are broken, this can result in negative sanctions, and if they are followed this can result in positive sanctions
give 3 examples of sanctions given out by institutions (core knowledge)
COURTS can give sentences to offenders to punish them for breaking the law
POLICE can give cautions and penalty notices to offenders
PROBATION SERVICE can send offenders back to prison if they break the terms of their probation
institutional tactics expanded knowledge - fear of punishment and coercion
police - they have coercive power, police can arrest offenders and use necessary force like batons
CPS - create a fear of punishment through deciding charges
court and tribunal service and judiciary - creates a fear of punishment as they can administer sentences and have coercive powers through ability to hold people in contempt
HM prison service - coercive power as prison officers can use force, prison life can be dangerous and unpleasant which creates a fear of punishment
national probation service - supervises and monitors offenders, they have coercive powers as they can threaten those on license with a return to prison, pre sentencing reports can create a fear of punishment
what are the disciplinary procedures that can be imposed to achieve social control?
prison - rule making:
-prisons have a range of rules that have to be followed which result in punishment if they are not
-these rules can include: not threatening or harming other inmates, not damaging prison property, do what prison staff tell you to
sanctions for breaking these rules include:
-cautions
-privileges taken away
-cellular confinement
IEPs (incentives and earned privileges) include:
-television
-own clothes
-more visitations
police and probation service - stages discipline:
-caution
-discharge
-community sentence
-short custodial sentence
-custodial sentence
what are the gaps in state provision which limit the tactics of social control?
Despite attempts to reduce crime there are still many gaps in provision including:
Unreported crime:
A lot of crime is unreported (dark figure of crime) - police can only detect crime brought to their attention
Approx 40% of all crime could be unreported
Different types of crime have different reporting rates
Lack of resources:
Limited budgets - cut by approx 20% since 2008 in real terms
Existing laws:
Social control can only be achieved as long as there are appropriate laws in place
Sometimes a new type of harm emerges but there are no laws in place to forbid it so agencies can’t prosecute
