Sociological Theories Crim

• Impact on prison populations = increased.

  • UK now has more life sentence prisoners than the whole of Europe combined.
  • Tony Blair pledge in 1993 (Home Secretary) - ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’.
  • Automatic life sentences for second serious offence.
  • Minimum fixed term for custodial sentences.
  • Three strikes and you’re out - 3rd class A drug trafficking offence at least 7 years, 3rd domestic burglary offence at least 3 years.
• Prisons

  • The main method to control crime is imprisonment.
  • Prison sentences can be;

  Concurrent - where two or more sentences are given and served at the same time.

  Consecutively - served one after the other.

  Suspended - served in the community with conditions often related to unpaid work

  Determinate - fixed length

  Indeterminate - no fixed length.
• Does the prison system work?

  Info is taken from ‘Bromley Briefings - Prison Factfile’ on the Prison Reform Trust website - winter 2021 edition.

  • The prison population has risen by 70% in the last 30 years.
  • Scotland, England and Wales have the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe.
  • 70,000 people sent to prison in the year to June 2020 - the majority for non-violent offences (65%)
• Short prison sentences are less effective than community sentences at reducing reoffending.

  • 1/10 people surveyed said that prisons most effective way to deal with crime - early intervention (better parenting, discipline in schools, better rehab) considered more effective.
  • Number of prison recalls has increased - particularly amongst women.
  • Safety not good enough - 48% men and 49% women have said they feel unsafe at some point whilst in prison.
• Sociological Theories informing policy development

  • Death rate in prisons has risen by over 50% in the last 10 years.
  • 282 people died in prison in the year to September 2020.
  • The prison system overcrowded every year since 1994.
  • Poor re-offending record - 46% of adults reconvicted within one year of release.
• Zero Tolerance

  • Pioneered by New York PD.
  • ALL crimes acted on no matter how trivial.
  • Favoured by right realists.
  • NYPD used computers to analyse crime hot-spots street by street and crime by crime before introducing this approach.
  • Has been used in the UK: London’s Kings Cross, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Strathclyde.
  • Deal with low-level crime potential offenders will be alarmed of higher levels of crime 
• Zero toleranceStrategy based on ‘broken windows theory’ (Kelling and Wilson 1982).

  • Visible signs of decay such as litter, broken windows, graffiti, abandoned buildings, etc are signs of public disinterest.
  • Such signs must be acted upon to prevent further crime occuring.
• Zero Tolerance

  Strategy based on ‘broken windows theory’ (Kelling and Wilson 1982).

  • Visible signs of decay such as litter, broken windows, graffiti, abandoned buildings, etc are signs of public disinterest.
  • Such signs must be acted upon to prevent further crime occurring.
• Zero Tolerance

  Does it work?

  • In New York since 1993, major crime fell by 39% and murder by 49%.
  • UK had similar results.
  • DS Ray Mallon (Cleveland) famous promise of cutting crime on his patch by 20% in 18 months using the strategy was fulfilled, it was cut by 22%
  • Makes society believe you are serious and actually care which in turn leeds them to care, patriotism
• Zero Tolerance

  Negatives

  • Also negative consequences - accusations of heavy handedness.
  • In addition to zero tolerance, there were other reasons for falling crime in NY.
  • Fewer residents take violence inducing crack cocaine.
  • Those committing crime in the 1980s now in prison.
  • Crime also fell in areas without zero tolerance.
  • Can be argued that it works well in heavy populated area with high policing levels and high petty crime levels.
• Restorative Justice

  • A voluntary process involving the person who has suffered harm and the person who caused harm.
  • Trained facilitators work with victims and offenders to talk about what happened, who was affected and how, and what can be done to help repair the harm.
  • Can take place at any stage of the criminal justice process, both pre-sentence and after conviction where it can perform part of the sentencing procedure.
  • Used by prisons and police forces and is growing in popularity.