AC 3.1 EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF AGENCIES IN SOCIAL CONTROL

• POLICE: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Basic mission is to prevent crime and disorder, keep the public safe 
  • To perform their duties, they depend on the public cooperation and approval 
  • Use of physical force is a last resort  
  • Duty is to impartially serve the law  
  • Police are the servants of the public in Peel’s philosophy which lays out principles embedded in the Police code of ethics 
• POLICE

  Aims and Objectives: 

  • According to the association of Chief police officers the aims are; 
  • Keep the peace and maintain order  
  • Protect life and property 
  • Prevent, detect and investigate crime  
  • Bring offenders to justice 
  • Achieve these aims using the powers of PACE 1984; 
  • Stop 
  • Question 
  • Search  
  • Arrest 
  • Detain in a police station
• POLICE

  Working Practices: 

  • Deal with all types of offences and offenders 
  • There are specialist law enforcement agencies e.g., fraud and drug specialists 
• POLICE

  • Unarmed policing – police in Britian are unarmed, force is a last resort  
  • Special constables – unpaid volunteers with the same powers as paid officers, undergo some training 
  • PCSOs – limited in their power, deal with anti-social behaviour e.g., underage drinking, they can ask a police officer to arrest someone  
  • Police and crime commissioners – elected representatives of the people of an area, give the local population a voice, aim to ensure efficient and effective policing, set priorities and budgets  
• POLICE

  Reach: 

  • 39 regional police force in England and 4 in Wales  
  • Specialist police organisations with a UK wide reach e.g., the national crime agency, boarder force  
• POLICE

  Funding: 

  • 2020/21 budget was £15.2bn  
  • 2/3 comes from central government, most of the rest is then from council tax  
  • A small amount comes from charging services e.g., police attending football matches 
  • Police fell by 19% between 2010 and 2018; led to a fall pf 20,000 police officers by 2022 
• CPS: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Values include independence and fairness, prosecuting without bias 
  • Honesty 
  • Treating everyone with respect  
  • Behave professionally and strive for excellence 
  • Aim for equality and inclusion to inspire greater confidence in the CPS 
• CPS

  Aims and Objectives: 

  • Main public prosecutor in England and Wales 
  • Set up in 1986 by Prosecution of Defences Act 1985 
  • CPS prosecute all serious or complex cases 
  • Advises the police, assess the evidence provided 
  • Decides whether to prosecute 
  • Assists, informs and supports victims and witnesses 
• CPS

  Working Practices: 

  • Don’t work with very minor crimes  
  • Deals with the full range of offences and criminals 
  • Takes responsibility for all serious cases 
• CPS

  Reach: 

  • National body throughout England and Wales  
  • 14 regional area teams  
  • Each one is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor  
  • CPS direct is virtual and provides charging decisions to the police  
  • Nationwide and available 24/7 365 days a year 
• CPS

  Funding: 

  • Most finding comes from the government  
  • Budget of half a million each year 
  • CPS recovers necessary costs through the courts awarding costs against defendants 
  • Suffered budget cuts; 2018 budget had fallen by 25% and it lost 1/3 of its staff 
• JUDICIARY: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Seek to deliver justice 
  • Treat everyone equally 
  • Behave professionally and strive for excellence 
  • Prosecute without bias
• JUDICIARY

  Aims and Objectives: 

  • To interpret and apply the law 
  • Manage the trial and ensure fairness 
  • Sum up the evidence and pass the sentence 
  • Make rulings 
  • Create precedents  
• JUDICIARY

  Working Practices: 

  • Deal with all types of offence and offender 
  • Except for the least serious cases, usually delt with by magistrates 
  • Position of judges reflects the importance of their independence 
  • Salary is guaranteed and they have the security of tenure 
• JUDICIARY

  Reach: 

  • Supreme court has a nationwide jurisdiction 
  • Judges in lower courts deal with local cases 
• JUDICIARY

  Funding: 

  • Pay is decided by an independent body 
  • 2020 Lord Chief Justice received £262,000; district judges earned £112,000 
  • Senior lawyers can earn more than judges, some barristers earning in excess of £1m, this can be disincentive for people to become judges 
• PRISONS: 

  Philosophy: 

  • HM prison and probation service is a government agency responsible for UK prisons 
  • Purpose is ‘preventing victims by changing lives of offenders’ 
• PRISONS

  Aims and Objectives: 

  • Protect the public from harm  
  • Help to rehabilitate people 
  • Hold prisoners securely 
  • Implement sentences and court orders 
• PRISONS

  Working Practices: 

  • Deals with higher risk offenders 
  • Range of seriousness murder to theft 
  • Those who attempt to escape are put on an escape list, wear bright yellow clothes and change cells frequently  
  • Prison activities aim to rehabilitate; however, they have been criticised for the lack of training, education and work opportunities 
  • Incentives and earned rewards are available for prisoners earn, bad behaviour leads to you being on the basic level and good behaviour is rewarded with additional privileges 
• PRISONS

  Reach: 

  • Nationally organised 
  • Numerous prisons around the UK 
  • Three types of closed prisons and one open prison 
  • CATEGORY A – criminals highly dangerous to the public e.g., murder, rape, terrorism 
  • CATEGORY B – escape needs to be made very difficult, but they do not require maximum security 
  • CATEGORY C – prisoners which can't be trusted in open conditions but are unlikely to escape 
  • CATEGORY D – for reasonably trusted prisoners 
• PRISONS

  Funding: 

  • Paid for by the government out of taxation  
  • 2018 budget was approx. £3bn, 16% lower than 2010 
  • Budget cuts lead to loss of staff 
  • As of 2020 almost 1/3 of staff had less than 3 years' experience 
  • Average cost of keeping a prisoner is £41,136 in the public sector 
• NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Belief that offenders can change for the better and become responsible members of society 
  • Belief in the worth and dignity of an individual  
  • Commitment to social justice, inclusion, equality and diversity 
• NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE

  Aims and Objectives: 

  • Statutory criminal justice service 
  • Supervises high risk offenders released into the community 
  • Provide statutory support to victims of sexual or violent crime 
  • Priority is to protect the public 
  • Aim to tackle the causes of the offender's crime 
  • Work in partnership with a range of organisations e.g., courts, police and local councils 
• NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE

  Working Practices: 

  • Around 250,000 offenders on probation at one time 
  • Offenders are deemed safe enough to serve their sentence in the community 
• NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE

  Reach: 

  • Same service regionally and locally 
• NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE

  Funding: 

  • Part of the HM prison and probation service 
  • 2018 shared budget of £4.6bn 
  • Funding comes from government through taxation 
  • Some private businesses pay them or reaching rehabilitation standards 
• CHARITY – NACRO: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Describes itself as social justice charity seeking to change lives, strengthen communities and prevent crime 
  • Provides a range of services; 
  • Houses over 3000 tenants and provides bail accommodation 
  • In 2018, 4,900 people were educated through NACROs education services 
  • Provide support and advice about employment 
  • Use outreach projects to stop young people re offending 
  • They campaign to change laws and policies affecting ex-offenders e.g., to reform the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 
• CHARITY - NACRO

  Working Practices: 

  • Work with a range of ex-offenders including those released from prison 
  • Works with young people at risk of offending e.g., those excluded from school 
  • Concerned with the needs of disadvantaged young adults 
• CHARITY - NACRO

  Reach: 

  • National organisation with local activities and projects 
  • Large full-time staff with many unpaid volunteers 
• CHARITY - NACRO

  Funding: 

  • Income of around £50m per year 
  • Comes from public donations, government grants and contracts for providing services 
• CHARITY – HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM: 

  Philosophy: 

  • Oldest penal reform charity  
  • Established in 1886 
  • Aims for less crimes, safer communities, fewer people in prison and transformation of those behind bars 
• CHARITY - HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM

  Working Practices: 

  • Works with parliament, the media and numerous agencies in the criminal justice system 
  • Has run many successful campaigns e.g., books for prisoners 
• CHARITY - HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM

  Funding: 

  • Public donations 
  • Membership subscriptions  
• CHARITY – PRISON REFORM TRUST: 

  Philosophy: 

  • established in 1981 
  • Aim to create a humane and effective penal system 
  • Aims to improve prison regimes, conditions, promote prisoners' human rights 
  • Reducing unnecessary imprisonment  
  • Improving treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families 
  • Promote equality and human rights in the justice system 
• CHARITY - PRISON REFORM TRUST

  Working Practices: 

  • Focuses on how the prison system can be reformed 
  • Provides advice and information to prisoners and their families 
  • Campaigns to improve the penal system e.g., out of trouble 
• CHARITY - PRISON REFORM TRUST

  Funding: 

  • Does not receive any government funding 
  • Relies Soley on public donations to function