nat 5 modern studies (crime and the law)

• Drug crime


  Possession of drugs, supply of drugs or allowing your premises to be used for the purpose of drug taking
• Sentences for drug crime

  Up to 7 years in prison for possession of a class A drug, up to life imprisonment for selling
• Many violent crimes


  Can be linked to the supply of drugs
• Knife crime


  Possessing a knife, selling a knife, using or attempting to use a knife
• Knife crime offences


  Result in a criminal record and can also result in a prison sentence
• Domestic violence


  Incidents of controlling, threatening behaviour or abuse of partners or family members
• Controlling behaviour by a partner has been added to the list of domestic violence offences as well as physical violence and threats
• Drug crime is a rising problem in Scotland
• Illegal drug use is a big problem in Scotland. Scotland has the highest rate of drug related deaths in Europe and figures of police seizures of illegal drugs have significantly increased suggesting that drug use is a growing problem
• 1,330 people lost their lives to drug misuse in Scotland in 2021
• Knife crime has become a major problem as it is rising in England and Wales
• The number of knife attacks in many areas of England has dramatically increased over the last year
• Fatal stabbings have been a major issue in areas like London
• Knife crime recorded by the police from 2021-2022 saw an increase of 10% than the previous year
• The rise in violent crimes like domestic abuse highlights crime is a problem
• The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 criminalised controlling behaviours of offenders such as restricting your partner's access to money and repeatedly putting a partner down through insults
• The number of domestic abuse crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in 2021 rose to nearly 850,000
• Crimes aggravated by religious prejudice are at their lowest since 2004-5 in Scotland
• There were nearly 900 religious hate crime offences in 2012 and in 2022 this fell to 428 religious hate crime charges reported to the public prosecution service in Scotland
• Knife crime has decreased in Scotland
• Programmes and initiatives aiming to tackle knife crime

  • The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) was set up in 2005 and works with communities, schools and social services, as well as the NHS to try to tackle the problem
• These initiatives have helped reduce knife crime in Scotland and now Scotland has the lowest rate of knife crime out of anywhere in the UK
• Born criminals


  Criminals are physiologically different from 'normal' human beings and have no choice, it is in their nature to commit crimes
• Warrior gene (MAOA)


  People who have this gene are more likely to commit violent acts than those who do not
• A recent study in Finland revealed that those carrying the warrior gene were 13 times more likely to have a history of repeated violent behaviour
• Mental health issues


  Many prisoners in UK prisons have shown symptoms that are linked to mental health issues such as schizophrenia which may have led to delusions or distorted their perception of reality leading to the individual to committing a crime
• 25% of female and 15% of male prisoners reported such mental health symptoms compared to only 4% of the general public
• Poor parenting


  If a child is brought up in a family where there is poor parenting (neglect/abuse) and/or where the parents have problems in their own lives, such as drug addictions, then that child is far more likely to be involved in crime as they get older
• Peer pressure


  People feel pressured to engage in criminal activity for fear of rejection or being bullied by their friends. They then commit crimes in order to be 'accepted'
• Some teenagers may become involved in anti-social behaviour such as drinking alcohol at weekends or getting involved in street fights with teenagers from other parts of the town
• Alcohol consumption


  When a person consumes alcohol they often lack the inhibitions that they might otherwise have when sober. People under the influence of alcohol are more likely to take 'chances' or become argumentative than normal
• The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey reported that two in five (41%) prisoners reported being drunk at the time of their offence
• Poverty


  Living in poverty can lead to lack of education, poor housing and unemployment, meaning that people living in poverty cannot meet their basic needs and as a consequence turn to crime in order to do so
• Around 25% of all crimes of dishonesty in Scotland are when people steal basic items such as food and clothing from shops
• Greed


  Crimes of greed usually occur when an individual is relatively wealthy but wants even more, turning to white collar crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and money laundering
• In 2022 former MP Natalie McGarry was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to jail
• Broken windows theory


  Visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour create an environment that encourages further crime and disorder
• Run down areas in Glasgow such as Calton are likely to experience further crime due to the visible signs of crime such as graffiti
• Financial difficulties


  Families that rely on the victim's or the perpetrator's income may struggle to pay their bills such as mortgage/rent payments, energy costs and other necessities which could lead to them getting into debt
• Should the victim or the perpetrator be the highest earner in the household then their family may have to give up their home which could contribute to stress and other mental health issues