crime and the law

• one reason why some people argue that crime is less of a problem in scotland is because knife crime has decreased. knife crime was previously a major issue in scotland but has since declined since a public health approach was taken to reduce it. there has been a 39% decrease in hospital admission due to knife wounds since 2010 which is a big decrease.
• another reason why people argue that crime is less of a problem in scotland is because crimes of dishonesty are declining. This is including theft, shoplifting and fraud. This is due to an increase of security which makes it harder or criminals to get away with the crime. there has been a 25% decrease since 2013-2014.
• One type of crime that can make crime still be seen as a problem in Scotland is drug crimes. Drug crimes include supply or possession of drugs such as heroin or cannabis. Drugs supply crimes increased by 3% last year. This shows that it is becoming more of a problem in scotland because more people are being charged with it
• Another type of crime which is a problem in Scotland is sexual crimes of violence. Sexual crimes include crimes associated with prostitution and indecent photos of children. sexual crimes have increased by 70% since 2013-2014. this shows that sexual crimes are becoming an even bigger problem in scotland
• One social cause of crime is Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) This includes neglect, abuse etc. people who experience it are more likely to commit crime. Public health wales did a study in 2015 that showed that people with 4+ Aces are 14x more likely to be a victim of violent crime, 15x more likely to be a perpetrator of a violent crime and 20x more likely to be incarcerated (in jail). 45% of prisoners in Scotland reported in a recent survey that they had been physically abused in their homes as children.
• Another social cause of crime is peer pressure. Peer pressure is a cause of crime because many offenders commit crime to impress others or not be left out. e.g underage drinking, shoplifting, speeding etc. For example, a Scottish government study found that 10% of 14 year olds had experienced peer pressure to cause trouble or get into fights.
• One economic issue which can lead people to commit crime is poverty. Poverty is when people don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs. Areas with high rates of poverty tend to have higher levels of crimes of dishonesty such as shoplifting, theft and burglary. This may be because unemployment benefits are low - only £74 a week - and people steal to get things they otherwise couldn’t afford
• Another economic issue that can lead people to commit crime is greed. This explains why well-off individuals may commit crimes. This is usually ‘white collar‘ crime such as evading taxes. Tax evasion is estimated to cost the UK government an annual 34 billion, fraud costing an annual 193 billion.
• One biological cause of crime is the ‘warrior gene’. This is because the presence of the warrior gene makes the holder, usually men, more aggressive and violent. For example, a study in Finland shows that prisoners with the warrior gene are 13 times more likely to re-offend.
• A second biological cause of crime is mental illness. This is because some mental illnesses can lead people to experience psychotic episodes, where they have delusions and are not in full control of their emotions. An example of this is Lewis Ranwell, a schizophrenic who wrongly accused 3 elderly men of being offenders/murderers and killed them.
• One effect of being a victim of crime can have in individuals is physical injury or death. This is because a victim may have to go through long periods of treatment or surgery. An example of this is Katie Piper, whose boyfriend (at the time) poured acid on her, making her a victim.
• Another effect of being a victim of crime can be PTSD. This is because someone who experiences assault/a violent crime can be afraid of going out due to flashbacks or fear of it happening again. For example, PTSD UK said that 30% of crime victims suffer PTSD.
• One way in which families can be affected by crime is grief. This is beside they may have lost a family member or close relative due to crime. For example, 64 people were murdered in 2019-2020 and families had to deal with that loss.
• A second way that families are affected by crime is that children could lose access to their parents. This is because a parent going to jail could result in a serious impact on their relationship with and the child’s life. For example, children who have a parent in jail are twice as likely to experience mental health issues compared to others.
• One consequence of crime on the perpetrator is losing access to their children. This is because if someone goes to jail, they may only be able to see their children under supervision, if at all. this damages relationships and makes re-offending more likely. For example, 50% of parents in prison don’t get to see their kids
• Another consequence of crime on the perpetrator is unemployment and struggling to find a job. This is because most places will not hire someone with a criminal record, which is particularly hard for ex-criminals. For example, 7 out of 10 employers will not hire someone with a criminal record
• One consequence of crime on communities is the financial cost. This is because areas with higher crime rates have higher insurance as there is more burglary. For example, it is estimated that crime costs the average household in deprived areas £31 a week in increased insurance prices.
• A second consequence of crime on communities is that the community becomes run down. This is because crimes such as graffiti and vandalism impact the physical environment and make people less likely to want to live there. For example, Ferguslie Park in paisley has one of Scotland‘s highest crime rates and also has a lot of empty housing.
• One consequence of crime for the wider society is the cost to police. if crime is high, more money will be needed to pay more police officers. This will then cost taxpayers more money because the Scottish government will have to increase the police budget.
• Another consequence of crime for the wider society is the pressure on the NHS. This is because they have to treat physical and mental victim injuries which can be very costly. For example, Katie Piper has had 400 surgeries which is money that could’ve been spent on other illnesses.
• Which Scottish court takes the least serious cases?

  Justice of the peace court
• Which Scottish court is the “middle court”?

  Sheriff Court
• Which Scottish court deals with the most serious cases?

  High Court
• Justice of the Peace court has only a judge, no jury. The maximum sentence is 12 months and the maximum fine is £10,000
• The sheriff court can have both a judge and jury in some cases, though mostly only a judge. The maximum sentence is 5 years and the maximum fine is unlimited
• The high court has both a judge and jury. The maximum prison sentence is unlimited, the maximum fine is unlimited.
• custodial sentence?


  a sentence of imprisonment for a period of time set by the court
• community payback order


  Ordered to do unpaid work in your community like removing graffiti for between 20 and 300 hours
• restriction of liberty order

  restricted to a specific place for a maximum period of 12 hours a day for up to 12 months
• effectiveness of a custodial sentence 


  this is effective as uk department figures show that criminals who are jailed for longer are less likely to reoffend after being released than those serving shorter sentences, suggesting deterrence works.
• Ineffectiveness of a custodial sentence

  This is ineffective as Scottish prisons in the last 25 years have seen the number of prisoners increased from 6000 to 8400.
• Effectiveness of a community payback order

  CPOs are effective as Scottish Government figures show that the reoffending rates of those given a CPO is half of that of those given a less than 12 month prison sentence.
• Ineffectiveness of a Community Payback order


  CPOs are not effective as some would consider it a soft touch and criminals may not fear CPOs like they fear prison.
• Scotland’s age of criminal responsibility

  12
• England's age of criminal responsibility

  8
• 2500 members of the Childrens hearinh panel. Children are involved in picking panel members and organising the hearing system process.
• The Children’s Hearing System aims to help children under 17 by protecting them from danger if they are at risk. If the panel members feel a young person is in danger, if they are being physically, emotionally or sexually abused, if their parents‘ alcohol or drug addictions mean that they are being neglected, then they have to the power to impose a compulsory supervision order (CSO)
• compulsory supervision order 


  this usually means deciding a child who needs protection must live in a certain place under the care of a certain person such as an approved relative or friend, foster parents or in a children‘s care home. For example, in 22/23 10128 children were kept safe by the children’s hearing system.
• Another way that the children’s hearing system can help young people is using a compulsory supervision order (CSO). A CSO sets out what should be done in the best interests of the child/young person. This is the responsibility of the local authority. This will involve the social work department and can involve the child’s school. for example, in 22/23, more than 14,000 CSOs were given.
• The minimum unit pricing law came into effect in 2018. Deaths caused by alcohol are 13% lower than they would be without this law. Alcohol sales dropped by 3%. Price is getting increased by 65p.