CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

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CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
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WHY SOCIETY PUNISHES PEOPLE WHO BREAK THE LAW

• Society sets up rules and we have to obey them or
  face the consequences.
• But people can see things differently
• What one person feels strongly about another
  doesnt

• This is why we have a judicial system which sets
  tariffs for punishments and doesn't allow judges
  to do what they want. debatable?)

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THE THEORY OF PUNISHMENT

• This country has five aims to punishment.
• PROTECTION
• We are to protect members of society.

• So if someone is a danger to others in any way,
  they are removed from circulation to protect
  people e.g. imprisonment for murder or curfew for
  a burglar.

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• RETRIBUTION
• Getting someone back for what they have done. we
  repay their crime by hurting them in some way.
• E.g. Islamic society will remove the hand of a
  thief. Society has made them pay for their crime

• E.g. taking away someone's liberty (imprisonment)
  is another way to pay people back, like giving a
  prison sentence to someone who defrauded money.

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• DETERRENCE
• This is a punishment designed to make the
  offender not do it again, and to send a message
  to everyone else not to do it- to put you off
  doing the crime.
• E.g. Some states in the US uses execution in
  this way-

• if you commit murder you will be executed, so
  dont commit murder.
• Smaller scale driving under the influence leads
  to a ban, fine and maybe imprisonment so dont
  drink and drive.

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• REFORMATION
• To try to change someone's ways and improve them
  as a responsible citizen
• E.g. a joy rider might have to work at a
  physiotherapy unit with road traffic accident
  victims.

• The punishment is designed to make offenders
  consider their behaviour and why it is wrong.
• From that they may modify their behaviour because
  their values have changed.

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• VINDICATION
• If we have laws we have to punish those who break
  them, or there would be no point to the laws.
• You get a fine for not having a valid parking
  ticket, because the rule

• says you have to have one.
• The car park maybe empty and you are depriving no
  one of that space , but thats the rule.

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WHY DO PEOPLE COMMIT CRIME?

• Trigger
• Immediate cause
• greed
• Boredom
• Hatred
• Example
• Desperate
• Psychological
• Choice

• Fear
• Drive
• Buzz
• Addiction
• Power
• Life you have
• Conflict
• Emotional/mental disturbance

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TASK

• 1.Give examples to demonstrate the causes of
  crime.
• 2.What do you think about the 5 motivations or
  aims of punishments? Give reasons for your answer.

• 3.Chose a crime and apply each punishment to it.
  State what you think the consequences would be
  for each.
• 4.Which do you think would be most effective and
  why?

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• 5. If all criminals were punished very severely,
  crimes would almost disappear.
• Do you agree? Give reasons and explain your
  answer , showing that you have thought about more
  than one point of view.

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• 6.In a civilised society, we should try to
  reform all criminals. Most are damaged people,
  damaged by others, and we should help them, not
  damage them further.
• Do you agree? Give reasons and explain your
  answer , showing that you have thought about more
  than one point of view.

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SOME FIGURES

• Crime figures in UK have risen steadily over the
  past 50 yrs
• 1951-638,000 crimes reported
• 2002 7 million

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• Greatest increase in violent crime and robbery
• Greatest increase of robbery among teenagers
  mobile phones
• Crime related to alcohol increase dramatically

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• For every crime reported at least 3 go unreported
• Thought that over 30 million crimes are committed
  each year in the UK
• Over 30 of the population suffer badly from
  crime.

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• Most crimes are committed by people under the age
  of 25
• Majority of criminals between ages of 16 19
• Men are 7 times more likely to commit a crime
  than women

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• Burglaries, car thefts and arson attacks carried
  out by 18-20 yr olds alone cost households
  Businesses 4 billion per yr in UK
• Men commit 6 million crimes a yr but thought to
  be responsible for at least 3 times this number

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• 1 in 16 of all houses are burgled each year.
• The perpetrators of about 20 of all crimes, just
  1 in 5, are caught and punished.
• In some parts of the country the detection rate
  is even lower (and other parts, higher).

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• Britain locks up more people as a of population
  than any other country in Europe.
• At the end of November 2006,
• over 80 000 inmates.
• Each prisoner costs the tax payer 37 500 per
  year.

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• Each young offender costs 42 000 per yr.
• Over half of all prisoners re-offend within two
  years.
• This rises to 2/3 for young offenders.
• Only 1/3 of prisoners have committed serious
  offences (drugs, violence or sex related).

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• The majority of prisons are overcrowded and we
  are at crisis point in this country.
• On average, one prisoner commits suicide every
  five days (rate is highest amongst women).
• Up to 1/3 need psychiatric care. It is argued
  that they would be better served by mental health
  care systems.

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Find out (p106, TS) and explain the terms

• Imprisonment (with categories)
• Absolute and conditional discharges
• Parole
• Community service
• Electronic tagging

• Binding over
• Curfew
• Suspended sentence
• Probation
• Care orders
• Cautioning
• Fines

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Look upwww.prisonreformtrust.org.ukFind out
what they doand say why they do it.