what are the 6 limitations of agencies in achieving social control
repeat offending
civil; liberties and legal barriers
access to resources and support
finance
local and national policies
crime committed by moral imperatives
how does repeat offending limit social control
-shows limitations of agencies in achieving social control
-recidivism rates=30% 2017 within 12 months, 37.5% all prisoners,40% juvenile offenders, rising since 2009
-longer sentences=2018 sentences for indictable offences 26 months longer than 10 yrs earlier
-causes rising prison population, doubled since 1993
-who reoffends? more previous convictions, those who have served prison sentence, males,people with addictions (complex issues-marxists see as not surprising), dark figure of re offending (those examples not necessarily accurate)
^contradicts right realists ‘prison works’
how do civil liberties and legal barrios limit agencies in achieving social control
-basic rights/freedoms guaranteed to every individual by law eg freedom of speech/freedom of movement/freedom from arbitrary arrest=limits agencies power=due process reinforces barriers to the state exersizing control over citizens
-some ‘police states’ agencies have few restrictions on their power =human right abuse eg 2018 us department of states annual report found protests against turkish govs abuses eg unlawful detentions of journalists
how do access to resources and support limit agencies social control
-offenders limited resources support/worsens ability to rehabilitate offenders
- IN PRISON eg short sentences-not enough time for intensive work/inadequate resources for education and training-2/5 prisons delivering ‘good’ activiites/15% cut in officers-less supervision and use of facilities and places on ROTL
- IN COMMUNITY eg lack of money-£46 on release/lack of job-1/4 have job/homeless/’end friday releases’ campaign to stop re offending/inadquate support for complex needs/inadequate supervision by probation
how does lack of finance limit agencies social control
-cant fund operations
-police budget cut by 19%=dropped 2.6x cases 2017 compared to 2016
-CPS cut by 25%=downgrade charges so they can do it in magistrates quicker and cheaper,lighter sentences
-prisons cut by 16%=lack of rehabilitation-when privatised 2016 had the worst prison riot in 25 years=prison in chaos
-probation lack of staff and performance
how do local and national policies limit agencies social control
-when particular crimes are a priority others are neglected or some de-prioiritise if its a waste of resources/too trivial
-national gov policies = eg 2019 home office made it easier for police to stop and search for weapon showing broad national serious violence strategy
-local policies= respond to local needs with extra measures/moral panics change priorities eg weapon amnesties (2017 350 firearms given in)
how do crimes committed by those with moral imperatives limit social control
moral imperative=overriding sense of what is right so they act on it regardless of law
eg the suffragettes-campaign of direct action/civil disobedience deliberately broke the law eg smashing windows was motivated by moral imperative to force parliament to change law and enforce injustice that women were denied the right to vote = gov introduced cat and mouse act to try and reduce hunger strikers then re imprison them but eventually in 1928 the voting age was equalised -=success
^makes hard for authorities to control and functionalists argue without deviance new social values couldnt emerge and society would stagnate
