David Camerons Tough on Crime
Critique the following statement: "Cameron 's new tough take on crime isn 't the right solution to stop young people from re-offending."
The key issue when discussing re-offending is whether the treatment of those who commit crimes should emphasise punishment or rehabilitation. If the answer given is punishment then it is clear that sentences given out to young people are relatively lenient partly due to the financial cost of prison places, and partly due to an awareness that long periods in prison, far from being simply a punishment, tend to instil a criminal mentality in young people and provide them with on-going criminal networks through which they can gain solidarity once they are released.
If the answer given is rehabilitation, then the issue is more complicated, as successful rehabilitation ought to do precisely that, and therefore, see a decrease in re-offenses. In 2010, Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, made a speech as part of the new coalition government outlining his plans for tackling crime and re-offending. Key, was the implementation of what he called a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ which would place the emphasis on community sentences as opposed to penal sentences and the greater involvement of voluntary and community sectors in delivering services. As part of this, Clarke announced his intention to introduce a ‘Payment by Results’ structure which would see independent organisations being paid by results for reducing re-offending (i.e. successful rehabilitation). His new policy also planned to make punishment more robust and credible, to make prisons places of hard work and industry, and to make increasing use of tagging and curfews.
However, rehabilitation schemes often do not address the individual young person in question in a holistic way, meaning that once they have to return to their old living area and acquaintances, especially with lower employment prospects, it becomes harder for them not to re-offend. The Ministry’s ‘Breaking the
The key issue when discussing re-offending is whether the treatment of those who commit crimes should emphasise punishment or rehabilitation. If the answer given is punishment then it is clear that sentences given out to young people are relatively lenient partly due to the financial cost of prison places, and partly due to an awareness that long periods in prison, far from being simply a punishment, tend to instil a criminal mentality in young people and provide them with on-going criminal networks through which they can gain solidarity once they are released.
If the answer given is rehabilitation, then the issue is more complicated, as successful rehabilitation ought to do precisely that, and therefore, see a decrease in re-offenses. In 2010, Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, made a speech as part of the new coalition government outlining his plans for tackling crime and re-offending. Key, was the implementation of what he called a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ which would place the emphasis on community sentences as opposed to penal sentences and the greater involvement of voluntary and community sectors in delivering services. As part of this, Clarke announced his intention to introduce a ‘Payment by Results’ structure which would see independent organisations being paid by results for reducing re-offending (i.e. successful rehabilitation). His new policy also planned to make punishment more robust and credible, to make prisons places of hard work and industry, and to make increasing use of tagging and curfews.
However, rehabilitation schemes often do not address the individual young person in question in a holistic way, meaning that once they have to return to their old living area and acquaintances, especially with lower employment prospects, it becomes harder for them not to re-offend. The Ministry’s ‘Breaking the
References: Cohen, S. (2008) [1972] Folk Devils and moral panics. London: Routledge Davies, Z and McMahon, W. (2007) Debating youth justice from punishment to problem solving. Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Kings College London Kimmett Edgar, Jessica Jacobson and Kathy Biggar (2004) ‘Time Well Spent’. http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Publications/vw/1/ItemID/130 Mantle, G., Fox, D and Dhami, M.K. (2005) ‘Restorative Justice and three individual theories of crime’, in Internet Journal of Criminology, 25 Mills, H. (2011) ‘Community Sentences: A Solution to Penal Excess?’ Crime and Justice Organisation. http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1861/CommunitysentencesRSS.pdf [Accessed: 15th April 2013] Home Affairs Committee (HAC) (1998) ‘Alternatives to Prison Sentences’. www.govnews.org/gov/uk/news/alternatives_prison_sentencesgovernment_response/48928.html [Accessed: 10th April 2013] Home Office (2010) ‘Breaking the Cycle’. www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/docs/breaking-the-cycle.pdf [Accessed: 18th April 2013] Ministry of Justice http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/prison-population-figures/index.htm [Accessed: 15th April 2013] Rethinking (2004) ‘The Reputation of Alternatives to Prison: Building Community and Magistrate Support’. http://www.rethinking.org.uk/informed/pdf/Henley.pdf [Accessed: 15th April 2013]