tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90102692412656645342024-02-03T00:11:05.289+00:00Criminology on The StreetsIssues of Criminology, crime and criminality should not only be discussed openly by the public, but should be understood and debated as well. A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-31363948261503198842020-11-06T13:37:00.001+00:002020-11-06T13:37:13.758+00:00Young People and Desistance from Crime <p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Within the Criminal Justice System, a key focus is reducing reoffending and encouraging desistance from crime. There are various organisations and different approaches to reach this goal. However, an area that needs further development is with regards to the specific needs of different age groups, such as the 18-25 age group. Research needs to explore whether or not there are specific needs and requirements that the 18-25 age cohort have in order to promote desistance and increase the chance that reoffending will be avoided. Furthermore, research should also examine current programmes and procedures which work with release and resettlement in an attempt to identify good practice and highlight areas that could benefit from change. Specifically, recommendations for future research include addressing the following questions: </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bf511798-7fff-aa79-cfbc-1d433b6232bf"><ol style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are community services and prison programmes successful in rehabilitation? If so, how successful are they? </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How much do community services and prison services reduce reoffending, individually and comparatively? </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Would community services benefit with more funding and is there evidence that funding cuts have the potential to result in increased reoffending? </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the more effective type of support that helps prevent the 18-25 age cohort from reoffending? </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to service providers, what are the primary causes of reoffending for the 18-25 age cohort? (i.e. education, employment, accommodation). </span></p></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We welcome comments from readers and encourage practitioners to share their opinions and experiences with regards to answering these questions. </span></span></div></span>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-49699035937281032682020-10-14T14:11:00.000+01:002020-10-14T14:11:12.862+01:00Young People and Coronavirus: Recovery <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Recovery and Young People</u></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>By Alex Guy</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Young people born between 1990 and 2005 have already
experienced two major global shocks within the first 15-30 years of their life
– the financial crisis of 2007/08 and the Covid pandemic. Many organisations
have been trying to explain the importance of having a recovery plan that is
inclusive to all ages, especially the young people that will be dealing with a
multitude of aftershocks from this pandemic as they go into further education
or employment. One recovery plan suggestion by The Children’s Society includes
how grades will be viewed by further education organisations such as
universities, as well as additional mental health support for the age group.
Youth led organisations have been active in building recovery plans in
partnership with the government to ensure their inclusion. For example, the
British Youth Council is urging the government to create a Minister for Young
People to bring the voice of youth into policymaking. Moreover, half of mental
ill health starts by age 15, and 75% develops by age 18, which highlights the
vulnerability of this age group during a period when mental illness is high.
Before lockdown, suicide was the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year
olds, and with increased uncertainty, anxiety and fear, there may be worrying
increases in this number. Focus needs to be placed on youths as part of the
recovery plan for the Covid pandemic to ensure that they are not left behind,
that they continue to receive opportunities to improve their futures, and to
make sure that they are supported, especially surrounding mental health. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxdotiowjmatJQeBR4y2voAsNMmbHMOTJ6r0AACsLA-shZKJoWdb6fsiGv4Q574SvB6Aai2iE1wxrGpgmo9pcoznnepdOcyVqvpsl8dglXbuimC7VlQ5vXd7eV1D7G_5m7FDT0vkgj1Q/w140-h140/Citizens_Advice_Logo.png" width="140" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you need any support about the issues discussed in this series, please contact citizens Advice or one of the organisations below. </div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Support organisations:</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Childline: Free, confidential advice for those up to 19
years old, call 0800 1111 to speak to an advisor. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Youthoria: Website run by Cambridgeshire Council for
11-19-year olds, advice from jobs, to education, to bullying:
http://www.youthoria.org/<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Centre 33: Supporting young people up to the age of 25 with
mental health, caring responsibilities, housing, sexual health and more. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Telephone: 0333 4141809<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Text/whatsapp: 07514 783745<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Email: <a href="mailto:help@centre33.org.uk">help@centre33.org.uk</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>For more information: </b></p><p class="MsoNormal">https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/covid-19-recovery-briefing-children-and-young-peoples-mental<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/youth-and-covid-19-response-recovery-and-resilience-c40e61c6/#section-d1e1472<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MHFA England:
https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/research-and-evaluation/mental-health-statistics/<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-6541116635544088592020-10-12T15:11:00.000+01:002020-10-12T15:11:27.796+01:00Coronavirus and Young People: Youth Organisations<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Youth Organisations and Coronavirus</u></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>By Alex Guy</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Youth organisations play a crucial role in the daily lives
and development of children throughout the world, and Covid represents an
unprecedented challenge to keep these services and systems functioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the pandemic, youth organisations have
been providing access to education, peer to peer mental health advice and other
programmes to support young adults in lockdown. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Between 20th -27th March 2020, UK Youth surveyed the needs
of the youth sector and young people in the wake of Covid and its potential
long-term impact. 252 respondents, representing 235 organisations completed the
survey, and most respondents (88%) indicated they are likely or very likely to
reduce service provision to young people. 31% said that staff redundancies were
likely while 17% said permanent closure was likely. 64% of respondents said
that they were likely to lose sources of funding. Moreover, 72% of respondents
said that their organisation needs access to emergency funds to support
organisational needs to aid young people during and after the pandemic. There
have, however, been attempts to engage with young people virtually, with 86%
indicating that they were doing so or were planning to do so, where possible.
This, however, is not available to children without computers or internet access,
who may desperately need the support. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Multiple countries have created online campaigns to keep
young people informed of the measures to protect themselves and others, such as
the international campaign #youthagainstcovid19 to map and share myth-busting,
fact-checking websites and resources. This is useful in keeping young people
knowledgeable but may also help with keeping them involved with recovery plans.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxdotiowjmatJQeBR4y2voAsNMmbHMOTJ6r0AACsLA-shZKJoWdb6fsiGv4Q574SvB6Aai2iE1wxrGpgmo9pcoznnepdOcyVqvpsl8dglXbuimC7VlQ5vXd7eV1D7G_5m7FDT0vkgj1Q/s1000/Citizens_Advice_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxdotiowjmatJQeBR4y2voAsNMmbHMOTJ6r0AACsLA-shZKJoWdb6fsiGv4Q574SvB6Aai2iE1wxrGpgmo9pcoznnepdOcyVqvpsl8dglXbuimC7VlQ5vXd7eV1D7G_5m7FDT0vkgj1Q/w158-h158/Citizens_Advice_Logo.png" width="158" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you need any help with the issues discussed in this series, please contact Citizens Advice</div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><b>For more information: </b></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.ukyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UK-Youth-Covid-19-Impact-Report-External-Final-08.04.20.pdf">https://www.ukyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UK-Youth-Covid-19-Impact-Report-External-Final-08.04.20.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-51026039330366942522020-10-08T12:07:00.000+01:002020-10-08T12:07:26.688+01:00Coronavirus and Young People: Education <p style="text-align: center;"><b><u> Education and Coronavirus</u></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>By Alex Guy</u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The global pandemic is also having an unprecedented impact
on schools and universities all over the globe, with far-reaching social consequences
that have affected more than 1.5 billion children and youth worldwide.
According to UNESCO (2020), so far 191 countries have implemented nationwide or
localized school closures. This has significantly changed how youth and
children live and learn during the pandemic. Although schools have shown
flexibility and commitment to continuing education through lockdown, not all
students have been able to consistently access education, with surveys showing
that across OECD countries, more than one in ten 15-year-olds from
socio-economically disadvantaged schools do not have a quiet place to study at
home or an internet connection, and one in five do not have access to a
computer. Education can be key in accessing opportunities, such as a better
career prospects, and with the limited access available and problems some
children have in gaining access, they may lose these possibilities. After the
confusion surrounding grading systems for A-level students, higher education
establishments and their ability to keep the students safe has come under
scrutiny. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The government has released guidance on how to safely open
campuses in 2020/2021, including information on ventilation, face coverings and
student accommodation. Furthermore, The University of Cambridge will offer
weekly coronavirus tests to students, even if they have no symptoms, with
routine screening being provided for about 16,000 people who live in
college-owned accommodation, when term begins on 8 October. However, with
student halls filling up, many are concerned about how safe universities truly
are for young people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxdotiowjmatJQeBR4y2voAsNMmbHMOTJ6r0AACsLA-shZKJoWdb6fsiGv4Q574SvB6Aai2iE1wxrGpgmo9pcoznnepdOcyVqvpsl8dglXbuimC7VlQ5vXd7eV1D7G_5m7FDT0vkgj1Q/w93-h93/Citizens_Advice_Logo.png" width="93" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you need help with any of the topics discussed in this series, please contact Citizens Advice. </div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><b>For more information: </b></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/04/YOUTH-FLASH-Special-issue-on-COVID-19-1.pdf<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/youth-and-covid-19-response-recovery-and-resilience-c40e61c6/#section-d1e458<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-54092327
<o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/02/uk-university-student-halls-too-full-to-be-safe-experts-warn">https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/02/uk-university-student-halls-too-full-to-be-safe-experts-warn</a></span>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-8723624173673180892020-10-05T09:17:00.010+01:002020-10-05T09:38:24.950+01:00Young People and Coronavirus : Employment <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Employment and Coronavirus</u></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u>By Alex Guy</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Employment for people of all ages has been drastically
affected by Covid. However, youths are more likely to be in informal employment
or forms of zero-hour contracts, making them more vulnerable to an economic
downturn. Pre-Covid, British youths aged 15-24 were already three times more
likely to be unemployed compared to adults, whilst 126 million young workers
were in extreme and moderate poverty worldwide. The effects of Covid on
employment levels can already be seen - in July 2020 537,700 people aged 16-24
claimed unemployment-related benefits, up 122% from March 2020 when the UK
lockdown began. Moreover, new figures released by the Office of National
Statistics (ONS) have revealed just how hard job losses have hit Cambridge,
with figures published in June showing there was 3,335 people claiming
unemployment – related benefits in Cambridge in May 2020, which marks 142%
increase on March 2020 when the country went into lockdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Estimations indicate that of the billion
young people globally who will enter the job market in the next decade only 40%
are expected to find jobs if the market remains the same. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We can learn from the impact of the 2007-2008 financial
crisis which saw the number of youths not in employment, education or training
rise to 18% and the number of unemployed young people increase by 20%, leaving
one in eight young people (aged 18-25) in poverty. This can have significant
impacts as young people with a history of unemployment face fewer career
development opportunities, lower wage levels, poorer prospects for better jobs
and ultimately lower pensions. So, the question is, what will happen to the 600
million young people that are expected to be unemployed over the next decade? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtsRZJLfXaZq_hX1oqpgmRaSXorKkyY_6C0513BbzsNRv7IVG539KFn0vfe1eW4HMnrIske-xVZnltaVqtgAuiNwxgNYde1cVfc1NdSyZbQggqy2byP3viHmIB5iMZH0dxTuKswRuaOY/w131-h131/Citizens_Advice_Logo.png" width="131" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you need any help with any of the topics discussed in this series, please contact Citizens Advice. </div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>For more information: </b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/news/2020/05/covid-19/<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05871/<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/unemployment-cambridge-benefits-daniel-zeichner-18432623<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/news/our-blogs/college-blog/tackling-youth-unemployment-were-missing-a-crucial-voice<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/youth-and-covid-19-response-recovery-and-resilience-c40e61c6/<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/youth-and-covid-19-response-recovery-and-resilience-c40e61c6/<o:p></o:p></p>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-91198910407848984952020-10-02T16:31:00.005+01:002020-10-02T16:31:58.814+01:00 Young People and Coronavirus: Special Series<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b style="text-align: center;"><u>Young People and Coronavirus:
Special Series</u></b></span></p><p align="center" class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>By Alex Guy</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Covid-19
has affected almost every aspect of life, and young people, especially those
who are vulnerable, face considerable challenges in education, employment, and
mental health. Evidence suggests that young people are less at risk in terms of
developing severe physical health symptoms linked to Covid but the disruption
to their education and employment opportunities is likely to put them on a much
more volatile trajectory in finding and maintaining quality jobs and income. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The period of adolescence (from
the onset of puberty until independent adulthood) covers a unique period of
change during which young people can be particularly vulnerable to experiencing
the kinds of social welfare problems that give rise to a need for advice</span><a name="x__ftnref1" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><a href="#x__ftn1" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="xmsofootnotereference">[1]</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Research by Youth Access has
shown that young people aged under 25 are considerably less likely than the
general population to access legal advice when they experience social welfare
problems</span><a name="x__ftnref2" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><a href="#x__ftn2" style="font-family: inherit;">[2]</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. As well as being a key predictor
of mental health problems in young people</span><a name="x__ftnref3" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><a href="#x__ftn3" style="font-family: inherit;">[3]</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">
the experience of problems can also lead to a loss of confidence, loss of
income, physical illness and unemployment</span><a name="x__ftnref4" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><a href="#x__ftn4" style="font-family: inherit;">[4]</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.
Advice and early intervention can have a huge positive impact on outcomes for
young people by preventing the escalation of problems and saving resources and
funds in the long term. A study of clients of youth advice services
found that 64% of those who received advice reported an improvement in their
stress levels</span><a name="x__ftnref5" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><a href="#x__ftn5" style="font-family: inherit;">[5]</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Post
Covid, demand from under 25 year olds accessing our service increased
three-fold, showing the increased need for support within this age group. Over
the next week, we will share micro reports which summarise external research
publications on how young people have been affected by coronavirus in areas
such as employment, education, and access to youth organisations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvjCNBm7iAHaCxRj25ZjaCnMrBZxvfRg98iSXSCdJVcb06FnBHqD1uHIVNybXytOsOlSqI0eLxP8ZdH0hL7aCUtKUORkn6LYturOJ-I0muQ5YOjcvLGbfbF5Xe34h67DJLbU08kou_yU/s190/Citizens+Advice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="69" data-original-width="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvjCNBm7iAHaCxRj25ZjaCnMrBZxvfRg98iSXSCdJVcb06FnBHqD1uHIVNybXytOsOlSqI0eLxP8ZdH0hL7aCUtKUORkn6LYturOJ-I0muQ5YOjcvLGbfbF5Xe34h67DJLbU08kou_yU/s0/Citizens+Advice.png" /></a><br />
<p align="center" class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: center;">If you or anyone you
know needs support, please contact Citizens Advice <o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/">https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="xmsonormal" style="text-align: center;"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> </p>
<p class="xmsonormal">References: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> 1Engaging Young People – Citizens Advice
Tunbridge Wells & District 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> 2Kenrick, J. Young People’s Access to Advice - the
evidence, October 2009<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> 3Youth Access, The Social Determinants of Young
People’s Mental Health, June 2015<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> 4Balmer, N.J., Pleasence, P. Young People &
Legal Problems: Findings from the Legal Problem Resolution Survey 2014-2015,
February 2018<o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> 5Balmer, N.J., Pleasence, P. Young People
& Legal Problems: Findings from the Legal Problem Resolution Survey
2014-2015, February 2018</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-48575330290161900942014-11-22T16:10:00.002+00:002014-11-22T16:10:16.447+00:00Mental Health in Prison: Discussions Needed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Mental
health still remains one of the most taboo subjects within modern society
today; sufferers are often left feeling alone and marginalised. However, recent
campaigns have come to public attention in order to tackle the very real issue.
The same cannot be said for mental health within the prison system, very little
is reported in terms of statistics and authorities tend to attempt to brush the
issue under the carpet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is
however a wealth of research regarding mental health and its dominance in the prison
system. As a result, there is actually a shocking number of individuals who
suffer with mental health issues. As many as 70% of the UK prison population
has two or more mental health disorders (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004). The
research also found that male prisoners were 14 times more likely to have two
or more disorders, and women were a staggering 35 times more likely than the
general population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An article
published in September by the Independent detailed the terrifying rise in
prison suicides in the last year, with a percentage rise of 64%. As more
individuals with mental health issues make their way into the prison system,
both staff and facilities struggle to cope and prisoners suffer as a
consequence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are
several measures required in order to tackle the taboo subject, as well as
practical legislation needed. At a grass roots level it is so necessary that we
as a society accept the fact that people are affected by mental health. I would
hope that most people are aware that 1 in every 4 people will be affected by a
mental disorder in their life. This statistic alone is enough to see why so
many prisoners mental health suffers. A high percentage of the prison
population comes from areas of poverty, low employment, poor education and difficulties
or violence at home, all these issues coupled together is a recipe for mental
instability. Therefore encouraging people to recognise and acknowledge that
something must be done in order to tackle this overwhelming issue is really
important. Furthermore, the Prison Service introduced suicide and self-harm
procedures almost a decade ago, perhaps it is time for a review of the measures
considering the alarming rise in mental health related incidents, including
better implementation of these procedures by all staff, as well as those
trained specifically for the purpose of harm prevention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the other
hand we should emphasise the fact that staff are able to ‘tackle the issue’ and
save prisoners from harming themselves further everyday, and that perhaps despite
the real negatives of an increase in those harming themselves due to mental
health issues, there are many who are able to stabilise or overcome their
difficulties and this is because of prison staff. It is so very important that
we remember to praise those who are helping to rehabilitate prisoners every day
and that this rise in mental health issues is because a lack of societal faith
in our prison system can sometimes creep into the system itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A. Ticehurst, B.A. (Hons) Criminology </span></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-5357373677932131582014-09-18T14:30:00.001+01:002014-09-20T00:08:02.972+01:00Reducing Child Abuse: Tackling Challenges in High Violence Societies -Bernadette Madrid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With a focus on adolescence, Bernadette Madrid, from the Univeristy of the Philippines and Director of the Child Protection Unit, highlighted the fact that this stage in life is a critical period in the life course. She made a very interesting point that, "no matter when we intervene in childhood; primary, secondary, or tertiary, ultimately it is all primary intervention for adulthood and for the next cycle of violence (family)". I thought this was a really interesting point to make because it requires a broader thought process that forces us to really consider the longer term objectives. It also fits nicely into the concept of reducing violence 50% in 30 years because it highlights that if we start to focus on violence reduction and intervention in adolescence, then we are essentially instilling primary prevention for those who will potentially parent the children of the next generation. If we do not think about the cycle of violence, then we will constantly play catch up.<br>
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Another really interesting point was made about the development of a research capacity in developing countries. Developing countries are working with very limited resources and politicians that are attracted to structural reform (improving schools, unemployment etc). However, because of the electoral cycles, issues such as dealing with the 'disconnected youth' in developing countries (child trafficking, sexual exploitation, etc) are not prioritised. </div>
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Bernadette made a few recommendations on what we need to do to improve the means and resources for research in developing countries. </div>
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1)We need to have universal access to secondary school education : This includes having young people complete high school which is of good quality and improve links to employment. Graduating highschool was found to have links with decreasing other negative life outcomes (marrying when young, re-victimisation of abuse) </div>
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2) Universal Access to Mental Health: Mental health problems affect 10-20% of children and adolescents worldwide, but in many low medium income countries, no psychosocial resources exist (Philippines as an example). There needs to be a promotion of interventions and socio-emotional development which includes developmental problems such as ADHD.</div>
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3) Reorganisation of services for better intervention and collaboration: We need to collaborate, engage citizens, independent agencies and experts. </div>
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4) Collaborate to increase the capacity in prevention and implementation research: This includes making cultural adaptations to traditional risk factors and research, but also to consider that there are many steps that need to be made before programmes can be implemented. For example, Bernadette attended some training on DNA data bases in America, and when she went back to the Philippeans she was told that in order to consider the database, there was first a need to develop the infrastructure such as where to store the DNA, the tools to collect the DNA, etc etc. All things that did not exist and make building the research capacity important. </div>
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In her final thoughts, Bernadette recommended the use of technology and music to begin to shape the views of violence prevention. These are things that already exist and can be further developed if we can make the cultural adaptations. Technology can be used in a rule of capacity training, and music can be used as a method of communication within communities as it's effective and is something that goes straight to an individual's emotion. </div>
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Posts are on-the-go and are my views. </div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-44672688843426852302014-09-18T14:29:00.000+01:002014-09-18T14:29:53.192+01:00Linking Developmental Science and Prevention Research to Intervene MoreEffectively in Child Development - Theresa Betancourt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Theresa Betancourt is from Harvard University and is an Associate Professor of Child Health and Human Rights as well as the Director of the Research Program on Children and Global Adversity. For many years Theresa has been working in Rwanda and Sierra Leone as a means to study war-affected you and family strengthening intervention. In the 5 minutes I have to write this post, I will be able to make the slightest dent in the complexities that are involved in these two projects so please visit vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk to read her abstract and find out a bit more about her.<br />
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Theresa begins by highlighting the fact that 1/3 of children under the age of 5 are failing to fulfil their developmental potential which is problematic because as we know, childhood adversity often leads to adult chronic health problems. To create effective interventions, Theresa argues that we need to consider both risk and protective factors but from a collaborative approach. There are programmes that already work with families, but we need to come together to include what we know about protective factors across the sector. </div>
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Theresa mentions 'silo-busting' which the need to develop a holistic approach to child health. Part of this approach includes a rights based model called SAFE which is about Safety, Access to physiological care, Family, and Education. We need to use SAFE to create a basic safety net for children because "a weakness or a threat in one domain can have cascading effects on other domains". </div>
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Later in her presentation, Theresa mentions the importants of stress receptors in young people. She presented three levels of stress; 1) Positive (school plays, giving a presentation). This is positive because eventually with enough repetition, these acts don't produce as much stress. 2) Tolerable (serious and temporary but buffered but supportive relationships). 3) Toxic (prolonged activation of the stress response system and absence of the buffering factors found in stage 2). </div>
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The argument is that we need to focus on stress and this should be implemented in parenting interventions as well. We need to look at building self-regulation and stress management. We need to keep the pressure on governments to keep funding and developing policy, research evaluation and multi-sectorial collaboration. </div>
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Posts are on-the-go and my views. </div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-59205754827908963592014-09-18T11:19:00.001+01:002014-09-18T13:38:20.998+01:00Where do we want to get and how? Outlining the Challenges -
AlexanderButchart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dr. Alexander Butchart is the Prevention of Violence Coordinator in the Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability at the World Health Organisation. His discussion surrounded the topic of my Global Violence Prevention Field and outlined some of the objectives of what we need to do to create this. One topic which was discussed during the question period had to do with the definitions of violence that we should prioritise in our research. Alexander recommended that we look at interpersonal violence as this affects all countries and leads to risk factors for lifelong risks to health and social problems.<br>
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His recommendation for creating a Violence Prevention Field is that we involve international actors, intellectual, institutional and financial links all with a shared focus on evidence-based control. To do this, we need to think realistically about whether or not we are able to create global objectives or global baseline targets. I agree that it's unrealistic to frame this approach around the need to meet targets and set objectives that everyone needs to work towards. I also agree with Alexander that what we need in order to move forward is collaboration with the basics which includes creating surveys that not only include economic, public health and family factors. We need surveys that also work to collect information on violence, aggression and protective factors. </div>
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It was interesting to have the discussion of risk factors, or what the higher income countries have defined as risk factors. When we are researching the low medium income countries, we really should be asking ourselves whether or not the same risk factors apply. </div>
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What must be done? We need to advocate for a global political prioritisation of violence prevention, integrate knowledge and skills and promote peace and non-violence in education programmes. </div>
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<br></div><div>Visit vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk for more information. </div><div><br></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-40318736711817862652014-09-18T11:06:00.001+01:002014-09-18T13:39:05.897+01:00Opening and Objectives - Global Violence Reduction Conference 2014Today's conference begins with setting the Conference objectives and reminding everyone of the reasons why we have some together these two days. As discussed in previous posts, we are looking to bring together different approaches from Public Health to Criminology. Manuel Eisner reminds us that we are striving to work together as a means to reduce violence globally by 50%. He makes the point that this is the opportunity to move Violence Prevention up on the list of priorities, globally. We need to use this time to consider what need to be done over the next 10, 20 and 30 years to reach these objectives. Manuel mask the valid point that this is a room full of people who have very 'strange ideas' and are not afraid to share those ideas. But as a group, we need to work together and realize that Capacity Building need to be central to our efforts. This includes working in low/middle income countries and working with young scholars from those countries as they are the future. This is why various Bursary Scholars have been invited from low and middle income countries to attend the conference and share their research at the poster presentations. This is a conference that acts on what they have recommended, instead of just talking about it. <div><br></div><div>Etienne Krug, who is the Director of the Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability at the World Health Organisation, welcomed guests with a clear statement that this is our opportunity to to continue to bridge the gap between Public Health and Criminology, and "it is up to us to convince the rest of the world that this can be done" and we can achieve our goals to reduce violence, globally. The emphasis was that we need to "develop a Global Plan of Action. This is our change and this is your chance to influence this". Ultimately, we need to identify if we are doing the same thing, just in different ways and a synthesis of data and research is what is needed in order to move forward. </div><div><br></div><div>Visit vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk for more information. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>A. Neaverson</div><div><br></div><div>Views are my own. </div><div><br></div><div>(note: posts are written on-the-go on a mobile app so please excuse any typos and errors) </div>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-20863629834892928862014-09-17T23:02:00.001+01:002014-09-17T23:11:53.241+01:00Reception Dinner - Global Violence Reduction Conference 2014<p dir="ltr">Tonight was the reception drinks and formal dinner for all of us who have arrived for the Global Violence Reduction Conference (see earlier post). As we all got ready at King's College in our guest rooms and student accomodations, we were reminded of our earlier student days, ready to learn. </p>
<p dir="ltr">After venturing over to the Chapel, we entered a space full of specialists from all disciplines and occupations and instantly conversation started to flow. In every group that formed, typical questions were first asked 'Where are you from? What are you presenting?' Then it always led to 'What is your area of research?'. That is when it became clear that what the UBS Optimus Foundation wanted to happen, was actually taking place naturally. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The UBS Optimus Foundation works to support various organisations and projects that have been created to help children who face adversity. The Foundation provides significant financial support to projects that aim to break down barriers that prevent children from realizing their potential. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Patricia Lannen, who is the Programme Director of Child Protection at the UBS Optimus Foundation, has submitted a paper to the conference entitled 'The Role of Philanthropy in the Prevention of Violence against Children'. One key message in this paper is that we need organizations to work together from very different disciplines to create a Violence Prevention Research Capacity and this can not be left in the hands of politicians who are working towards short-term results and are pressured by electoral cycles. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It quickly became evident that discussions around violence prevention were taking place between Political Scientists, Criminologists, Physicians, Psychologists, Members of major Think Tanks from America, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa as well as many other very well established academics. Discussions around the difficulty to get funding for research, access to quality data and lack of political/government support were quite common. But also, similarities between research designs, prediction models and risk and protective factors surfaced. It is evident that there is a very collaborative theme to this conference with the ultimate goal of working together to understand how we can continue to reduce violence globally. </p>
<p dir="ltr">However, the highlight of the night was during dinner when Manuel Eisner (Director of the Violence Research Centre) was named 'Harry Potter'. <br><br></p>
<p dir="ltr">A. Neaverson <br></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BYWOl9Zz_4rM9pnD9LU-r5fLhRQG1wmAKhF0WkNCypSbKolZGuEdgvUNuVDTBjzw9KPtfrQ6Hyngec39VEuWKYbwUKRsvYVwj1q27Vm2WK1CjawJrP2Xpk1nfCJhiMJGTVE_NKPcjDA/s1600/20140917_210749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BYWOl9Zz_4rM9pnD9LU-r5fLhRQG1wmAKhF0WkNCypSbKolZGuEdgvUNuVDTBjzw9KPtfrQ6Hyngec39VEuWKYbwUKRsvYVwj1q27Vm2WK1CjawJrP2Xpk1nfCJhiMJGTVE_NKPcjDA/s640/20140917_210749.jpg"> </a> </div>A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-53465263207169340392014-09-17T15:37:00.001+01:002014-09-17T17:11:47.302+01:00Global Violence Reduction Conference 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With support from the UBS Optimus Foundation, Cambridge University's <i>Institute of Criminology Violence Research Centre (VRC) </i>has collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to put on an international conference which is set to examine 'Strategies to Reduce Violence by 50% in the Next 30 Years". The VRC aims to advance knowledge of the causes, consequences and prevention of interpersonal violence. The main research interests of the VRC are "The development of aggression over the life-course; Evidence-based violence prevention; The epidemiology and consequences of violent victimisation; The causes for varying levels of violence between societies; and The cross-sectional comparison of risk factors for violence". (www.vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk)<br />
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Within the beautiful grounds of King's College in Cambridge, academics, international organisations as well as civil society and philanthropic organisations have come together with the aims to "identify the research we need, the knowledge we have, and the policy recommendations we can make to support the global policy goals of the WHO, especially in the regions most afflicted by violence" (Manuel Eisner, Director of the Violence Research Centre and Deputy & Director of the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge). </div>
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The WHO were given a mandate to strengthen public policy that supports the reduction of violence. The purpose of this conference is to consider previous and on going research conducted by various academics and organisations around the world as a means to create an informed strategy to reduce violence globally. The mandate, set by the World Health Assembly in May 2014, needs to include strategies which are "informed by measurable indicators to assess whether goals are achieved; it will require strengthening of capacities to address and prevent violence in it's different manifestations; it will need multisectoral action plans and policies to reduce the major risk factors for violence". </div>
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A range of topics will be covered over the next two days including:</div>
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-Linking Developmental Science and Prevention Research to Intervene More Effectively in Child Development' by Theresa Betancourt from Harvard University</div>
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-'Reducing Child Abuse: Tackling Challenges in High Violence Societies' by Bernadette Madrid from University of the Philippines. </div>
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-'Global Strategies to Reduce Violence Against Children' by David Finkelhor from University of New Hampshire </div>
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-'Treating Violent Offenders More Effectively: Alternatives to Punishment' by Friedrich Loesel from University of Cambridge. </div>
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This amazing conference then comes to a finish with a lecture (open to the Public) by Steven Pinker from Harvard University on 'The Past, Present and Future of Violence'. He will address 'the widely-held impression that we are living in extraordinarily violent times, when in fact rates of violence at all scales have been in decline over the course of history'. </div>
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Over the course of the next two days, an attempt will be made to blog about sessions, presenters, ideas, concepts and recommendations put forward to realise the goal to reduce violence by 50% in the next 30 years. </div>
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A. Neaverson </div>
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(Conference blog posts are published on-the-go so please excuse any typos or errors) </div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-6357118627783794752014-09-04T13:51:00.004+01:002014-09-04T13:51:36.503+01:00Secure Colleges: A shift in Framework of Youth Justice detention in England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In February 2014 the government published its response to the
consultation paper <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Transforming Youth
Custody: Putting Education at the Heart of Detention, </i>revealing a shift in framework
of custodial detention for young offenders in England. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As of February 2014, under the Criminal
Justice and Courts Bill, the government proposes one of the largest in modern
reforms of youth justice; the introduction of a framework of secure colleges to
house and educate all young offenders.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The issue in brief.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With almost 1,200 young offenders in custody in England and
Wales the government have decided to tackle high reoffending rates and
expensive secure accommodation facilities with the introduction of new Secure
Colleges. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reportedly 71% of young offenders leave custody and go on to
reoffend within 12 months of their release and with an average annual cost for
one young offender of £100,000 it has been recognised that the current
framework is not having an efficient reduction of recidivism or cost value. Furthermore
with in some cases only 12 hours of education provided a week in Young Offender
Institute’s (YOI’s) and over half of 15-17 year olds have literacy and numeracy
levels of a 7-11 year old, it is evident that the current system is not
preparing young offenders with the skills they require for successful
rehabilitation and reintegration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nick Clegg MP summarises for BBC News (2014) “Some offenders
spend less than one day a week in the classroom. By increasing the amount of
time young offenders spend learning, we can help them move away from crime,
take responsibility for their actions, and rebuild their lives.”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) investigated the hours
of education received by young offenders in YOI’s and data sourced from a
freedom of information request exposed that only 1 in 9 young offenders were
actually provided with the 15 hours of contracted education a week. Below is a
graph produced by the CSJ to demonstrate an average numbers of hours of
education provided per week for each young offender in HM Prison Service Young
Offenders’ Institutions in 2011-12. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxhE4B8ZE2PUIXQZcopUSfVLovchJLjLLe1ZENzke28YPLHRxl7Wc-l6Fpp2o1SdkEkdZM-MqgvIxc2xhpVBV0Sajq_1EmUl7Nmz-iHHXk8XEHJBUajpaiP8HRZRvUwa-6MwnaM6uGus/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxhE4B8ZE2PUIXQZcopUSfVLovchJLjLLe1ZENzke28YPLHRxl7Wc-l6Fpp2o1SdkEkdZM-MqgvIxc2xhpVBV0Sajq_1EmUl7Nmz-iHHXk8XEHJBUajpaiP8HRZRvUwa-6MwnaM6uGus/s1600/Picture1.png" height="210" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Click to Enlarge Photo)</span> <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Source: Centre for
Social Justice, 2014.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></i> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In some cases the average hours are as low as 8-10 hours a
week in contrast with the average 30 hours provided in mainstream education. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read more about the Centre for Social Justice’s
investigation <a href="http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/UserStorage/pdf/Pdf%20reports/CSJ760_Secure-Colleges-Transcript-(v9).pdf">HERE</a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The current
‘secure estate’.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Currently there are three types of secure accommodation
available for young offenders sentenced to detention in custody.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secure
Children’s Homes (SCH’s)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">SCH’s provide secure accommodation run by
local authorities for 10-14 year olds, varying in size from 8 – 40 bed units.
These offer 30 hours of education and training a week and cost on average
£200,000 a year per young offender. As of June 2014 there are 105 young
offenders in SCH’s </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secure
Training Centres (STC’s)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">STC’s accommodate 12-17 year olds in larger
units of 50-80 and currently house 261 young offenders. These are all run by
private companies and again provide 20 hours of education and training a week.
STCs are also costly, on average £160,000 a year per young offender.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Young
Offender Institutes (YOI’s) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">YOI’s houses young offenders between 15- 21
years old in wings of 30-60, much more like the adult prison setting. They are
run by HM Prison Services and private companies and are contracted to provide
15 hours of education per week, costing on average £60,000 per young offender,
per year. With the highest proportion of offenders (738 as of June 2014) and
the lowest time allocated for education and training purposes (even for those
required by legislation to be in education) it is not difficult to see how the
reoffending rates from YOIs are particularly high. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For more information on youth custody data click <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-custody-data">HERE</a> </span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Putting Education
at the Heart of Custody”.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Under the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill (2014) the government
have proposed reforms to youth justice system to improve public protection and
reduce reoffending. These include plans for the introduction of a Pathfinder
Secure College to pilot a framework for new secure educational establishments
to replace the previous secure estate. With the primary aims to improve
outcomes and reduce costs they put forward an education centred, intense
provision following individual learning plans for each offender in purpose
built secure accommodation. The colleges will comprise of classrooms,
workshops, flexible learning spaces alongside living units for young offenders
and intended to house all young offenders (12-17 years old) however separating
them by age, gender and vulnerability. Initially the pilot Pathfinder Secure
College will be opened in the East Midlands in the spring of 2017 with a 320
place establishment. </span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Click to Enlarge Photo)</span> <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This image represents
the vision of the new pathfinder secure college, a specifically built
establishment intended to house and provide education to young offenders in the
East Midlands from 2017. Source: Ministry of Justice, 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secure Colleges aim to integrate multiple agencies to
provide a “broad and intensive curriculum to challenge and engage the full
range of ages and abilities” (Ministry of Justice, 2014, p.5). With a focus on
numeracy and literacy skills, combined with vocational training opportunities
and development of interpersonal and practical life skills in an educational
setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hoped that “this will
ensure that young people leave with the motivation, self-discipline and independence
to commit further studies, training or employment, and to steer clear of crime”
(Ministry of Justice, 2014, p.6). </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If this scheme is successful then the long term goal is the
introduction of secure colleges extending across England and Wales and
establishing a network to serve individual regions, eventually withdrawing
costly STC’s SCH’s and underperforming YOI’s. The government also hopes that by
distributing resources and funding amongst fewer, larger institutions it will
be possible to make use of funding more efficiently and bring down the
‘operating cost’ down “significantly below the £100,00 current average”
(Ministry of Justice, 2014, p.5).</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the expected opening of the first secure college just
under three years away the government proposes changes and improvements to the
current secure estate to facilitate youth custody’s main aims – a reduction in
reoffending and an increasingly education centred rehabilitation. This intends
to provide long term adjustments to youth custody provision which will aid the
transition to the new secure colleges. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Primarily it is has been identified that the education
provisions in YOI’s are failing to provide the educational requirements for
this type of youth custody accommodation, “…consultation responses reaffirmed
that it is in YOI’s that education provision is the poorest” (Ministry of
Justice, 2014, p.9). In order to improve this new contracts are being drawn up
with educational providers and are due to come into force from November 2014.
Collaboration and co-ordination between theses education providers, National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) is
required to maximise the learning opportunities and broaden the curriculum
available to young offenders in YOI’s. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The culture of YOI’s needs to change from being places of
detention to places of learning” (Ministry of Justice, 2014, p.9). YOI’s
accommodation and services are much closer to the adult prison system in
comparison with STC’s and SCH’s, it is suggested that a change in this culture,
perpetuated by an integration of education and training delivery with other
custodial services. Furthermore, head teachers and senior leadership teams will
be posted in YOI’s to service education delivery (these roles will also be
integral to the running of secure colleges) working with NOMS who overall will
be managing education provision in public sector YOI’s. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Current STC and SCH provision will continue to be available
until secure college capacity has been established enough to transfer custody
accommodations. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, resettlement is a key issue to address in the
changing framework of the youth custody. The emphasis of resettlement has been
identified in order to support the young offender in rehabilitation from day
one. Instead of the process beginning near the end of a period of detention,
the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>youth criminal justice system will
be integrate their communication and services to prepare and work towards a
resettlement plan for each young offender. They plan to do this by vital
changes to sentence planning and casework processes in custody. Additionally to
aid resettlement education, training or employment will be secured for young
offenders to start immediately upon their release. This aims to continue the
development of skills and learning that has taken place within secure colleges
into the community and will be bolstered by more effective use of ‘release on
temporary licence’. ROTL allows a risk assessed young offender to be granted
leave of custody for an agreed time to undertake activities to support their
resettlement such as; attending school, college or job interviews, visiting
housing placements and enrolling on apprenticeships. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The proposed changes to the framework of youth justice
present a shift in focus from detention to education centred rehabilitation. It
aims to tackle high reoffending rates and low literacy and numeracy levels of
young offenders by introducing a network of secure colleges built purposely to
accommodate and educate. A drastic overhaul of our current secure estate
structure is due to take place with the withdrawal of STC’s, SCH’s and a
reduction in YOI’s; although in the lead up to this there a number of suggested
improvements in education provisions, providers, delivery and an overall more
efficient integration of current services. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the statistics of lack of education and reoffending so
shockingly high it is clear that changes are required and the simple logic that
increased high quality educational opportunities for young offenders will need
to be successfully implemented over the next 3-5 years in order to achieve the
primary goals for youth justice set out by the current government. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To access and read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Transforming
Youth Custody: Putting Education at the Heart of Detention, </i>Government
response to the consultation click <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/273402/transforming-youth-custody-consultation-response.pdf">HERE</a> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">S. Allen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">B.A. (Hons) Criminology </span></div>
</div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-46418754669102941962014-08-26T16:28:00.002+01:002014-08-26T16:46:31.460+01:00Youth Justice Board's Budget Reduced by 45% since 2010/11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/yjb">Youth Justice Board</a> has released their Corporate Plan and Business Plan which can be found <a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/yjb/yjb-corporate-plan-2014-17-business-plan-2014-15.pdf">HERE.</a> The Youth Justice Board is a public body whose members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Justice. The main responsibilities are to oversee the youth justice system in England and Wales, work with others to prevent offending and reoffending by children and young people under the age of 18, and to ensure that custody for young people is safe, secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behavior. Visit their website <a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/yjb">HERE</a><br />
<br />
The YJB has announced in their 2014-2017 Corporate and Business plan that they will be focusing on reducing reoffending of young people by improving resettlement strategies for young people who are released from custody, increasing educational opportunities while in custody, ensuring young people are placed at the secure estates that best suit them, and by creating the secure college pathfinder to be built in spring 2017. More information about the secure college can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-youth-custody-putting-education-at-the-heart-of-detention">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
In addition to working closely with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Secretary of State for Justice, the YJB also works with the Home Office. Their mission with the Home Office is to 'prevent anti-social behavior and youth crime, including youth violence and support the delivery of the cross-departmental Ending Gang and Serious Youth Violence strategy and related work to prevent the sexual exploitation of girls'. This is undertaken even though the Home Office has withdrawn all financial support to the YJB this year. <br />
<br />
In addition to working with the Home Office, the YJB also works with: <br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Young Offenders</strong> - to get their opinion on youth justice and youth offending. </li>
<li><strong>The Department of Health</strong> - to ensure there are mental health and substance misuse services available to young people in the youth justice system. </li>
<li><strong>Department of Education</strong> - to ensure education services meet the needs of children and young people. </li>
<li><strong>Youth Offending Teams (YOTs)</strong> - to support YOT objectives and also make sure YOTs are evaluated and performing to high standards. </li>
<li><strong>Secure Accommodation Providers</strong> - such as the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), local authorities and private sectors. </li>
<li><strong>Voluntary Sectors</strong> - with around 6,000 volunteers to support initiatives such as restorative justice, act as appropriate adults for young people in custody, mentors, in prevention or education schemes and with families. If you are interested in volunteering, click <a href="https://www.justice.gov.uk/youth-justice/workforce-development/working-with-volunteers">HERE</a></li>
<li><strong>Adacemic Community</strong> - to ensure that advice and guidance is based upon the latest UK and international research.</li>
</ul>
The main objectives in their Business plan for 2014/15 are as follows: <br />
<ol>
<li>Improvement in the delivery of the youth justice system in the community. </li>
<li>To create an under-18 secure estate that better meets the needs of young people. </li>
<li>To make structural and process improvements that support a better youth justice system. </li>
<li>Make sure young people are placed efficiently in the most appropriate establishment. </li>
<li>The safety and well-being of children and young people in the youth justice system is assured. </li>
<li>Practitioners have access to the best advice and support, and use this in practice. </li>
<li>The YJB is seen as an effective and efficient public body. </li>
</ol>
Needless to say, the YJB has a lot on their plate over the next year. However, their report has indicated that by the end of 2014/15, they will have 'delivered cumulative savings of £525m, with a budget now £210m (45%) less than the 2010/11 baseline'. <br />
<br />
This is the breakdown of expenses and savings made: <br />
<br />
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The YJB is now solely funded by the MoJ following 'the transfer of the Home Office prevention funding from the YJB to police and crime commissioners'. <--- This is another topic for another day... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6KtkCPRd_n9rsB6hCtHy3ujr6pJ4tYsoLdi5DUsX6R6BVBvSdTMZ_9GerzP6ljAntfp9wwXR27qmrivlrzU_JR6Hl_xkdcA9c-k4lffMWcAvSVBWJRal4QqpExquZPAN0vz3r5QBU5g/s1600/Home+OFfice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6KtkCPRd_n9rsB6hCtHy3ujr6pJ4tYsoLdi5DUsX6R6BVBvSdTMZ_9GerzP6ljAntfp9wwXR27qmrivlrzU_JR6Hl_xkdcA9c-k4lffMWcAvSVBWJRal4QqpExquZPAN0vz3r5QBU5g/s1600/Home+OFfice.jpg" height="129" width="640" /></a></div>
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One finding based on recent Youth Justice statistics is that there has been a decrease in the number of First Time Entrants (FTEs) into youth custody. This was seen as a result of the positive work of the YJB, which I am sure some of it was. However, in their business plan, the YJB openly admits that in order to deal with the financial challenges stated above, they have incorporated a strategy which is to: 'Maximise savings from having fewer young people in custody by decommissioning beds in the under-18 secure estate'. Well...if you have less money and there are less spaces available in custody for young offenders, then obviously there will be a reduction in the number of FTEs. Is this reduction really an outcome of best practice, or is it simply the outcome of a reduced budget? <br />
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This isn't to take away from the hard work that the YJB does to help prevent offending and re-offending. Instead, it is a means to provide a clearer picture of what is really going on and to help us understand that while we are being told that more is being done to help young people in England and Wales, the government is actually spending LESS money on young people at risk of offending and re-offending. It is also important to consider whether or not the government is perhaps embellishing the results of their youth offending statistics by taking credit for the reduction in FTEs, when in reality it is very likely the result of budget cuts and fewer available spaces in youth custody. <br />
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A. Neaverson</div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-21296455910768371412014-08-21T14:07:00.002+01:002014-08-26T16:31:30.260+01:00Want to know why sharing the video of James Foley's murder is illegal? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to an article published in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/20/police-warn-james-foley-video-crime-social-media">Guardian Wednesday 20 August 2014</a> "passing on clips of Isis militant murdering US journalist on social media could lead to prosecution under anti-terror laws". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2QuMK97JIBN5maW3_KBqwK-HiYOoDvQzXAJE5rtaeH59aG5ElZx3YetA9EIaMl8ASFAxSWjzN2gHdRDWr6RjCgVIgGKoPXSctVz1ael7dx86k-ooqgeMAlrAlSmyPvDeQE1v02-QWmc/s1600/American-journalist-James-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2QuMK97JIBN5maW3_KBqwK-HiYOoDvQzXAJE5rtaeH59aG5ElZx3YetA9EIaMl8ASFAxSWjzN2gHdRDWr6RjCgVIgGKoPXSctVz1ael7dx86k-ooqgeMAlrAlSmyPvDeQE1v02-QWmc/s1600/American-journalist-James-009.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Photo from The Guardian, Credit Nicole Tung/AP)</div>
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According to the Guardian, Scotland Yard has indicated that under terrorism legislation, sharing or viewing the video of James Foley's Murder is illegal. Social Media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are working hard to suspend accounts and remove offensive images. At first, these images were being removed for being 'offensive' and going against their user agreements; but now with legal backing, the clampdown on social media is heightened. <br />
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More specifically, according to The Guardian, the Metropolitan police said in a statement: <strong>"The MPS counter-terrorism command (SO15) is investigating the contents of the video that was posted online in relation to the alleged murder of James Foley. We would like to remind the public that viewing, downloading or disseminating extremist material within the UK may constitute an offence under terrorism legislation".</strong><br />
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SO15 is responsible for protecting London and the UK from threats of terrorism. You can find out more about them <a href="http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Counter-Terrorism-Command/1400006569170/1400006569170">HERE</a>. I wanted to understand more about why sharing and 'viewing' the video could be considered a crime, and also what part of the Terrorism Legislation sharing videos or pictures falls under. <br />
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Having looked at Legislation.co.uk, it appears that <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/11/section/1">Section 1</a> and <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/11/section/2">Section 2</a> of the <span style="background-color: yellow;">Terrorism Act 2006</span> cover areas that are related to the 'Encouragement of Terrorism". Section 1 starts by saying that Encouragement of Terrorism applies to <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"a statement that is likely to be understood by some or all of the members of the public to whom it is published as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to them to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism or Convention offences".</blockquote>
It continues: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"A person commits an offence if (a) he publishes a statement to which this section applies or causes another to publish such a statement; and (b) at the time he publishes it or causes it to be published he - (i) intends members of the public to be directly or indirectly encouraged or otherwise induced by the statement to commit, prepare or instigate acts of terrorism or Convention offences; or (ii) is reckless as to whether members of the public will be directly or indirectly encouraged or otherwise induced by the statement to commit, prepare or instigate such acts or offences". </blockquote>
If you are re-tweeting something or sharing it on Youtube or Facebook, you are at risk of being seen to make a statement that could be understood by members of the public to be 'directly or indirectly encouraging others or instigating acts of terrorism'. Its possible that by sharing the video and photos, you are fueling feelings of hate which could lead to a reaction. However, even if you DONT end up encouraging someone to 'commit, prepare or instigate any such offence' you can still get in trouble because as stated in subsection 5: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is irrelevant for the purposes of subsections (1) to (3) (a) whether anything mentioned in those subsections relates to the commission, preparation or instigation of one or more particular acts of terrorism.... (b) whether any person is in fact encouraged or induced by the statement to commit, prepare or instigate any such act of offence". </blockquote>
So what this means is that if you share videos or photos, you can be held criminally responsible even if there is no outcome based on your actions. But why do the Met Police warn about viewing videos? This part comes down to the way that Social Media is designed. On Facebook, for example, if you view a video, sometimes this shows up on your 'Facebook Friends' newsfeeds. On Youtube, if you view a video, it increases that video's count which means it moves up in the list of 'search results' which are based on most popular videos. Although it is a stretch, there are still ways that even viewing a video can result in you sharing content which, under the Terrorism Act 2006 is illegal. <br />
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If you are still not convinced by this social media crackdown and insist on Freedom of Speech and being able to watch and share what you want, you might want to consider the potential outcomes first. According to Section 1 subsection 7:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable - (a) on conviction of indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to a fine or both; (b) on summary conviction in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum...</blockquote>
Furthermore, <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/11/section/2">Section 2</a> deals specifically with Dissemination of terrorist publications and subsection 2 states: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...a person engages in conduct falling within this subsection if he - (a) <span style="background-color: yellow;">distributes or circulates a terrorist publication</span>; (b) gives, sells or lends such a publication (c) offers such a publication for sale or loan; (d)<span style="background-color: yellow;"> provides services to others that enables them to obtain, read, listen to or look at such a publication</span>, or to acquire it by means of a gift, sale or loan; (e) <span style="background-color: yellow;">transmits the contents of such a publication electronically</span>; or (f) has such a publication in his possession with a view to its becoming the subject of conduct falling within any of paragraphs (a) to (e). </blockquote>
It finishes with: ...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'publication' means an article or record of any description that contains any of the following, or any combination of them - (a) matter to be read; (b) matter to be listened to; (c) matter to be looked at or watched. </blockquote>
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<br />
This section relates a lot more to the actions that are most likely to be taken across social media platforms. The same sentences apply if a person is found guilty of the offences listed above. <br />
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Besides the moral issues surrounding instances of people sharing this video and photos, there are also many legal considerations as well which are leading us into a whole new wave of criminal offences based on technological advances. <br />
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A Neaverson </div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-72450624882282958952014-08-19T15:28:00.000+01:002014-08-19T15:30:09.716+01:00Crime Statistics in England and Wales - July 2014 Trends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released
current crime statistics which are accompanied by a short video interview with
John Flatley, Head of Crime Statistics at ONS <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-march-2014/vid-crime-stats.html">HERE</a>. I am surprised that there hasn't been much media coverage, given that the Crime Survey has found such a large decrease in crime when compared to previous years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In a report issued by the ONS, Crime has fallen 14% in
England and Wales. This percentage is based on the Crime Survey which is distributed
to members of the public, and is different from Police Recorded Crimes. The
crime survey is based on Victim reported crimes and can include crimes that
have not come to the attention of police. This is the lowest estimate of crime
since the survey began in 1981. The Crime Survey reports that Violent Crime has
fallen by 20%, criminal damage fell by 17% and theft offences decreased by 10%
when compared with the previous year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Police recorded Crimes are crimes that have been brought to
the attention of the police and have been formally processed. According to
Police Recorded Crime Statistics, there has been no overall change from the
previous year. This could be because of the 7% increase in Police Recorded shoplifting
offences as well as an increase in offences of Fraud (17%). Sometimes considered 'victimless crimes', these crimes would not be represented as much in the Crime Survey (which we know is completed by Victims). Finally, police
recorded sexual offences also saw a rise of 20% from the previous year, which
is believed to be an outcome of Operation Yewtree (Jimmy Savile inquiry). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyp4hm7BPuYBAUGSV7pqtaxtDAyQlUc5G-afvTTUZ2z6GkEZ1JvulGNXHg1uSKgG6a_t77gYmYKTTPsex0nppQ7OLuy2dkBB5qlluTnPieG8KcHwkQ1mxvZJNbJHcjKAKm8dFwH0qcYs/s1600/Crime+Rates+Trends.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyp4hm7BPuYBAUGSV7pqtaxtDAyQlUc5G-afvTTUZ2z6GkEZ1JvulGNXHg1uSKgG6a_t77gYmYKTTPsex0nppQ7OLuy2dkBB5qlluTnPieG8KcHwkQ1mxvZJNbJHcjKAKm8dFwH0qcYs/s1600/Crime+Rates+Trends.png" height="640" width="614" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For more information and updated Crime Statistics, please
visit the Office for National Statistics by clicking <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+and+Justice">HERE</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+and+Justice"> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">A. Neaverson </span></span></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-79603602570789227152014-07-11T14:19:00.001+01:002014-07-11T14:19:01.783+01:00Victim's Code - Is it enough, or is it toothless?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumZB3KY-qjusuxTwMWpu9H9ONqWTNjIvy-6gGYyj4xPwHavd-1Y13XuaZJk6-8Be1wNljzQFsZmwTl1fdkVPVsR0wDAvGbXZqXTG_-i6tIYXvFQGIfs85Owxw98cfhjhgV1OuQbK0T3g/s1600/Newlove.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28205563">The announcement this week that the Victim’s CommissionerBaroness Newlove will be conducting reviews to find out if the Criminal JusticeSystem is adhering to the Victims Code is to be welcomed!</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s face it, anything that improves an
individual’s experience of navigating the daunting criminal justice system
after having a crime inflicted on them is to be applauded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, otherwise known
as the ‘Victim’s Code’ was first introduced in 2006 with a purpose of setting
out the services which were to be provided to victims of crimes by criminal
justice agencies in England and Wales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ‘Code’ was reformed in 2013 and includes entitlements, such as,
allowing the victim to read a statement out loud in court, or to have someone
else read it for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To read a list of
‘entitlements’ in the Victims Code click <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/victims_code_2013.pdf">HERE </a></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The confusion arises when you find out that the ‘Victims
Personal Statement Scheme’ has been in place since 2001; not exactly a new
entitlement. And even though being able to read your statement out in court is
cited as an entitlement, the court judge can still refuse to allow it. So what
are the new ‘entitlements’ in the ‘Victim’s Code’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There isn’t any. Most entitlements are
already being given to victims of crime or should be given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gives rise to the question of whether
this is just a way of the government acting like it is doing something to help
victims, when really it does nothing that isn’t already being done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is also the question of whether the ‘Victims Code’ is enough,
and what are the consequences for criminal justice agencies for not following
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well to try and put it simply; although
the ‘Code’ comes under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, if a
victim of crime has not received the relevant service, they would have to
complain to the relevant service provider and if that doesn’t achieve anything
the victim can then take their complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman via
their MP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So the upshot is there are no real consequences for criminal
justice agencies for not following it, and half the time when there are
complaints of criminal justice agencies not adhering to the ‘Code’ most agencies
point the blame at each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Meanwhile, victims suffer whilst agencies play the blame game! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The wider question to be asked is: is the reform of the
‘Victims Code’ going far enough to ensure that victims are put first, and that
the system is more responsive and easier to navigate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it is quite telling that the former
head of public prosecutions Kier Starmer, who is now a member of the Labour
founded Victim’s Taskforce, has been quoted as saying that:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
“From a
victim’s point of view, our justice system is hardly fit for purpose”</blockquote>
<br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/03/britain-criminal-justice-system-victims-law-public-prosecutions">(TheGuardian, 2014)</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He goes on to say that:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
“No doubt individual failings by police and prosecutors
provide part of the explanation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to
suggest these shortcomings are the core problem is complacent, and overlooks
the real improvements that have taken place in recent years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A more radical review of our criminal justice
arrangements is long overdue”</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span>(<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/03/britain-criminal-justice-system-victims-law-public-prosecutions">TheGuardian, 2014)</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
“These measures (Victims Code) are ‘bolt-ons’ to the
existing arrangements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is needed is
a fundamental rethink, leading to a specific and legally enforceable Victim’s
Law alongside a real and radical shift in attitude and approach”</blockquote>
<br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/03/britain-criminal-justice-system-victims-law-public-prosecutions">(The Guardian, 2014)</a> </span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although Starmer does not specifically detail what he means
by a ‘Victim’s law’ I agree with elements of his views, such as, that there
needs to be a radical shift in attitude and approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why he didn’t do anything about it whilst in
his previous role is beyond me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
maybe a move away from an adversarial system to an inquisitorial system could
be the answer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows, but it is
worth investigating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One thing about the ‘Code’ which baffles me and highlights
the need for radical reform is the point at which it states that “victims of
crime should be treated in a respectful, sensitive and professional manner
without discrimination of any kind. They should receive appropriate support to
help them, as far as possible, to cope and recover and be protected from
re-victimisation”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This point baffles me due to the fact that it does not seem
to apply to defence barristers who are sometimes responsible for re-victimising
victims of serious sexual offences amongst other crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many women who speak of being
‘raped all over again ‘and traumatised by defence barristers’ up and down the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that the ‘Code’ will
look after you until you cross the threshold into the courtroom and your time
comes to stand in front of a defence barrister, when you are made to go through
every minute detail of the crime in front of total strangers and have your character,
integrity and life ripped to shreds and dragged through the mud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legal professionals, such as defence
barristers, have been the culprits a lot of the time; they have been the
authors of a lot of problems over the years with the way that victims have been
treated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So why then are defence barristers allowed to behave like
this? Something needs to change!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Additionally, why do rape victims feel like they are on
trial and have limited (5 minutes before going into the courtroom) time with
the CPS prosecutor?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually come to
think of it, why do rape victims not have anybody fighting their corner in the
courtroom? The CPS prosecutor works for the crown and the defence barrister
works for the defendant (the defendant is able to have unlimited time with his
barrister/solicitor).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is surely not
fair!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here are a few cases where the treatment of rape victims by
defence barristers could have been better.</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The case of Frances Andrade - </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/07/frances-andrade-inquest-despair-sex-abuse-trial"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/07/frances-andrade-inquest-despair-sex-abuse-trial</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/may/19/lawyers-oxford-abuse-ring"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/may/19/lawyers-oxford-abuse-ring</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076965/Rape-victim-upset-Well-shes-smiling-Facebook-said-lawyer.html"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076965/Rape-victim-upset-Well-shes-smiling-Facebook-said-lawyer.html</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/21/ukcrime.prisonsandprobation"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/21/ukcrime.prisonsandprobation</span></a></li>
</ul>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After highlighting the issues with defence barristers, it is
interesting to highlight the fact that there has been much emphasis on how the
police respond to rape victims, and how this could potentially have an impact
on the low reporting rates for rape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
in actual fact it is more likely to be that individuals who have been raped
know what they have to go through in a courtroom which could actually be what
is putting rape victims off reporting these crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the academic field of Criminology the idea of improving
victim’s experiences and ‘rebalancing’ the Criminal Justice System to recognise
the needs of the victim is not a new concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It has been around since the 1940’s and comes in the form of what is
called ‘Victimology’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Academics argue that the increasing concern with rebalancing
victims ‘rights’ can be dangerous as it tends to suggest that defendants have
more rights than victims, and that to improve victim’s rights would have to make
rights for defendants worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it goes
on to state that changing the system to allow victims more rights could change
the fundamental principles of criminal justice; if that happens they say
victims would gain nothing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Academics argue that criminal justice should not be thought
of as a balancing act between defendant and victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focus should be on the general principles
that underpin the system of criminal justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Put simply, the rights of victims should be abandoned and replaced with
a concept that focuses on the right for everybody to be treated in a fair
manner.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is fair to say that victim’s right have come a long way
from the 1940’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However there is still
a fair way to go, and no doubt this debate will continue to rage on until the
government take proper action to improve the rights of victims, specifically
victims of serious sexual abuse.</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">J. Taylor</span></div>
</div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-53690446413098847522014-07-09T13:52:00.002+01:002014-07-09T14:02:20.541+01:00Rolf Harris and the Celebrity Justice System <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<div class="BodyA" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The CJS: <strike>Criminal</strike> Celebrity
Justice System.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1BcD-19KZCHrrWB_gdNNmmN7jKW9FiRA3s6S9GLODPuj2InNDdHMgZD4sVVkibzDQ3Ntth4MJmxyzecSY4gYDouFNnXExQGaml9mDXpxnZL0uO_YpcrOs0iRiAd3xRdA7j1nvvx46Go/s1600/gucci-handcuffs-doc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1BcD-19KZCHrrWB_gdNNmmN7jKW9FiRA3s6S9GLODPuj2InNDdHMgZD4sVVkibzDQ3Ntth4MJmxyzecSY4gYDouFNnXExQGaml9mDXpxnZL0uO_YpcrOs0iRiAd3xRdA7j1nvvx46Go/s1600/gucci-handcuffs-doc.jpg" height="320" width="317" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">It
has probably not escaped most people’s attention that there is a debate raging
on about whether or not the sentence handed down to Rolf Harris is appropriate.
Some are of the opinion that the sentence is not long enough, or too lenient in
proportion to the offences he was convicted of. Some believe that as a man of
84, there is little benefit to putting him in jail, and some going so far as to
believe that a man of this age is incapable of being a further danger to women
(whether or not the offending stopped in later life this view genuinely
frightens me). In my own opinion, I have several problems with the sentences
passed down on Rolf Harris last week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Firstly,
in the<span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #ff2600; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/r-v-rolf-harris/">sentencing comments by Mr Justice Sweeney</a></span></strong>
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">he spoke of considering that Mr
Harris be enabled to spend his 'twilight years' with his family. My major
contention with this issue is the length of time that his abusing went
undetected, unreported, and I suppose more to the point unpunished. Whilst it
may seem pointless to some; sending a man who probably won't live to fulfil his
full sentence to prison, I would ask those people to consider the effect that
the abuse has had on the victim(s), the knowledge and anguish they have held
for lengthy periods of time knowing that their abuser has been afforded the
freedom to live peacefully in a way that was taken from them. I would also
suggest that this be reason to not consider his age a mitigating factor, he
has, for decades been able to spend time with his family, I seriously wonder
why this luxury should be granted to him now just because he has been discovered
so late in his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">M</span>y
second issue is with whether his celebrity status was a factor in a lower
sentence length, as his other 'contributions to society through entertainment
and charity work' also seem to have been considered. Teachers and care home
workers are all in the position to make great contributions, but when these positions
are manipulated to enable sexual offending, it is considered to be a gross
breach of trust, and therefore, I have to wonder the extent to which <i>their</i>
contributions are considered mitigating factors. If a teacher whom abused
several children was also supporting many others towards achieving good grades
etc, would this be considered a worthy enough contribution to society to
warrant a lowered sentence in the same way that the charity work of a popular
entertainer may be? Somehow the scales feel tipped, though on research,
sentence lengths for so called non-celebrity historic abuse cases still seem
lenient in my eyes anyway; the reason behind this brings me on to my third
point:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Concurrent
sentences. Under guidelines for concurrent sentencing, when several charges are
pursued, if a person were to be sentenced consecutively this may result in an
overall sentence length considered disproportionate to the crimes committed,
and therefore concurrent sentencing is used to consider the offences as a
whole. While I see some sense to this, in this case along with those of Stuart
Hall and Max Clifford I feel it has been grossly miscalculated to the benefit
of the convicted party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><a href="http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/docs/public_guide_totality_for_web.pdf"><strong>sentencing council guidelines</strong></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">, when multiple sentences
are to be served concurrently, it may be that some are increased in length
through the consideration of aggravating factors to reflect the overall
criminality and the amount of harm caused to the victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this in mind, receiving 12-15 month sentences
for offences which even under the 1956 act carry a maximum sentence of 2 years,
does not reflect the purpose set out in these guidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="BodyA" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">I
understand the sensibility behind concurrent sentencing, however, with this
case it seems that whilst the mitigating circumstances have been taken into
account, there is a distinct lack of consideration for the aggravating factors
that should have been applied to the sentences of the six sexual offences to be
served concurrently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I’ve previously
said, each of these carry at lowest, a maximum sentence of 2 years (and for the
most recent charges, up to 10 years). It is astounding that it appears the
psychological effect on his victims has been disregarded with the knowledge
Rolf Harris is likely to serve just half of his sentence in prison. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="BodyA" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">J.
Ison <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">B.A.
(Hons) Crime & Investigative Studies <o:p></o:p></span></div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-41166877945663555542014-07-08T10:15:00.000+01:002014-07-09T13:56:49.971+01:00"The 'innocent years', not so innocent anymore..." <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y7lMPJHONDWwAh67jKsdRbRCx0WVe8pGqt-mVyfUm_NHfIRpuZ6k8K3so6gyr-Iuz0MwtdQqJRR0Xk3-7Vtg8GcNXC4b5fo_SM0ciBaBuI11KPoXNOOx43iGlR66-3iVdffrOOa2H_0/s1600/Rolf+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y7lMPJHONDWwAh67jKsdRbRCx0WVe8pGqt-mVyfUm_NHfIRpuZ6k8K3so6gyr-Iuz0MwtdQqJRR0Xk3-7Vtg8GcNXC4b5fo_SM0ciBaBuI11KPoXNOOx43iGlR66-3iVdffrOOa2H_0/s1600/Rolf+4.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll be honest when I say that the recent charges brought against Rolf
Harris have ruined a giant chunk of what are often considered our ‘innocent
years’ for me. He was made famous for his likeable TV personality, his
remarkable ability as a painter, his funny and original performances, but now
etched on the brains of thousands he is nothing but a molester. Believe me when
I tell you, I used to rush in from playing outside to watch Animal Hospital
every week; it was a firm favourite in my household. But like so many other
entertainers, Rolf Harris has fallen short and it has been revealed that he abused
that adoration and trust of so many young girls, no different to myself, and
exploited them for his own sexual gratification. Perhaps the most surprising of
all the recent sexual abuse revelations was Rolf himself; this coupled with his
firm denial of all charges and constant support from his wife and daughter, made
it that more bitter to find out he was guilty of all charges. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQBGy7L2Z41cLC4hjzK2GUhDOj7pdBK0HqQ8m5mTQJak3E_Fz-Rv1MOU8BwCgrtGOJ47tot2DnTmb3QHnRPg-zR-GyHY0-qCl1lw6JiHwSPCr6qrXprIvMEH_AlhKYUQPLIbCvK2ukVY/s1600/Rolf+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQBGy7L2Z41cLC4hjzK2GUhDOj7pdBK0HqQ8m5mTQJak3E_Fz-Rv1MOU8BwCgrtGOJ47tot2DnTmb3QHnRPg-zR-GyHY0-qCl1lw6JiHwSPCr6qrXprIvMEH_AlhKYUQPLIbCvK2ukVY/s1600/Rolf+3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Down to the nitty gritty so to speak, Harris was charged with five years
and nine months. In reality, he will only likely serve half his sentence, due
to an overwhelming number of mitigating circumstances. Four of his victims were
young children, he used his fame in order to take advantage of their trust, and
perhaps most chilling of all was his repeated abuse of daughter Bindi’s best
friend. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This whole saga throws hundreds of questions into the mix, not just
about Rolf Harris, but about all those famous who have been thrown back into
the spotlight for exploiting their celebrity status for their own seedy needs. What
was it that compelled them to carry out these acts, some of which were so
blatant, and more often than not live on TV? In a number of these cases, it
appears that this was just commonplace, and people expected it of many of those
charged. I’ve read many articles in which a number of people stated that to be
chosen by these men was in fact an honour; it meant you were one of the pretty
girls, that you were in fact lucky. That whole concept absolutely horrifies me.
Was it merely because ‘everyone was doing it’, so Rolf Harris deemed it
acceptable or is there a much darker, more sinister side to him? For many, the
constant denial is a total lack of remorse, so maybe really he is the worst of
all the entertainers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think what is most disturbing about all these cases, is the fact that
many are not surprised by these outcomes; it’s almost as if we have accepted
that the 70’s was the decade of the perve. Which leads me to wonder, when I
enter my 40’s and 50’s will I begin to see stories emerge of the great
entertainers of my teens having copped a feel of young girls? Or maybe the
limitless media attention out there these days is too much of a risk, coupled
with the overwhelming number of laws put in place in order to combat these
horrific life-ruining crimes which seem so very present in our news every week.
What is clear to see is that even those most respected of TV personalities are
capable of the most unimaginable crimes, and that the ‘innocent years’ are over
from more than one perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A.Ticehurst</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> B.A. (Hons) Criminology </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To read a previous post about Rolf Harris and the sentencing decisions, click on the link to the right, or click <a href="http://criminologyonthestreets.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/sexual-offender-who-has-been-sentenced.html">here</a></span></span></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-40349205828745296212014-07-07T11:03:00.000+01:002014-07-07T12:12:11.089+01:00Sexual Offender who has been sentenced for 12 counts of abuse and victimized at least 4 young girls will spend less than 3 years in Prison: Rolf Harris <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By A. Neaverson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you were to read the headline without the celebrity name
attached, you would be absolutely appalled by the seemingly lenient sentence.
However, in today’s society we have become more accepting of responses such as
‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yeah, that’s what I expected because he
is so famous’</i>. Since when did we fall back into the pre-classical
approaches to criminal justice and have one set of laws for the rich and
another for the poor?</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28163593" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28163593" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii24BXoYquNVTyPtyRlXV2W5n80sx8nFe0vv8E0oof1dgGSFZ0yKA2i-Ki6f_i_emiJEu6qrLt9dAkgyeV9zRTYpeCzms_pcsFdCW2Q4HCVO_jbOZbsebeQgx-moOKE42kd-woRql1oas/s1600/Rolf+1.jpg" height="257" width="400" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Rolf Harris has been sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in
prison, meaning he is likely to spend less than 3 years physically behind bars.
Furthermore, he will not be ordered to pay compensation to his victims.
According to the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28163593" target="_blank">BBC,</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">
Rolf showed no emotion while his sentence was being read out; maybe he didn’t
know if he should cry or smile. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As described within the Sentencing Remarks of Mr Justice
Sweeney found <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/r-v-rolf-harris/" target="_blank">here</a>, </b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rolf Harris was sentenced for 12 counts of indecent assault on 4 victims who
were aged between 8 and 19 at the time. He received the following sentences for
each count: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Count 1: 9 months’ imprisonment. <br />
<br />
Count 2: 6 months’ imprisonment consecutive. <br />
<br />
Count 3: 15 months’ imprisonment consecutive<br />
<br />
Count 4: 15 months’ imprisonment concurrent<br />
<br />
Count 5: 15 months’ imprisonment concurrent <br />
<br />
Count 6: 12 months imprisonment concurrent <br />
<br />
Count 7: 15 months’ imprisonment consecutive <br />
<br />
Count 8: 12 months’ imprisonment concurrent <br />
<br />
Count 9: 12 months’ imprisonment consecutive <br />
<br />
Count 10: 9 months’ imprisonment concurrent <br />
<br />
Count 11: 9 months imprisonment concurrent. <br />
<br />
Count 12: 12 months’ imprisonment consecutive. </div>
</blockquote>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></o:p></span> <span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Some people are asking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But what did he do?”, “Didn’t he
just grope a few girls? Back in the day that wasn’t uncommon</i>”</b>. Well let
me help you to get a better picture of what Rolf Harris did to innocent
children. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You indecently assaulted ‘A’ in 1969 (when she was aged 8 and you were aged 39). You did so when you made an appearance at the Leigh Park Community Centre in Havant, and she approached you for your autograph. Others were present. Taking advantage of your celebrity status, you twice put your hand up her skirt between her legs and touched her vagina over her clothing. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Victim 'C' - Age 13, took her on holiday and indecently assaulted her; and again when she was 15. You left your wife and ‘C’’s parents downstairs and you went up to ‘C’’s bedroom on the top floor of the house....."</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ill stop there, but if you want to know "what did he
do" the judge summarises it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/r-v-rolf-harris" target="_blank">here</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">. </span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So why did he only get less than 6 years... or 6 months per
offence? Because of his Mitigating Factors (which are factors that work in
favour of the defendant and can result in a lesser sentence). According to the
sentencing remarks, the judge considered the following mitigating factors as
part of his sentencing decision: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“On your behalf I am asked to take into account a number of matters in mitigation, including the following:<br />
<br />
(1) With the exception of ‘C’ the offences were brief and opportunistic. <br />
<br />
(2) The fact that you have no previous convictions and have led an upright life since 1994 ‐albeit it is accepted that that must be tempered by the reality, underlined in the Attorney General’s Reference (above), that you got away with your offending for years. <br />
<br />
(3) The fact that you have a good side, that there are many people who know you who speak well of you, and that over many years you have dedicated yourself to a number of charitable causes. <br />
<br />
(4) The fact that you are not in the best of health, as attested to in the report of Dr Fertleman, and that therefore, although capable of serving a prison sentence, it will be particularly tough on you. <br />
<br />
(5) The fact that your wife, who you help in looking after, has various health problems, as attested to in the report of Dr Mitchell‐Fox. <br />
<br />
(6) That you should be enabled to spend your twilight years with your family.”</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m sorry, but that’s just not good enough for me. The mitigating
factor that I think we especially need to reconsider is the last one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>“That you should be enabled to spend your
twilight years with your family”.</strong></i> What about the young women’s right to
spend their childhood without having it ruined by a sexual predator. Forget
about their childhood; the events that took place have ruined their adolescents
and impacted their adult years as well, not to mention the outcome that this
trial will now have on them. They have been suffering for over 30 years, yet
the judge says that Rolf Harris should be enabled to spend his last few years
within the safe comfort of his family. It appears that the Mitigating factors are
being put before the negative outcomes that his victims have been dealing with
for their entire lives. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Rolf Harris was sentenced based on ‘sentencing historic
sexual offences set out in Annex B of the current Sentencing Council Definitive
Guideline” which means that the “maximum sentence on Count 1 is one of 5 years
imprisonment, on each counts 2-9 it is one of 2 years imprisonment, and on each
of counts 10-12 it is one of 10 years”. Today, these offences attract significantly
higher maximum sentences, but regardless, as stated “on each of Counts 10-12 it
is one of 10 years” for a maximum sentence meaning he could have received more
time in prison. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Perhaps this is why, according to the BBC “the sentence of
five years and nine months has already been referred to the Attorney General's
Office under the ‘unduly lenient sentence scheme’". To read more about the
unduly lenient sentence, click <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/unduly_lenient_sentences/#a05" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It would be interesting to look at a comparison of this
‘celebrity status’ with a normal ‘citizen status’ case to see if the types of
sentences are similar, or if they have been impacted by his celebrity status. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A.Neaverson </span></div>
<a href="mailto:criminologyonthestreets@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">criminologyonthestreets@gmail.com</span></a><br />
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-67272780058941058122013-11-04T20:31:00.000+00:002014-08-27T13:13:27.099+01:00Enough with the politicized knee-jerk response to selective interpretation of Youth Offending Statistics.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> According to David Barrett, who is a Home Office
Correspondent for The Telegraph Newspaper, the “proportion of young offenders
committing new crimes reached a 10-year high”<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10417881/Proportion-of-young-offenders-committing-new-crimes-reached-10-year-high.html" target="_blank"> (October 31, 2013)</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10417881/Proportion-of-young-offenders-committing-new-crimes-reached-10-year-high.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" Telegraph Article" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQzSYQgvymer2RfOd5lgdoILqdSQatJ98BucWRlL22ylm380lFnUrc94QeAAD9vZ0-DLU8FXItvNHys0aPQhzygoj_25QWznThsf32L0H9HbkeUqOVPj6QHwplXIp6O7xYQU2m3nc2QQ/s400/Telegraph.png" height="400" width="367" /></a></div>
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Mr. Barrett is correct when he reports that recently <a href="http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/search/index.html?newquery=Crime+in+England+and+Wales" target="_blank">published data from the Ministry of Justice</a> (MoJ) has identified a 2% increase in
re-offending rates since 2000 leading to the highest percentage of offenders
re-offending. The response from the Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, is that
the 2% increase is evidence that his <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10036871/Payment-by-results-plan-for-rehabilitation-of-offenders.html" target="_blank">“payment by results”</a> reform proposals
should be taken into serious consideration. This reform will create contracts
with private companies and charities who will work with less serious offenders.
These companies will only be paid in full if they achieve the targets set to
reduce re-offending. </div>
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<br /></div>
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What Mr. Barrett and Mr. Grayling are neglecting to mention,
is the fact that the overall youth offending and custody rates are currently at
an all-time low. With such a small youth offending cohort, it is not surprising
that the percentage of re-offending rates has increased slightly. It could be
argued that those who are still in the system are young offenders who are
considered the most serious and challenging; thus, we would predict they would
be the most likely to re-offend. Simply put, if your cohort has reduced and primarily
includes only serious and violent offenders, your statistics of re-offending will naturally
increase. The fact that they have only increased by 2% is actually a positive
given the offending nature of those currently involved in the youth justice
services. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">Taking a closer look at the statistics provided by the MoJ, it was reported that overall there were 137,335 proven offences by young people in 2011/12, which is a decrease of 22% from 2010/11 and a decrease of 47% since 2001/02. This overall reduction includes a reduction in criminal damage (-28%), public order (-27%), theft and handling (-23%), and violence against the person (-22%). Furthermore, while the rates of re-offending has increased 2% since 2000, the rates of 'First Time Entrants' (FTEs - first reprimand, warning, caution or court conviction) has fallen 20% since 2010/11 and an impressive 59% since 2001/02. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsH6NHRkFtmCMf5ZlylF4HqcpkKsqbaGyx3C5VIOkxCiipUH7e3Ic8wxrBNMvwbZ5HxZIFcf2v2G06BETo9fD3A6vKI65FdEVJqaDFVzKS6YdGb1r3kEivlwLdgbM-yM7WQAGi9H_OgU/s1600/FTEs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsH6NHRkFtmCMf5ZlylF4HqcpkKsqbaGyx3C5VIOkxCiipUH7e3Ic8wxrBNMvwbZ5HxZIFcf2v2G06BETo9fD3A6vKI65FdEVJqaDFVzKS6YdGb1r3kEivlwLdgbM-yM7WQAGi9H_OgU/s400/FTEs.jpg" height="230" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(click to enlarge image)</span></div>
With regards to the total number of young people receiving sentences,
there were 66,430 in 2011/12 which is another reduction of 22% since 2010/11
and 48% since 2008/09. This decrease is the result in the fall of FTEs.<br />
<br />
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As proposed above, while the overall number of young people involved
in the justice system has fallen, those who are involved could be identified as more serious and challenging offenders. In 2011/12, the majority of proven
offences were committed by young people aged 15+, with only 25% committed by
those aged 10-14. However, this year is the first time in 10 years that the
average custody population has fallen below 2,000 (1,963) with a dramatic 30%
reduction since 2001/02 (2,801). Although violence against the person has
decreased by 22% (as stated above), it is one of the most common offence types
amongst young offenders in custody, supporting the argument that the current
cohort of young offenders are the offenders who would be considered the most
challenging. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUCLyc9vbS0SXgEM-CO1vlmG8Adqbi7-ji77UIa88vov-xt_KtNr3MCRAFkDafV-nhGhNo1Mj-hKwHs1IMQurNm5yJKBGrHITBk7Lb6jsInSe0ccJeETo87FRhjNpyXhznYxPwIyv-pA/s1600/Primairy+Offence+Type.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUCLyc9vbS0SXgEM-CO1vlmG8Adqbi7-ji77UIa88vov-xt_KtNr3MCRAFkDafV-nhGhNo1Mj-hKwHs1IMQurNm5yJKBGrHITBk7Lb6jsInSe0ccJeETo87FRhjNpyXhznYxPwIyv-pA/s400/Primairy+Offence+Type.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(click to enlarge image)</span></div>
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The breakdown of primary offence types indicates a high proportion
of serious and violent offences. This year, 27% of young people were in custody
for robbery offences, and 21% for violence against the person. Again,
supporting the argument that the current population now consists of young
offenders who are most serious and challenging which would increase the
statistics of re-offending; not because of the failure of the justice system. In
fact, based on the significant decreases in overall offending and custody
rates, it could be argued that the current system is doing exactly what it is meant
to do. </div>
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Overall, the politicized statement given in the above
article is questionable given the fact that “in 2000, there were 139,326 young
people that formed the re-offending cohort, in 2010/11 the size of the
re-offending cohort had fallen 37% to 88,357...this suggest that young
offending teams are working with a smaller but generally more prolific cohort”
(MoJ, 2013). Making these generalized statements that “re-offending is the
highest it’s been in a decade” and that we need to seriously consider “payment
by result” rehabilitation methods is a very narrow minded response to the
published statistics and needs further investigation. This type of politicized
response is not taking into consideration the demographics and risk-factors of
those who are not included in the small but serious offending cohorts. Enough with the politicized knee-jerk response to selective interpretation of Youth Offending Statistics. </div>
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A. Neaverson </div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-75420366566620015712013-04-08T21:37:00.000+01:002013-04-10T12:16:29.359+01:00“It’s not long enough” – Mick Philpott, Sentencing Policy, and Public Criminology - Craig Harper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“It’s not long enough” – Mick Philpott, Sentencing
Policy, and Public Criminology<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Last
week saw the sentencing of Derby man Mick Philpott, his wife Mairead, and
friend Paul Mosley for the manslaughter of the Philpott’s six children in a
house fire last May. The story has
naturally captured the public’s imagination and bought to the fore several
debates about the UK’s approach to sentencing and the Welfare State. In this post, I try to unpack some of the
pertinent issue and address some of the misconceptions being reinforced by
recent press reporting of this case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Manslaughter of Six Innocent
Children<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mick
Philpott’s living arrangements – unemployed and living with two different
women, along with 11 children – have been widely publicised and commented
on. His wife, Mairead, and his lover
Lisa Willis, took it in turns to sleep with him in their caravan on alternate
nights, and this was covered in a 2007 edition of <i>The Jeremy Kyle Show</i> – a ‘reality TV’ programme that is tantamount
to human bear-baiting, designed to put some of Britain’s most desperate people
on television, playing out their out-of-control lives for the satisfaction and
pleasure of those in more fortunate, if not perfect, positions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When
Lisa Willis left the home last February, Mick Philpott sought to reclaim her
presence (and her child benefit money) through a host of different strategies,
such as “sweet talking … cajoling … and bullying”, according the Mrs Justice
Thirlwall’s sentencing remarks. When she
didn’t he hatched a wicked plan in order to blame her for a crime she didn’t
commit – that of arson against her former family home, such that she would be
prosecuted and Mick would obtain custody of the five children with whom Lisa
left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mick
Philpott was responsible for dousing his hallway in petrol and setting it
alight. The Crown accepted that he had
not intended to kill his children, or even to cause them significant physical
harm, and subsequently charged the three co-defendants with manslaughter as
opposed to murder, with the assertion being that Mr Philpott had planned to
enter the house, rescue the children, and be considered a local hero. This unfortunately went horribly wrong, no
rescue attempt was possible, and the six children inside tragically died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sentencing policy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Many
people have commented on the sentence being handed down to these offenders –
particularly the one given to Mick Philpott.
The sentences passed were as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mick Philpott – Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mairead Philpott – 17 years imprisonment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Paul Mosley – 17 years imprisonment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These
sentences, when set against the context of the unlawful killing of six innocent
children, have been described as too lenient by some members of the public, with
others on the social networking site Twitter calling for a reintroduction of
capital punishment for child killers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">However,
it should be noted that the judge, Mrs Justice Thirlwall, passed the maximum
sentence possible for manslaughter. Life
imprisonment is the most severe punishment available for this index offence
and, in setting the minimum tariff to be served by Mick Philpott, she stated:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The law
requires me to impose a period of years that you will serve before you are
considered for parole. To reach that period I must identify the determinate
sentence you would have served had I not imposed a life sentence. The
determinate sentence would have been one of 30 years’ imprisonment. I am
required by parliament to halve that to reflect that were this a determinate
sentence you would serve only half. The minimum period you must therefore serve
before you are considered for parole is one of 15 years. From that I deduct 307
days to reflect the time you have already served on remand to give a term of 14
years and 58 days. Whether or not you are ever released will be a matter for
the parole board.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Whole-life
sentences, whereby “life means life” and there is no possibility for parole, is
one option being mooted as a compromise between life sentences and the death
penalty. This case is certainly one that
shakes my own personal beliefs, but I reassert that the idea of whole-life
tariffs raise some serious concerns. My
view of prisons is that they should be fundamentally places for reformation and
rehabilitation. I have written
previously that only the most dangerous criminals should be given prison terms
(a theory supported by the risk-need-responsivity model of offender
rehabilitation) – and that it is only by doing this that you can focus on doing
intensive therapeutic work without passing on “tricks of the trade” to lesser
criminals, such as those with acquisitive or public order offences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Politically,
though, it is wise for the Government to continue the trend of increasing the
number of prisoners serving long or whole-life sentences. This satisfies a certain Lombrosian culture
that seems to fester in the vast majority of criminal justice rhetoric in the
UK, and the concept of whole-life sentences seems to support this ideology by
suggesting that some violent offenders are beyond help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Another
important point to raise is that, if a prisoner knows there is no chance of
release, what do they have to lose? They
may as well behave however they like, and, with few opportunities for rehabilitation
(why waste money of offending behaviour programmes on those beyond help?),
prisoners on whole-life sentences have the perfect excuse to take their
frustrations out on other inmates, or indeed police officers. The press would no doubt report these
incidents as ‘proof’ that these “beasts” should be locked up for the rest of
their days – but they actually contribute to these events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There
have also been complaints about the fact that, if their sentences run as
planned, Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley will be “out in 8 years”. Whilst it is true that these two will be
released from prison-based custody at the half-way point of their respective 17
year sentences, it is not the case that they will be completely free, as some
media outlets and commentators would lead you to believe. Any offender that is released prior to the
end of their allotted tariff must serve
up until the end of their sentence on licence – where they are still subject to
strict sanctions which, if broken, could still lead the to be recalled to
prison. This licence period lasts until
the end of the originally passed sentence (or for life, in the case of a life
sentenced prisoner), and is accompanied by a variety of restrictions, including
curfews and electronic tagging. To suggest
that those on licence are as free as the rest of us is a misleading fallacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Conclusions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All
in all, I feel that the sentences passed are fair, and take into account the
varying factors relating to each individual defendant. Mick Philpott is clearly a controlling and
callous individual with his own self-interest at the heart of everything he
does, and the fact that he has received the maximum possible sentence for his
actions is absolutely right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My
only hope is that those involved in criminology and criminal justice engage
better with the public and the media to allow for more balanced,
evidence-based, and factual accounts of the sentencing process to be produced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Craig Harper is a postgraduate student
of forensic psychology based at the University of Lincoln, UK. His research interests lie in desistance from
crime, offender reintegration and public criminology.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Visit his website at </span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://lincpsychuk.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">http://lincpsychuk.wordpress.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-2552312576080254352012-12-13T13:15:00.002+00:002012-12-13T13:16:17.267+00:00Hate Crimes; What is the real number?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hate
Crimes; What is the real number? </span></u></b></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Date of publication: 23th October 2012</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A
hate crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that
is motivated by hostility towards someone based on disability, race, religion, gender
identity or sexual orientation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According
to the BBC NEWS UK more than 2000 such offences were recorded in 2011, up one
third from 2010. Police have said this was </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">partly due to an increased willingness to repo<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9010269241265664534" name="_GoBack"></a>rt
crimes. Overall hate crimes linked to race religion sexual orientation and
disability fell by 3600 to 44,500. Hate crime monitoring began in 2008 to raise
awareness of the problem. In 2011 a total of 44,519 hate crimes were recorded
compared with 48,127 in 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">According to the home office
website I have found there were 43,748
hate crimes recorded by police in 2011/2012. These figures are related to the
five monitored strands of the hate crime classifications used by the criminal
justice system and is not a count of crimes as more than one form of hate crime
can be assigned to an offence. Indicative data suggest that less than 5% of
hate crime offences have more than one monitored strand assigned ( this ranged
between 1% and 7% of offences for the 17 forces whose data was reviewed).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;">Of the 43,748 hate crimes recorded
by police:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*35,816 (82%) were race hate
crimes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*1621 (4%) were religion hate
crimes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*4252 (10%) were sexual
orientation hate crimes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*1744 (4%) were disability hate
crimes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*315 (1%) were transgender hate
crimes.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span lang="EN-GB">There is a discrepancy
in numbers by 751 hate crimes. I’m not sure what database the BBC NEWS got
there information from; maybe different
from the home office? Is that why there
is a slight difference in numbers? What I have noticed is the home office seems
to have broken down the statistics so we as a public get an actual over view of
what a hate crime is and how the statistics are going down slightly. If anyone
has any information regarding this discrepancy in numbers, please comment
below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Year 1 Student – Crime
& Investigative Studies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">University Centre
Peterborough<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Supervisor: A. Smith; B.A.
(Hons) Criminology Course Leader<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010269241265664534.post-70018716520025407512012-12-13T13:12:00.002+00:002012-12-13T13:13:24.653+00:00Media Reports of Police Opinions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u><span lang="EN-GB">Media Reports of Police
Opinions<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I am a student at University Centre Peterborough and I wanted to ask a question
regarding the validity of research discussed by the media. I looked into an
article that discussed police opinions with regards to being armed on duty and
it seems the article published by the BBC is misrepresenting information. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">According to an
article on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398</a> a</span><span lang="EN-GB"> 2006 survey of 47,328 police
federation members found that 82% did not want officers to be routinely armed
on duty. However, upon further investigation I found the information was not a
yes or no question but a multiple choice response. I am wondering where the 82%
came from, as this is the information I found on - </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">POLICE FEDERATION OF ENGLAND AND WALES SURVEY </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">OF
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">MEMBERS 2006 – TOP-LINE REPORT.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIubS9hs7pi15UTeV5bBauQkD9DczKIygoOaxC_B38wHOgYdTNvPj69GQjxj61-ALkGMe3F52ofI1hNKUyq2GfvD4CANya9USpWxuJiB0zCPyykUI4OjKtCA9DWTYG6DBFXz5EWWyTkog/s1600/guns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIubS9hs7pi15UTeV5bBauQkD9DczKIygoOaxC_B38wHOgYdTNvPj69GQjxj61-ALkGMe3F52ofI1hNKUyq2GfvD4CANya9USpWxuJiB0zCPyykUI4OjKtCA9DWTYG6DBFXz5EWWyTkog/s400/guns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.nypolfed.org.uk/assets/uploads/PDFs/arming.pdf">http://www.nypolfed.org.uk/assets/uploads/PDFs/arming.pdf</a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Year 1 Student – Crime
& Investigative Studies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">University Centre
Peterborough<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Supervisor: A. Smith; B.A.
(Hons) Criminology Course Leader<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A. Neaversonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11830450007685612609noreply@blogger.com0