Social Changes Affect Policy Change

Values

values are general principles, beliefs or guidelines about how we should live our lives. They tell us what is right and wrong, good and bad. Different societies may have different values.

Norms

Norms are specific rules or socially accepted standards about how we are expected to behave in specific situations.

Mores

Mores are very basic, essential norms that society sees as vital for maintaining standards of decency and civilised behaviour
In other words, mores are society’s most important moral rules
One example is the taboo against incest which is found in all societies. Another is the prohibition against taking human life other than in very exceptional circumstances. Going against a society’s mores is likely to be severely punished

Public Perceptions

Public Perceptions of Crime Laws are changed and varied over time Laws are often change due to the social culture changing
The alteration of society’s social norms and values can affect public perceptions of crime An act that was once acceptable is now seen to be unacceptable

Drink Driving

For many years, public attitudes to drink driving were quite tolerant and it was not generally thought of as a serious offence. Governments showed little interested and did not bother even to collect figures on the number of deaths caused by drink driving. Meanwhile car ownership was increasing. In 1951, only 15% of households owned a car, but by 1971 this had risen to 55%. This resulted in more deaths: from about 5000 in 1950 to 8000 by the 1960s

Drink Driving: Changing Perceptions

In 1925, the 1st law was passed making driving while drunk an offence. However, there was no clear definition of ‘drunk’ Road safety was becoming more of a public concern and moving up the political agenda. E.g. from 1966 all new cars had to be fitted with seat belts.  Due to public concern about accidents caused by drink driving, the 1967 Road Safety Act introduced a blood alcohol limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.  It became an offence to be in charge of a motor vehicle with an alcohol level above this limit.

Drink Driving: Breathalysers

In 1968, the first breathalysers were introduced for roadside use. Together with a major advertising campaign by the government, this helped to reduce road deaths by over 1100 and serious injuries by over 11000. Importantly, the proportion of accidents where alcohol was involved also fell, from 25% to 15%

Drink Driving: Tougher Laws

In 1983, the High Risk Offender scheme was introduced for convicted drivers with an alcohol problem. The group includes drivers who have been disqualified more than once for drink driving . In 1991, a new offence causing death by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was introduced, with a compulsory prison sentence of up to 5 years. (In 2014, this was increased to 14 years) The penalty of drink driving offence is now up to 6 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and a drink driving ban for at least one year.

Drink Driving: Campaigns

Campaigns were an important factor in changing public perceptions of drink driving Eg 1979 half of all male drivers admitted drink driving at least once a week 2014 survey by the government’s THINK! Campaign against drink driving found that 91% of people thought drink driving unacceptable

Smoking

In the 1930s it was normal and fashionable to smoke Smoking was glamorised and encouraged, even by doctors Film stars would smoke in films and you could smoke indoors, restaurants and cars, and beside children

Smoking: Changing Perceptions

in the mid 1950s research was published confirming the link between smoking and lung cancer Growing concerns about the danger of smoking eventually led to the disappearance of doctors from cigarette adverts

Smoking: Campaigns

There now many anti-smoking campaigns (e.g. ASH- action on smoking and health) Campaigns have led to new legislation, e.g. the Health Act 2006 banned smoking in enclosed public and work spaces; the Children and Families Act 2014 prohibited smoking in vehicles when children are present

Demographic Changes

Criminologists use demographics to try to understand why people commit crime Demographics of crime include stats on location, types and offenders/victims
Also data on Age, Race, Gender, and Social Class can be used to gain a picture of crime, why it happens and how to combat it

Demographic Changes: Immigration and Racism

In 1945, there were fewer than 20,000 non-white residents in the UK. The main immigrant groups were both white: Irish (who had come for economic reasons) and Jews, who had fled from persecution in Europe.

Demographic Changes: Windrush Generation

During the 1950s and 1960s, non-white immigrants came from former British colonies in the Caribbean, the Indian subcontinent and Africa Most of these groups came in search of economic opportunities, often filling jobs that the British refused to take As a result the UK’s demographic structure has changed to a multi-ethnic one

Demographic Changes: Windrush Generation

Discrimination was faced by those immigrating to the UK This was seen in areas such as housing, employment and services In 1956 a survey in Birmingham found that only 1.5% of white British people would offer a room to a Black Tenant Discrimination due to race was legal at the time leading to exploitation

Demographic Changes: Race Relations Acts

As a result of widespread racial discrimination the following Acts were passed: Race Relations Act 1965 – banned discrimination in public places and made promotion of racial hatred an offence Race Relations Act 1968 – outlawed discrimination in employment, housing and public services Race Relations Act 1978 - extended the law to cover direct and indirect discrimination In 2010 the Race Relations Act was replaced by the Equality Act which brought together laws on racial, sex, age and disability discrimination

DC: Cultural Changes

Since the 1960s, there has been a cultural change- a decline in prejudice towards ethnic minorities The 1987 British Attitudes Survey found that 39% of people said they were racially prejudiced, whereas by 2017 this had fallen to 26% Similarly, according to a 2018 survey by British Future, 66% of the over 65s in ethnic minorities said the level of racial prejudice today is lower than it was in 1968 As a result of changing attitudes, there has been a change in public perception of discrimination and race hate as crimes People are now more likely to accept that these should be criminal offences

DC: Reasons for Change

This is partly due to changes in the law According to some psychologists, if we are made to change our behaviour, we tend to change our attitudes to fit However, other factors may also be responsible for the decline in prejudice The British Future survey found that people thought children of different backgrounds mixing at school, and workplace contact with people from other ethnicities, were both more important than race relations laws in improving race relations in Britain

DC: Continuing Discrimination

There has clearly been changes in attitudes and behaviour since the demographic changes brought by immigration However, this does not mean discrimination has disappeared As well as racism towards non-whites, there is Islamophobia, racism towards white Eastern Europeans and Gypsies/Roma, and antisemitism towards Jews In 2018 the Conservative government were accused of creating a “hostile environment” that led to the wrongful deportation of the Windrush Generation who had lived in the UK for decades

Cultural Changes and LGBT Rights

It is clear that changes in society’s values can genuinely have an impact on social policies Being homosexual is now socially acceptable in our society, but the fight for equality  has arguably been one of the most dramatic cultural changes in public opinion

50 years of legislation

1967 - Sex between two men over 21 and "in private" is decriminalised
1980 - Decriminalisation in Scotland
1982 - Decriminalisation in Northern Ireland 1994 - The age of consent for two male partners is lowered to 18
2000 - The ban on gay and bisexual people serving in the armed forces is lifted; the age of consent is equalised for same- and opposite-sex partners at 16
2002 - Same-sex couples are given equal rights when it comes to adoption
2003 - Gross indecency is removed as an offence
2004 - A law allowing civil partnerships is passed
2007 - Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned
2010 - Gender reassignment is added as a protected characteristic in equality legislation 2014 - Gay marriage becomes legal in England, Wales and Scotland

Changing Attitudes

For centuries, same-sex sexual activity was condemned as immoral or sinful and severely punished by the law. In the 20th century, the law continued to be enforced against gay men. By 1954 there were over 1000 men in prison as a result.  The 1967 act that decriminalised sexual activity in private between men aged 21 and over Today about two-thirds of the population see nothing wrong in same-sex relationships, compared with a fifth or less in the 1980s More people now take the view that consenting adults should have the right to do as they wish in private and that this is no business of the police or courts Homophobic crime is one of the strands of hate crime which allows the CPS to apply for harsher sentencing against an offender

Individualism

This is the belief that individuals should have the right to choose how they live their lives, so long as they do no harm to others.Individualism has become a central value in today’s culture and can be seen in many areas of life and the law, such as divorce and abortion as well as sexual preferences.

Equal Rights

There has been a huge growth in the idea of equal rights. This can be seen in the case of the growth of women’s rights and equal treatment regardless of race, colour or religion. The move towards equal rights for LGBTQ+ people is part of this trend.

Secularism

Religions have generally opposed homosexuality, often violently. However, religion today wields much less influence than in the past- less than half of Britons now believe in God. As a result, religious condemnation of homosexuality carries much less weight and in fact, some churches have softened their attitudes, even permitting gay priests.

Transgender Rights

For many years, transsexualism was widely regarded as a medical condition, but attitudes and values have rapidly changed in recent years, with widespread (though not universal) acceptance that individuals should have the right to decide their gender 
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 enables people to change their legal gender, acquire a new birth certificate and recognise their acquired sex in law for all purposes The Act requires them to present evidence to a gender recognition panel and to have transitioned for two years in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate  More recently, in 2018, changes were proposed to enable individuals to self-declare their gender without going before a panel to obtain a gender recognition certificate

Women’s Rights

At the start of the 20th Century women held few legal and political rights Stereotypically a woman was a mother, housewife and homemaker if married or worked in service if not e.g. teacher, waitressing or cooking However there was a campaign that changed this – the Suffrage Movement

Women’s Rights: Suffrage

The women's suffrage movement made the question of women's voting rights into an important political issue in the 19th century In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and others, frustrated by the lack of progress, decided more direct action was required and founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) with the motto 'Deeds not words'

Women’s Rights: Legal Changes 1928

Women given the vote at the age of 21
1945 - By the end of the war there were 460,000 women in the military and over 6.5 million in civilian war work. 1967 - The Abortion Act - Legalised Abortion in the UK 1970 - The first British conference of the Women's Liberation Movement in Oxford resolved to press for employment legislation. 1975 - The Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into effect and equal opportunities commission established.

Women’s Rights: Domestic Abuse

Social change concerning the position and status of women in society also sparked a change towards the view on domestic violence The Rule of Thumb allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick as long as it was no thicker than his thumb
RvR, this case established the possibility of martial rape However, as social attitudes changed so did legal and political views
We now have key legislation prohibition Domestic abuse, Martial Rape and Harassment e.g. The Family Law Act 1996 and Protection from Harassment 1997 Campaigns such as Clare’s Law etc raise awareness of Domestic abuse.