AC 3.3: Examine the limitations of agencies in achieving social control

Recidivism  

If offenders fail to rehabilitate and continue to commit crime, then social control can't be achieved. This is a limitation because as recidivism increases the prison population increases. In recent years the recidivism rates and re-convictions have increased with nearly half of prisoners reoffend and return to prison in the same year.  

Civil liberties and barriers  

• Protection of individuals rights: Citizens have basic human rights e.g freedom of speech and freedom of movement which can prevent social control from being achieved. These rights restrict ways of enforcing the law, making it harder to maintain social control. 

• Legal barriers to punishment: some laws protect individuals e.g. police restricted from deporting foreign criminals due to their home country being unsafe which prevents law enforcement agencies from fully controlling crime. E.g Abu Qatada 

• Limited police powers:  Social control agencies like the police may be unable to enforce the law because of their suspect rights under the police and criminal evidence 1984) (PACE act) e.g. the suspects right to remain silent.  

access to resources and support 

• Lack of support makes rehabilitation harder for ex-prisoners. Financial, housing or employment issues can lead to recidivism. For example, Prision's may fail to rehabilitate offender because of their inadequate resources for education and training which leads them to committing crime because them can’t achieve in wider society.  

• Small amount of prison officers means the prisoners are confined to their cells for most of the day which restricts their rehabilitation process.  

Finance 

• Budget cuts reduce the number of police and prison staff. This leads to harsher prison conditions such as more cell time and can increased mental health issues.  

• For example, police budget cuts by 19% from 2010 to 2018 which lead to a decrease of police numbers.  

Local and national policies  

Police and national government policies focus on specific crimes depending on the problem occurring in that area. This means that some crimes are not investigated because they focus on certain crimes e.g knife crime. 

environment

A prisoner's home environment is more likely to cause them to reoffend because of their blocked opportunities for social mobility and criminal friends. However, a new environment may reduce this change and cause them to rehabilitate. 

Crime and moral imperatives  

• A moral imperative is a strong belief that leads someone how to act in situations 

• Someone criminals commit crimes because they believe its morally right such as assisted suicide used to help someone else instead used for murderous intent. This weakens social control because people follow their own personal morals over the law.