Modern Britain, c1900 to the present

What are common crimes from the 20th to 21st century?

Increase in car crimes, race and drug related offences. New opportunities for types of theft and smuggling.

Murder, hate crimes, terrorism, violent and sexual crimes and computer related crimes.

What are common methods of law enforcement from the 20th to 21st century?

Finger printing 1901 and DNA sampling.

Use of radios and police cars allow a quicker response to events.

Neighbourhood watch.

What are common punishments from the 20th to 21st century?

Fines are the most widely used punishment, especially for driving offences.

Prisons and young offenders institutions, electronic tagging.

What are car crimes?

By 1930, cars were cheaper and driving became popular. Motorists didn't need a license.

In 1934 7,343 people were killed on the road.

After 1935, all drivers had to pass a test, pay road tax and get insurance.

What are hate crimes?

In 2007 a new law covered hate crimes. Cover a wide range of crimes from vandalism to physical assault.

Victims are targeted for their race,sexual orientation, religion or a disability.

Normally racism.

How is there more opportunity for theft?

Today drug addiction frequently leads to addicts stealing to feed their habit.

Shoplifting became established as more goods were placed on display.

What is modern smuggling like?

Better transport in air, land and sea, has made smuggling harder to prevent. Tobacco and alcohol are smuggled into the country in huge quantities every day.

The demand for illegal drugs has also risen in the past 40 years, causing the drug business to be a multi-billion industry.

Tougher immigration controls and conflicts in different parts of the world lead to more people vbeing smuggled into the country.

What happened to capital punishment in 1954?

It was abolished for everything except murder of a police/prison officer, murder while resisting arrest, murder while carrying out theft, murder of more than one person.

Executions fell to an average of 4 a year.

What was the significance of the UN in the abolition of the death penalty?

Following WW2, the UN was formed. The UN created the declaration of human rights. Britain signed up for this to say they agreed. This contradicted the nature of the death penalty - taking life.

Who was Ruth Ellis?

The last woman to be hanged in 1966.

What was Ruth Ellis convicted of?

Shooting her lover in a ‘crime of passion' twice in Magdala pub as he was leaving, then continuing to shoot until he was dead.

What did Ruth Ellis refuse?

There was no doubt of her guilt.

Any option that could reduce her sentence was refused, she was willingly condemned to death and smiled at the hangman.

Why did Ruth Ellis make people want the abolition of capital punishment?

She was a popular figure - execution sparked outrage.

Made people question the death penalty.

Killing was against Christianity.

How were attitudes towards the death penalty changing?

Following WW2, and emerging knowledge of the Holocaust, people began viewing capital punishment as similar to Nazi methods.

The country just came out of a struggle to defeat Hitler, a hated figure who would have agreed with the death penalty.

Against Christianity.

Against Declaration of human rights.

Who was Timothy Evans?

A man with learning disabilities - found to have the IQ of a 12 year old - who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1960 and cleared of all wrongdoing in 1966.

What was Timothy Evans convicted of? Did he do it?

Murdering his wife and daughter.

He was wrongly convicted, he was later found to have been cohearsed into admitting his guilt.

Why were people so outraged at the hanging of Timothy Evans?

His trial only lasted 3 days - unfair.

He had learning disabilities and was cohearsed by a man discovered to be a serial killer and mecrophillias, John Christie.

Who was Derek Bentley?

A man with severe learning disabilities who was caught burgularing a warehouse with his friend Chris Craig in 1952.

According to police, DS Fairfax asked Craig to hand him the gun he was holding (Bentley was not holding a gun). Bentley shouted ‘let him have it chris’.

Craig fired and shot PC Sidney miles.

What were Derek Bentley and Chris Craig charged with?

Both were charged with murder, but Craig was too young to hang. Bentley was sentenced to death and hung.

Why was Derek Bentley's death seen as so unfair?

He did not committ the crime and there was controversy over what he meant by ‘let him have the gun.’ The police argued he provoked Craig to shoot, but Bentley’s lawyer argued he was trying to get Craig to hand over his gun.

He had severe learning disabilities so there was controversey over whether he was fit to stand trial.

It made the law look cruel and people doubted the morality of the punishment.

What are modern non-custodial alternatives to prison?

Electronic tags - allow constant watch and monitoring, aiding reform.

Probation (1907)

Parole (1967) for good behaviour

Community service (1972) offenders required to do 40-300 hours.

However, there a higher rates of reoffender for these alternatives compared to prison.

Describe the state of prisons before 1947.

No more crank and treadmill after 1902.

Broad arrows and shaved hairstyles removed.

Teachers employed to help prisoners get a better chance of finding work when released.

Prisoners could mix.

Describe the state of prisons after 1947.

Average length of sentence increased.

Same basic supplies.

Different levels of prisoners seperated.

Prison population doubled leading to understaffing.

Regimes aimed at improvement but a decline in purposeful activity such as work or education.

Ofsted reviews all negative

What was set up for young offenders in 1948?

Attendence centres: non-custodial alterntatives, compulsory sessions for offenders aged 10-21 and aimed to teach skills.

What was set up for young offenders in 1982?

Youth Dentition centres aimed to teach military drill and discipline.

This failed to deter them and reoffending rates increased.

What are custodial sentences like or young offenders today?

They are a last resort if less harsh non-custodial alternaive fail to work.

When were borstals set up and abolished? Give a brief overview of what they are.

Set up in 1902 - run like a strict boarding school - include house competitions etc.

Abolished 1982: abolished - around 60% of those released ro-offended.

What new scientific technology used to help enforce the law was developed in 1901?

Fingerprinting was first use by the Met. A national fingerprint system still keeps a record of every fingerprint and is part of a nationwide central system.

What changes were made to the police force in 1920?

Women were recruited - at first to work with female victims and criminals.

What new technology was developed in the 1930s to help the police enforce the law?

Two way radios were to enable communication between officers in police cars.

What 2 new communication developments were made in 1937 to help the police enforce the law?

The widespread use of the police phone box to save officers on the beat from needing to return to the station to report crime.

The first 999 emergency telephone number was started.

How was police training developed in 1947?

The police training was developed

What new police technology was developed in 1967?

Breathalysers

What new police technology was developed in the 1970s?

CCTV monitoring.

How did local communities begin to help enforce the law in 1982?

The neighbourhood watch scheme started.

What scientific technology was used in 1998 to help convict someone of murder?

First convicted murder based off of DNA samples

What scientific technology was developed in 1995 to help enforce the law?

National Automatic Fingerprint identification System and the Natiional DNA database.

How did the neighbourhood watch scheme made in 1982 develop?

2007 - it became a national network.

What was the population of the police force like in 1900 compared to today?

Around 42,000 officers in 200 forces in 1900

Today (as of 2015) there were 126,818 officers spread across 43 local forces in England and Wales.

What was transport like for officers in the 1990s compared to the modern day police force?

1990s - officers walked a beat of up to 20 miles a day.

Modern - cars in 1930s and motorbikes improved response speed and replaced the foot patrol or ‘ beat’ in the 1970s. Use of helicopters etc.

Overall, how have developments in science influenced the police force?

Allowed the police to track down criminals more efficiently.

1901 - fingerprints

1988 - DNA used to convict

1995 - fingerprint and DNA database

1901 - blood types used to identify victims and criminals

Overall, how have changes in attitudes in society influenced policing?

People believed in reform - people aren’t born criminals.

Women now worked in the police force.

What is a conscientious objector?

Someone who refuses to fight in a war or conflict due to religious, political or ethical beliefs, even when conscription is introduced.

What were some reasons people may confuse conscription?

Didn’t agree with fighting / violence / war.

They didn’t consider Germany their enemy so wouldn’t fight against them.

It was against their religion, eg. Quakers, jehovas witnesses.

They believed conscription was against their human rights.

What is an absolutist?

People who were opposed to conscription as well as war.

They were upholders of civil liberty and the freedom of the individual, most were committed pacifists.

They believed any alternative service, eg stretcher bearers, was immoral as it helped the cause.

How could absolutists be given exemption?

Tribunals

What is an alternativist?

Conscientious objectors who were prepared to undertake alternative civilian work but not under military control.

What is a non-combatant?

Someone prepared to go abroad and be in the army but not touch any weapons. They often became stretcher bearers or medics.

What was the public attitudes like towards conscientious objectors?

They were seen as cowards and being selfish / traitors.

White feathers: given to conscientious objectors as a sign people saw them as cowards.

How did the government treat conscientious objectors at tribunals?

They weren’t sympathetic and were run by military personal.

They were rarely granted unconditional exemption.

They often sent absolutists and alternativists to do non-combat duties.

How did government use of propaganda treat conscientious objectors in WW1?

They were shameful towards them and tried to make them feel guilty.

They were targeted around family and friends and intended to humiliated.

How did government treatment of COs change in WW2?

Conscription was reintroduced in 1939 (outbreak of WW2) and 59,162 people registered as COs.

The Government treated them more fairly and made a greater effort to give them alternative work such as farming, or industries like munitions.

Cos were sent to prison as a last resort.

Did public treatment of COs change in WW1?

No - many lost their jobs and were criticised by newspapers.

They were accused of cowardice.

They were attacked in the street.

When was conscription introduced in WW1?

1916

How many men refused to join the military as COs in WW1?

Around 16,000

What happened to 6,000 COs who refused to accept the decision of the tribunals or take up non-fighting roles in WW1?

They were sent to prison and usually faced solitary confinement.

When was conscription introduced in WW2?

1939