Do you ever wonder who is making all of the executive decisions on how it is best to govern our country, and when will we get the balance right between justice, rehabilitation and punishment?
Historically, we have seen many back and fourths in regards to how to deal with individuals engaging in criminal activity. British politics has had a long standing battle between left-wing and right-wing policies with a tough on crime rhetoric Vs rehabilitation and integration.
The 1970's - 1980's saw politics take on a right wing stance where 'tough on crime' punitive measures were at the forefront of the governments agenda. Sir Edward Heath from the Conservatives party won the general election in 1970 and became Prime Minister during a particularly difficult time for Britain's economy where the post-war consensus was still prevalent and unemployment rates were soaring. Heath's emphasised the focus on Law and Order and prioritised policing criminal justice (GOV.UK, nd).
In the 1970's there were 2 million crimes recorded and 3.5 million by 1980, which leads to question did the 'tough on crime' approach work? it appears not as the general public were still engaging in criminal activity and adapting new methods alongside social developments. This time period saw a plethora of strikes, industrial unrest, the rise of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). However, Heath's government increased funding for the police to deter the rise in public disorder and introduced harsher sentences with the expectation that this would deter crime. It is apparent through research in relation to Heath's government, the Conservatives were less concerned about the prevention of crime and prioritised reactive strategies as their focus on crime prevention (UK Parliament, 2025).
The 1990's - 2000's saw the introduction of 'situational and community-based approaches' but how does this compare to the previous decade? The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 was introduced through Tony Blair's tenure which became a momentous policy for the New Labour Government. The primary focus was to implement early intervention for youth offenders, community engagement from the police to build public trust and restrictions such as Anti-Social Behaviours (ASBOs). Section 17 of this Act requires policy decisions in crime reduction to be considered by local authorities. This approach was successful in reducing anti-social behaviour and strengthened the multi-agency working platform. Although, according to Blair (2019) many provisions the Labour government implemented such as ASBOS's, parental orders, family intervention projects and safer schools partnerships have since eroded which is deeply concerning as these provisions were invested in supporting the countries most vulnerable young people as an alternative path away from crime.
2010'S - present has set about the focus on social and public health issues. In 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government introduced the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 which rolled out 'The Community Trigger' - This gives victims and communities the power to demand that persistent anti-social behaviour must be dealt with (GOV.UK, 2015). The coalition government also created the National Crime Agency who's objective is to lead the UK's fight against serious and organised crime. A recent survey conducted by the National Crime Agency concludes that one in five children aged 10-16 are found to engage in illegal activity online. 20% of those engage in behaviours that infringe upon the Computer Misuse Act (National Crime Agency, 2024).
The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 sets out a legal framework which imposes restrictions on individuals accessing dangerous weapons, particularly those who are under the age of 18. It was also introduced new laws on corrosive substances and knife crime. Courts can now issue knife crime prevention orders for those who are at risk of possessing a bladed article in a public place. this order also has the authority to restrict movements, impose interventions and in the event that the order is breached, this could result in the individual receiving a prison sentence. The UK has now banned the sale and possession of certain weapons such as knuckledusters, rapid-firing rifles, zombie knives and throwing stars (GOV.UK, 2022).
That being said, politics and legislation have always come with their criticisms regardless of the good intentions and solutions they promise to provide. I have you have enjoyed this brief overview of politics and legislative introductions over time. I would be interested in seeing what my readers think about political issues surrounding crime prevention. Where do you stand on the political spectrum? Do you think that the government will ever be able to control the current struggles that the prison service face by over population? Will our government bring back more provisions for our at risk youths?
Please feel free to express your opinions in the comments section below.
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Great information very factual, great read off good knowledge
Hello Zoe
Very interesting read, I personally do not think that the interventions have been successful, I am rather older than yourself, society seems to be moving backwards , not forwards. The introduction of social media has had a negative impact on society and would you not say that some people are beyond rehabilitation.
What a great read you obviously know what you are talking about. I personally don’t think the government will ever be about get rid of young crime for some of them there is no where else to turn so they would have you believe.
The prison sever will always face over population because the criminals enjoy being there. They have it too easy my personal opinion so they want to go back instead of dealing with reality or the real world.