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特殊类型罪犯矫治

特殊类型罪犯矫治. (英文). Nnit 1 Crime Prevention And Reductiong. Unit Summary: 1) Human prevention 2) Technical prevention 3) Eliminnation of stolen property receivers. Part 1 Warming up. Crime Survey

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特殊类型罪犯矫治

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  1. 特殊类型罪犯矫治 (英文)

  2. Nnit 1 Crime Prevention And Reductiong Unit Summary: • 1) Human prevention • 2) Technical prevention • 3) Eliminnation of stolen property receivers

  3. Part 1 Warming up Crime Survey The following questions refer only to things thathappened to You or Your partner during the last six year. You Your partner 1.Did you have your (pocket picked/purse snatched)? 2.Did anyone take something(else) directly from you you by using force,such as a stickup,mugging or threat? 3.What kind of crimes mostly disturb you and your family members? 4.Was anything stolen from you while you were away from home,for instance, at home, in a theatre, or rest- aurant, or while traveling?

  4. Part 1 Warming up 5.Have you ever had your bike stolen? 6.Did you find any evidence that someone attemp- ted to steal something that belonged to you?(oth- er than any incidents already mentioned) 7.Did you call the police during the last six years to report something that happened do you which you thought was a crime? 8.Did any of your family members become a vic- tim of a certain crime?

  5. Part 2 Reading Comprehension New Perspective On The Larceny In 1999 there were over two million reported burglaries, nearly s- even million larcenies and over one million motor vehicle thefts in the united states. The estimated total dollar value of the loss was ne- arly $15 billion. Thieves steal the property not to possess it but to convert it into something of value, like cash or drugs. The disposal of this stolen property is a major hurdle that must be overcome by the thief. Fifteen billion dollars of stolen property ends up in circulation;in the hands of a generally law abiding public. A public that is unawa- re it is supporting and enabling criminal activity; a public that can- not pass up a good deal and unaware it is committing a crime; a

  6. public that buys from what appear to be legitimate businesses. The traditional police response to property crime is reactive. A Police unit may respond to the scene, take a report and conduct a preliminary investigation. The sheer number of offenses usually far exceeds the capability if most departments’resourse, preclud- ing a detailed investigation. Secondly, these crimes are usually committed in the absence of witnesses and are among the most difficult to close. On the continuum of severity, these property crimes fall low Priority. So, as long as the police response continues to be reacti- ve, it well always be padding up stream. This reactive approach by its very nature is a major limitation.

  7. The alternative is a proactive police approach to property crime, targeting the demand side of the stolen property markets instead of the reactive supply side. This approach increases the thieves’ Major hurdle of disposal and conversion of stolen property. A symbiotic relationship exists between the thief and receivers of stolen property. Thieves cannot survive without receivers of st- olen property. The ability of the thief to market stolen property determines success of his criminal activities. In the absence of so- meone to purchase or convert stolen property, the criminal act of stealing becomes a useless endeavor. The receivers of stolen pro- perty fill the thief’s need. Law enforcement has neglected the powerful and intimate rela-

  8. tionship between the thief and those who sell stolen property. Police have paid more attention to arresting the thieves than inve- stigating and prosecuting those who receive stolen property. This is not a new phenonmenon. The role of receivers in prop- erty crime was recognized in the late 18th century by Patrick Col- quhoun in his book A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis in 1795.He wrote “Nothing …can be more just than the old observa- tion, that if there were no receiver there would be no thieves… Deprive a thief of a saft and ready market for his good and he is undone.”

  9. New words 1.perspective n. 观点,透视 2.larceny n.非法侵占他人财产;偷盗罪 3.hurdle n.障碍 4.pass up 放过 5.legitimate adj.合法的 6.preliminary adj.预备的;初步的 7.sheer adj.绝对的;纯粹的 8.preclude vt. 排除 9.continuum n.统一体 10.paddle vi.涉水 11.proactive adj.积极置前的 12.symbiotic adj.相互共存的 13.market vt.在市场上销售

  10. Exerciseread the test and select the best answers. 1.The estimated total dollar value of the loss was nearly $15 billion, which is mainly caused by . • burgaries b. larcenies • The theft of motor vehicle d. property-related crimes 2.It can be safely reasoned that the ordinary citizens’unconscious purchase of the stolen property most probably will lead to one day. a.The victimization of themselves. b.The reduction of burglaries in the neighborhood. c.The satisfaction of criminal financial desir, so that they may stop their activities. d.The police’s difficulty in creaking down these cases.

  11. Unit 2 New Technology in Low Enforement Unit Summary: • 1) Some police gear • 2) Fingerprint technology • 3) Polygarph

  12. Part 1 warming up Policing Technology Survey You Your partner 1.Do you know about the use of the GPS law en- focement? 2.Do you know about the DNA test in criminal in- vestigation? 3.Do you know about the bugs used by the derec- tive? 4.What’s APIS used by traffic policemen? 5.Do you know about the use of metal detectors or scanners?

  13. 6.Do you know about the cameras in the crime prevention and traffic violations? 7.Do you know about the night vision devices used by policemen on night shifts? 8.Do you know about the use of bio-sensors?

  14. Part 2 Reading Comprehension New Fingerprint Technology Fringerprint technology has developed more in its pasr 15 years than it did in the first 100 years. Advancement in technology have led to new capabilities allowing investigations to pull prints from su- rfaces that used to be very difficult or ever impossible. The key points to any of the following systems include accuracy, reliability, ease of use, open system design (compatibility to various Computer platforms), easy serviceability and expandability. There are several innovative products —IBIS, TENPRINTER, Fi- ngePrinter CMS, faceit and BNP —that are providing law enforce- Ment with shape future investigation and crime prevention method- ology.

  15. The product with the greatest potential to impact officers in the short-term is IBIS, a revolutionary moblie identification system that captures forensic quality fingerprints and photographs. TENPRINTER and FingerPrinter CMS are live scan systems, which capture fingerpri- nt images without the use of ink. Law enforcement, government agenc- ies, airport, banks and ather commercial institution using these systems. FaceIt is a widely deployed facial recognition software that allows computers to rapidly and accurately detect and recognize faces. Its uses include ID veridication, surveillance, information security and banking. BNP incorporates FaceIt technology for implementation over large- scale netword and real-time identification. IBIS is a handheld portable device known as a remote data terminal

  16. (RDT), which captures data(including photographs), forensic-quality fingerprint images and magnetic stripe data. The data id transmitted wirelessly to a laptop in a squad car and to the central IBIS server via the police radio communication system or cellular communications. At the IBIS server ,the data is processed and transferred to one or mo- re AFIS databases. If a fingerprint match exists, identification imfor- mation is transferred back to the RDT. If there is no match, the fing- erprint and photo files are discarded from the system. Fingerprint scanning capability while officers are on patrol is highly desirable, but dependable technology is just coming around. A report released by a group of experts after the first week of op- eration indicated IBIS was used 173 times in test and operational sce- narios, returning 71 matches, including four individuals who gave

  17. false imformation to officers, against the Automated Fingerprint iden- tIfication System(AFIS). The experts confirmed the imformation to returned by IBIS and identified ourstanding warrants against the indi- viduals. Additionally, IBIS successfully identified a body found in an apparent suicide of an indicidual who had a prior criminal recoed. The future application of these technologies will keep law enfore- ment current in a technology-driven world that is rapidly changing on all fronts.

  18. New Words • compatibility n.适用性 • serviceability n.操作性 • expandability n.兼容性 • methodology n.方法 • forensic adj.法医的 • scan vt/vi.扫描 • deploy vt/vi.布置 • verification n.核实 • magnetic stripe 磁条 • laptop n.手提电脑 • squad car 警车 • cellular adj.蜂窝状的 • server n.服务器

  19. Exercise please decide whether the following are ture or false according to the text. ( ) 1. Fingerprint technology advanced much more slowly in the past one hundred years than it has in the recent fifteen years. ( ) 2. These innovative devices will play an important role in the inv- esitigation and preventive work. ( ) 3. FaceIt will be most effective of all the products. ( ) 4. IBIS will be most widely used whether in law enforcement or financial businesses. ( ) 5. FaceIt and other innovative products have been applied widely in the American Law enforcement. ( ) 6.The successful matching rate done by IBIS is 41%. ( ) 7.To the cirme scene investigation, FaceIt is more useful because they can save much time in taking the fingerprints they police depart- ment to match.

  20. Unit 3 Foreign Prisoner Pre-reading Questions • 1) What is the definition of foreign prisoner? • 2) what are the difficulties foreign prisoners usually face? How can prisons help them to deal with these problems?

  21. Unit 3 Foreign Prisoner Reading Comprehension Foreign prtisoner The term “foreign prisoner” has many shades of meaning.Generally speaking, it means a prisoner who has a foreigon nationality, but some times it includes “foreign-boen prisoner” or “foreign detainee”. Every nation has among its prisoners a number who are citizens of foreign countries, and the available evidence suggests that the number of for- eign prisoners seems to be on the increase. The nation that propably has the highest proportion of foreigners in its prisons is Malaysia, for whom the national report indicates that 21 per cent of the total(6,118 out of 28,891) were foreigners. There are a number of possible categ- ories of foregin prisoners, drug-related crimes are shooting up. The characteristics of crime may be classified by nationality. In Japan,

  22. larceny is the most prevalent offenses committed by foreigners. In Sri Lanka, there are many foreigners committing child abuse. As for thai- land,a lot of foreign prisoners have committed drug-related crimes mostly drug trafficking. Being in custody in a foreigne land with different languages, one will certainly have a lot of difficulties in adapting himself/herself.the stress, anxiety, and frustration are compounded by the fact that comm- unicaion is minimal. Foreign prisoners have disadvantages in commu- nication with prison officers. They cannot easily understand prison regulations and the instructions of officers. Gradually, some foreign prisoners come to feel estanged and reflect their problems by filing Objections to various authorities expressing negative reports on prison

  23. administrations. On entering an institution, it is important that all rele- vant information is made available to the inmates. Rules and regula- tions, prepared in the languages of the prisoners will be of assistance to better communication. The need for cultural awareness is another countermeasure that can alleviate unnecessary stess caused by lack of understanding. Unlike local prisoners, there are other obstacles concerning foreign prisoners. Firsr, foreign prisoners have different life styles in term of culture, food, and religion. For effective treatment of foreign prisoners, some specific facilities and acticities have to be provided to satisfy the need of health care, religious practice and food restriction. Second, it is difficult to obtain information about the foreign prisoners because criminal justice agencies of different countries do not share infor- mation on a regular basis. Lack of information may lead to an

  24. Underestimation of risks, such as the possibility of escape. In this reg- ard, the treatment of foreign prisoners can not be handle in an effecti- ve way. It is important for the prison officer to gei sufficient informa- tion, so that proper custodial measurements and/or rehabilitative pro- grams can be arranged. Third, foreign prisoners may lack legal infor- mation and have no access to legal aid. Most foreign prisoners receive no visits from their family ot telatives and have no contact from the outside world. They basically have to depend upon their diplomatic representative. Assistance extended by embassies is valuable because it comes from the prisoner’s compatriots and it makes a linkage of the Foreign prisoners with their respective countries. Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Recognizes that a foreign detainee has Individual rights, including the right to imformation regarding consular

  25. assistance. Prison officers should seek cooperation with embassiws of foreign prisoners. The contact with embassies can also lead to soomth implementation of deportation or transfer of foreign prisoners. It is quite obvious that all countries need to review their policies and procedures as it relates to the treatment of foreign offenders. The special circumstances of foreigners place them in the category of vulnerable prisoners. The specific problems encountered by these pri- soners may vary depending on their indicidual circumastances. If the prison does not take good care of this problem, the prisoners may suf- fer from serious loss in their mental/physical health. With respect to care, specific consideration should be given to the different needs of foreign prisoners.

  26. New Words • shade n.细微差别 • courier n.走私者 • larceny n.盗窃罪 • estranged adj.疏远的,不和的 • countermeasure n.对策,反措施 • obstacle n.障碍,妨害物 • extend vt.给予,提供 • compatriot n.同国人,同胞 • consular adj.领事的 • detainee n.被拘留者 • deportation n.驱逐,驱逐出境 • vulnerable adj.易受攻击的

  27. ExerciseContent Awareness.Questions about the Text 1.Which country has the highest proportion of foreign prisoners in the prison? 2.In sri lanka, what is the most prevalent offence committed by foreign prisoners? 3.Why is it difficult for foreign prisoners ro adapt themselves to the enviroment? 4.How will foreign prisoners reflect their problems if they feel estranged? 5.Why is it difficult to obtain information concerning the foreign prisoners? 6.Why couldn’t most prison officers get sufficient imformation? 7.According to 36 of the Vienna Conventing on Consular Relations, what kind of right does a foreign detainee enjor?

  28. Unit 4 Extradition Extradition The problems of crimes affect the public security and the economic stability of the country. With the technological develoment, vatious crimes such as economid crmes,computer crimes and drug trafficking start to move across the boundaries of two or more countrise. There is strong evidence that transnational crime has become more prevlant and serious today than ever before. The growth and expansion of transnat- ional crimes stimulate many authorities to improve and implement the meansure at international levels with the main purpose of punishing the alleged offenderd in order to strengthen and lubricate the criminal just- ice system. Extradition and bilateral agreements on mutual legal assist- ance in criminal matters are considered valuable tools in the fight agai- nst transnational crimes.

  29. Generally,extradition treaties provide that a state is obligated to ex- tradite persons to another state when the other state shows that the person is sought for trial for a crime allegedly committed within the jurisdiction of that state or for punishment for a crime committed in that state after conviction and flight from that state. Historically, the practice of extradition has existed for over 3,000 years. During this period, treaties and customs slowly formalized the extradition process and placed limitations on the power of the sovereign. In 1990, the Un- ited Nations elaborated the Model Treaty on Extradition, which foll- ows a standard format of modern exreadition law and practice. The parties would agree to extradite to each other, upon request, and subj- ect to the terms of the treaty, a person who is wanted in the requesting state for prosecution for an extradition offence or for the imposition or

  30. enforcement of a sentence in respect of such an offence. Extradition is appropriate only when formal charges have been is- sued against the fugitive. Extradition is a criminal matter and not app- ropriate for obtaining or enforcing a civil judgment. Countries that are signatories to multilateral treaties are bound to honor the extradit- ion of those agreements. Extradition treaties generally contain certain commen features. It is generally recognized that the principle of reci- procity underlines the whole structure of extradition. Extradition sh- ows that where general extradition relationd are governed by a tready, either bilateral or multilateral, reciprocity may be guaranteed. Double criminality is a very important prinpciple in extradition law. It requsts that an act shall not be extraditable unless it constitutes a crime under the laws of both the requesting and the requested state. In many

  31. countries, the inerpretation of double criminality is not strictly adhered to in order to provide mutual assisrance in crimial matters as much as possible. The rule of speciality is a principle embodied in the extraditi- on rules. It implies that the fugitive shall only be tried in the requesting state for those offences for which surrendered. This exception protect the individual against peosecution on additional charges by receiving immunity through the extradition law. The political offense exception is a very sensitive issue, in that what is considered purely political off- enses and what is left to the parties concerned for interpretation needs careful examination. Faced with terriorist acts against civilian popula- tions, albeit for political ends, government have begun considering nar- owing the political offense exception. The differences in legal system as they relate to captital punishment vary according to religions,cultural

  32. political and other concerns. Most bilateral and multilated treaties in extradition deny surrending trhe offender if the offence for which Extradition is requested is punishable bu death under the law of reque- sting state, unless the aythority of that state guarantees that the death penalty will not be imposed.

  33. New Words • extradition n.(根据条约或法令对逃犯等)引渡 • exradite vt.引渡(逃犯、囚犯等) • extraditable adj.(逃犯、囚犯等)可引渡的 • alleged adj.有嫌疑的 • lubricate vt.作出某事以使行动等顺利进展 • bilateral adj. 双边的 • obligated vt.使负义务 • flight n.逃亡、逃走 • formalize vt.使正式 • elaborate vt.详细阐述 • imposition n.强迫接受 • prosecution n.起诉 • fugitive n.逃亡者,亡命者

  34. Exercises 1.Historically, the pratice of extradition has existed for over years. A)1,000 B)2,000 C)3,000 D)4,000 2.Extradition is a(n) matter. • civil B)crimial C)executive D)administration 3.It is generally recognized that underlines the whole structure of extradition. A)double criminality B)the rule of speciailty C)the political offence exception D)the principle of reciprocity 4.The Internation Community’s concern is to make progress in Crime. A)putting down B)putting aside C)putting across D)putting away

  35. Unit 5 Justifying Punishment Justifying Punishment In chapter 1 we argued that the most crucial factor in the current mal- aise in the penal system is the ‘crisis of legitimacy’. A social institu- tion is ‘legitimate’ if it is perceived morally justified; the problem wi- th the penal system is that this perception is lacking and many people inside and outside the system believe that it is morally indefenside, or at least defective. We need to investigate whether such moral percept- ions are accurate, if only to know what should be done about them. If they are inaccurate, then the obvious strategy would be to try to recti- fy the percetions, by persuading people that the system is not unjust after all. But if the perceived injustices are real, then it is those injust- ces which should be rectidied. This chapter accordingly deals with the moral philosophy of punnishment and attempts to relate the philo-

  36. sophy of punnishment and attempts to relate the philosophical issue to the reality of penal systems such as that of England and Wales today. The basic moral question about punnishment is an age-old one : ‘what justifies the infliction of punishment on people?’ punishing peo- ple certainly needs a justification, since it is almost always something which is harmful, painful or unpleasant to the recipient. The two most frequently cited justifications for punishment are retribution, and what we call redutivism(following Walker,1972). Retributiviam justifies punnishment on the ground that it is deserved by the offender; reductivism justifies punishment on the ground that it helps to reduce the incidence of crime. Reductivism is a forward-looking(or’consequentialist’) theory:it seeks to justify punishment by its alleged future consequences. If

  37. punnishment is inflicted, it is claimed, the incidence of crime will be less than it would be if no penalty were imposed. How is it claimed that punishment reduces crime? There are several alleged mechanisms of reduction, which we shall discuss in turn. Deterrence Essentially, deterrence is the simple idea that the incidence of crime is reduced because of people’s fear or apprehension of the punishm- ent they may receive if they offend- that, in the words of Home Sec- retary Michael Howard addressing the Conservative Party conference in 1993, ‘Prison works… it makes many who are tempted to commit crime twice’.(More recently, Consercative leader William Hague also endorsed deterrence theory in calling for a criminal justice system that’ scares the hell out of criminals’-The Guardian ,19 May 2000.)

  38. there are two kinds of deterrence, known as ‘individual’ and ‘general’ deterrence. Individual deterrence occurs when someone commits a crime, is Punished for it, and finds the punishment so unpleasant or frightening that the offence is never repeated for fear of more of the same treat- ment, or worse. This research evidence seems contrary to common sense, but such findings are not as incomprehenside as they look at first sight. They do not show that punishment has no deterrent effect on offenders, or that no offender is ever deterred. So the nation of individual deterrence seems to be of little value in justifying our penal practices. But there is another, perhaps more prom- ising category of deterrent effect: general deterrent.

  39. Now, there can be little doubt that the existence of a system of puni- shmemt has some general deterrent effect. When, during the Second World War, the German occupiers deported the entire Danish police force for several months, recorded rates of theft and robbery (though not of sexual offences) rose spectaculary (Christiansen, 1975; Bey- lebeld,1980:159). This dose not mean that deterrence never works, but it dose mean that its effects are limited and easy to overestimate. There are several reasons for this. There truths were officially recognized by the Conservative govern- ment in 1990, before Mr Howard’s announcement that’prison works’. All of this suggests that, while general deterrence might form the basis of a plausible general justification for having a system of punish-

  40. ment, it is more difficult to atgure that the amount of punishment imp- osed by our system is justifiable by deterrent considerations. A utilitarian deterrence theorist ought to conclude from this that the English penal system is an immoral one. Jeremy bentham (1970:179) himself propounded the principle of ‘frugality’ (or ‘parsimony’),which states that punishments should be no more severe than they need to be produce a utilitarian quantity of deterrence.

  41. Unit 6 Prisons and the Penal Crisis Prisons and the Penal Crisis Of all the punishments inflicted within the English penal system, imp- risonment is both the most important and the most problematic in term of its impact on the rest of the system. Other penalties may be impos- ed with greater frequency, but imprisonment can still justifiably be described as the dominant method of punishment whinth the English penal system. This is not just because it is the severest penalty availale. In part it is because the courts have traditionally been prepared for a invoke this supposed’sanction of last resort’ as a routine penalty for a wide range of not-so-serious,noncviolent property offences. Yet custody is by far the most expensive of all penal measures: in the financial year 1997-8 the estimated monthly cost of keeping a

  42. prison was £2,070, which is approximately 11 times the cost of a one- month’s probation supervision(£183) and 15 times as expensive as a month’s community service supervision(Home Office,1990:73). The functions and aims of imprisonment The social functions of imprisonment Historicall, the birth of the modern prison was part of a much broader movement in which ‘institutions’ of various kinds came to be adpoted as the solution to a wide range of social problems. The start of this ‘great confinement’(foucault,1967:cn.2) can be traced back to the 1600s, though the repacement of physical suffering by imprisonment as the dominant form of punishment(a process that foucault drcscibed as the ‘great transformation’)did not take place until the end of the ei- ghteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries. This coincided

  43. with the emergence of industrial capitalism as the dominant mode of prodution in all the large European countries. In Chapter 3 we discussed some of the sociological explanations which have been but forword for the rise of the prison. An interesting radical explanation for the continued existence of the prison has been put forward by Norwegian penologist Thomas Mathiesen(1974,1990, 2000). The second he calls ‘the power-draining function’, since those who are contained in this way are not only prevented from interfering with the normal processes of production but are also denied the oppo- rtunity to exercise responsibility, since the institution in which they are contained is designed to function on the basis of mininal pratical contributions from the prisoners themselves.

  44. This is closely related to a fourth function, the ‘diverting function’ of imprisonment. Here Mathiesen draws attention to the fact that the commission of socially harmful acts is by no means the prerogative of one particular section of society. Perhaps, however, imprisonment is not so functional to modern capitalism as Mathiesen suggests, for there is also a heavy price to be paid, not only in terms of resources and human suffering, but also in managing the increasing tensions that are associated with steadily wo- rsening penal crisis – as we shall see. Official aims of imprisonment At an official level, a rather diffenent set of ideas- or ideologies- has sought over the years to justify(or legitimate) the English prison syst- em. The fact that these ideologies have largely failed to convince even those working within the Prison Sevice is largely to blame for the

  45. crisis of legitimacy in which it now finds itself. Changing ideas about the official aims of imprisonment at the time were summarized in the report of the Committee of Inquiry into the United Kingdom Prison Services which reported in 1979under the Chairmanship of Lord Justice May(1979). The ascendancy of the treatment ethic was soon to be undermined by the collapse of the rehabilitative ideal in the 1970s, however(see Chapters 1 and 2). The problem confronting the Committee stemmed from its convi ction that no alternative philosophy commanding wide public support had taken the place of the treatment model. In 1988 the Prison Department adopted a ‘Statement of Purpose’ which read as follows:

  46. Her majesty’s prison service serves the public by keeping in custoday those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and to help them to lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and on release. This statement of purpose has since been revised, and the official role of the prison service is currently expressed in home office aim 4, which refers to the: ‘effective execution of the sentence of the courts as to reduce reoffending and peotect the poblic’. In support of this General aim, the prison service has the folloeing two more specific Objective: 1.To protect the public by holding those committed by the courts in a safe, decent and healthy environment; 2.To reduce crime by providing constructive regimes which address

  47. offending behaviour, improve educational and work skills and promote law-abiding behaviour in costody and after release. In addition, the Prison Service has, with the agreement of ministers, set out thirteen Key Performance Indicator(KPIs) which identify a number of targets and provide a set of self-imposed measures by which Its performance can be measured.

  48. Unit 7 Young Offenders: SystemsManagement or System Disaster? Young Offenders: SystemsManagement or System Disaster? There is a curious ambivalence in what durkheim(see chapter3) would have called our ‘young thug’ is a perennial focus for fear, hatred and periodic ‘moral panics’(pearson,1983; cohen,1980), and this sometimes leads to particularly punitive measures being Devised for young offenders. Examples include the ‘short,sharp shock ’ detention centre in 1980 and the ‘boot camp’ in the 1990s. On the other hand, our attitudes towards’children in trouble’can also be infected with the sentimentality evoked by children gener- ally in our culture, which can lead to less punitive measures being countenanced for them. Perhaps because of this ambivalence, the

  49. history of the penal treatment of young offenders has been especially chequered and contradictory. Experience in England and Wales in the last few decades shows this particularly well. An act of parliament(the Children and young Persons act 1969)which was intended to create a radically new and more lenient system for dealing with juvenile offenders led paradox- ically, to a massive increase in the incarceration of young people in the 1970s. In the 1980s, despite an apparently discouraging political climate, developments in juvenile justice were hailed as highly succ- essful in reducing the custody rate for young people and as showing the way forward for more general reform of the criminal justice sys- tem. But these approaches to youthful offending were in turn to fall out of favour with the government in the 1990s as the pendulum

  50. swung against the young offender once more. Currently, the trend to- wards harsher treatment for youthful offenders is still under way; but at the same time there are some developments pointing in a more hu- mance direction. Young people and crime There hardly seems to have been a trime, at least since the eatly ninet- eenth century, when the criminal activity of young people has not Been a cause of major pulic concern. We seem to be repeatedly told, not least by the media, that crime among young people is a serious and ever-worsening problem,often in contrast to a previous golden age (typically located 20 years in the past) when youth posed no great threat to public order and safety. If we check the historival record, however, we find that at the time of the supposed golden age people

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