AC 1.3 Questions
Describe the Crime Control Model [4]:
The crime control model focuses primarily on the rights of victims as opposed to the rights of offenders.
Individuals who commit crime are perceived to be wholly responsible for their own actions and must be
punished. This model tends to favour draconian and punitive punishments as a deterrence and repressant
against crime. They seek “the repression of criminal behaviour by apprehension, conviction and punishment
of offenders”(Packer 1968). It starts with the presumption of guilt (an individual arrested is responsible) and
trusts the police to identify the factual guilt and have arrested the correct person. The police are free from
legal technicalities which may hinder or prevent them from investigating leading to it alternatively being
known as the conveyor belt model. If they face a lack of evidence to charge the suspect they may ‘enhance’
evidence so long as a conviction is secured (known as noble cause corruption), no matter the cost. They
deem that if a few innocent people are convicted by mistake, it is a price worth paying.
Describe how one model of the criminal justice system could apply to Colin’s case [6]: (In response
to a BRIEF)
We can see how the Crime Control Model applies to Colin’s case. Firstly, we see how the model's
presumption of guilt leads to the police failing to consider an alternative suspect. This then means the sole
focus is on Colin and the possible true offender is left to get away. As their sole focus is on Colin they will
aim to charge him no matter the cost, however, the police are faced with a lack of evidence to charge Colin
successfully. As a result the police go on to bribe the Jury in order to attempt to establish ‘factual guilt’
resulting in an unfair and unjust unanimous verdict (known as noble cause corruption). Lastly, it is
discovered that the judge is related to the victim leading to judicial bias and subsequently a life
imprisonment sentence with a minimum of 70 years. The length of this sentence is reflective of the model's
use of draconian/ harsher punishments for crime. The judge should have declared/ screened to see if they
had any personal association with the case that may hinder their objective judgement, however, as we can
see in Colin’s case this has not occurred and has led to him being wrongfully convicted. We can suggest
that these mistakes partly occurred due to the police’s freedom from legal technicalities that may hinder
them from investigating crime as well as the models absolute trust that the police are wholly correct and
right in their assumptions, investigations and arrests. Despite all the inaccuracies, as far as the model is
concerned it does not matter that Colin may be innocent, so long as they have secured a conviction. They
consider that if a few innocent people are convicted by mistake that it is a price worth paying as we can see
is the case with Colin.
Describe the Crime Control Model [4]:
The crime control model focuses primarily on the rights of victims as opposed to the rights of offenders.
Individuals who commit crime are perceived to be wholly responsible for their own actions and must be
punished. This model tends to favour draconian and punitive punishments as a deterrence and repressant
against crime. They seek “the repression of criminal behaviour by apprehension, conviction and punishment
of offenders”(Packer 1968). It starts with the presumption of guilt (an individual arrested is responsible) and
trusts the police to identify the factual guilt and have arrested the correct person. The police are free from
legal technicalities which may hinder or prevent them from investigating leading to it alternatively being
known as the conveyor belt model. If they face a lack of evidence to charge the suspect they may ‘enhance’
evidence so long as a conviction is secured (known as noble cause corruption), no matter the cost. They
deem that if a few innocent people are convicted by mistake, it is a price worth paying.
Describe how one model of the criminal justice system could apply to Colin’s case [6]: (In response
to a BRIEF)
We can see how the Crime Control Model applies to Colin’s case. Firstly, we see how the model's
presumption of guilt leads to the police failing to consider an alternative suspect. This then means the sole
focus is on Colin and the possible true offender is left to get away. As their sole focus is on Colin they will
aim to charge him no matter the cost, however, the police are faced with a lack of evidence to charge Colin
successfully. As a result the police go on to bribe the Jury in order to attempt to establish ‘factual guilt’
resulting in an unfair and unjust unanimous verdict (known as noble cause corruption). Lastly, it is
discovered that the judge is related to the victim leading to judicial bias and subsequently a life
imprisonment sentence with a minimum of 70 years. The length of this sentence is reflective of the model's
use of draconian/ harsher punishments for crime. The judge should have declared/ screened to see if they
had any personal association with the case that may hinder their objective judgement, however, as we can
see in Colin’s case this has not occurred and has led to him being wrongfully convicted. We can suggest
that these mistakes partly occurred due to the police’s freedom from legal technicalities that may hinder
them from investigating crime as well as the models absolute trust that the police are wholly correct and
right in their assumptions, investigations and arrests. Despite all the inaccuracies, as far as the model is
concerned it does not matter that Colin may be innocent, so long as they have secured a conviction. They
consider that if a few innocent people are convicted by mistake that it is a price worth paying as we can see
is the case with Colin.
