Growth of Crime Prevention in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Growth of Crime Prevention in the UK - Essay Example The essay will also discuss some of the key events and conflicts that have led to the development of these policies from the 80s to date. Finally, it shall discuss the limits to crime prevention as a strategy for controlling crime in Britain. The State Welfare Crisis Lea (1997) notes that the 1997 election of the conservative government under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher is significant in the development of the UK’s social policy. After the Second World War ended all the way to the 70s, a consensus was stuck embracing both the Conservative and Labor parties. The two parties came together in thought in what historians refer to the Keynesian Welfare state. The Labour party’s policy was based on the assumption that the economic policy of Keynesian would guarantee citizens full employment and economic growth. This would help in the elimination of poverty as well as associated social problems (Gilling 1997 p.35-66). Secondly, the Labour party campaigned on the ground that if elected to power, it would introduce a substantive system that respects social rights including the right to state education, healthcare, a minimum wage, and better housing. This in turn would ensure a cohesive, homogenous and stable economy. Lea (1997) reveals that around the 1960s, it became apparent that the zones within UK that still experienced high poverty rates, economic backwardness, and increasing rates of small criminal activities were opposed to the incorporation of general affluence. Because of this, they were associated with ‘social pathology’. These areas, which include decaying central city, and older industrial areas were perceived to be in need of strategic and decisive intervention of experts’ social engineering, that includes education, social work and skill training intervention in family pathology as well as at the additional economic resources level among others (Gilling 1997 p.35-66). Under the above spectrum of policies, criminalit y occupied a minor position (Lea, 1997). Lea notes that the rate of crime was relatively low even in places that were underdeveloped. Juvenile delinquency was not given much attention as it was seen as a maturity state from childhood to adulthood (lea, 1997). In this case, the main issue with regard to criminal justice policy between 1950 and 60s were those of penal reform (Gilling 1997 p 45-67). Lea notes that juvenile delinquents were mainly treated based on a strong philosophy that advocated for social reintegration. This was done through welfare, rehabilitation therapy, and special education instead of punishment as prescribed by the judicial system. Towards the end of 1970s, the new strategy developed by Keynesian Welfare State concerned severe political and ideological crisis (Lea 1997). To begin with, it was evident that the strategy had failed to do away with social iniquity and eliminate poverty. When Thatcher government came into power, it laid an elaborate decisive ideolo gy transforming the welfare state from providing ineffective solutions to crime to fighting social injustice by establishing their root causes (Lea 1997). In this case, the philosophy of social collectivism and the welfare state were perceived to undermine the cultural entrepreneurship which had at one time transformed UK to a dynamic society. Under the Thatcher government, the increase in criminal activities and poverty were perceived as the result of dependence on welfare