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Issue Description
55% of the public say that crime is the most important issue facing Britain today. Young people in particular are often blamed for anti-social behaviour and there are growing concerns around issues such as gang membership and knife crime. How does fear of crime affect our communities? What happens to people who are charged with a crime? This books looks at different types of crime and how they can be tackled.
The information comes from a variety of sources, including government reports and statistics, newspapers and magazine articles, surveys and polls, academic research and literature from charities and lobby groups; articles have been tailored to an 11 to 14 age group. Additionally, at the end of each chapter are two pages of activities relating to the articles and issues raised in that chapter.
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Key Facts
- Research shows that our common worries about crime in England and Wales are much less frequent than previously thought. (page 1)
- More than one in six of those aged eight to 17 surveyed by 11 MILLION say they believe knife crime is a problem in their area – and this more than doubles to 36 per cent of young people from London. (page 7)
- Youth courts deal with charges against young people aged 10 to 17. Those aged 10 to 13 are classified as ‘children’, 14- to 17-year-olds as ‘young persons’. Children under the age of 10 are considered by law to be incapable of being guilty of a crime. (page 9)
- Young men aged between 16 and 24 have the highest risk of being a victim of crime – 13%. (page 11)
- England currently has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in Western Europe: it is set at 10 years. In Scotland it is even lower, at eight, but there are plans to raise the age at which someone can be held responsible for a crime in Scotland to 12. (page 12)
- On 22 January 2010, there were 83,151 people in jail in England and Wales. (page 24)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Crime Problem
How afraid are we of crime?, Anti-social behaviour, Gang membership, Gun and knife crime survey, Youth justice, Too young to be a criminal, Activities.
Chapter Two: Tackling Crime
Fighting crime in our communities, Sentencing explained, Community sentencing, Prison sentences 'too soft', More knife crime offenders jailed, Prison - why should I care?, Activities.
