Dd228_Tma_06

‘Crime control cannot easily be separated from social welfare.’ Explain and illustrate with reference to examples from at least two study units of the module. The idea of separating crime control from social welfare is extremely difficult, they are interwoven to an extent within our society. Crime is a part of society, even if we do not want to accept it exists, so it is inevitable that we must accept that crime control is too. Social welfare is necessary for addressing any inequalities that exist in society, this requires a maintenance of social stability and a level of control aimed at those who would wish to disturb this. There are the obvious entanglements that are involved in dealing with social welfare and crime control; public order offences that are a disruption of people’s lives in society are dealt with by crime control measures, but to address such matters before they become an issue is a matter for social welfare. So it shows that there is a need for a balance and a recognition of where the imaginary line should be drawn of support for members of society that are in desperate need of it to avoid falling into the circle of committing crime after crime and thus being forever labelled as a criminal. Anti social behaviour is just one area where these entanglements are shown; child protection is also an issue that involves crime control and social welfare working in partnership with each other to ensure the protection and safety of children. In Book 1 Social Justice: welfare, crime and society, we were asked to consider two case studies one involving the meat packing industry and the other concerning the service industry. In both cases members of the workforce were working extremely long hours in unsafe conditions which contravened health and safety laws. In the case of the predominantly male meat packing industry it was the easier for the workers to voice there opinions via trade unions in regards to their rights, however the women in the service industry did not have any access to such unions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. This shows how managers and industries have the ability to break the laws, and the women, struggling with long and difficult hours whilst, in many cases working for less than minimum wage, creates a social welfare issue. The women involved in the service industry however, had the informal support of each other to ‘watch each others backs’ but in many cases this would not have been enough. The hours worked were long with few breaks and an unrealistic view on the time scale involved in the cleaning of each room, this led in many cases to accidents and ill health for the women. The men were working in an industry that used heavy machinery and sharp implements, these caused damage to the hands and joints, working in the extreme cold of the refrigeration systems caused rheumatism and shorten the working life of the men. From a social welfare standpoint both sets of employees were undoubtedly being exploited with low pay, poor conditions. The employers were acting irresponsibly in their treatment of the employees and created a crime control issue where they had broken the law by not instigating proper care and health and safety for their employees.