Essay Topics in Criminal Justice: Mass Supervision, Young Offenders, Joint Enterprise Law, Problem-S

Mass Supervision in Criminal Justice

Relevant academic sources must support this work and be referred to in the body of the essay These must be listed in the reference section. Please use the Harvard style of referencing.  

Supervision of offenders in the community is an area of criminal justice that is receiving attention in recent years. Explain what the term ‘mass supervision’ refers to, and the trend over time in the numbers being supervised in the community in England and Wales. Use evidence from research studies that draw attention to the personal experience of those living under supervision. What are these experiences and why should we take note?

There is a growing call in England and Wales for young offenders between the ages of 18 to 24 years to be considered as a distinct group within criminal justice, and for ‘maturity’ or ‘lack of maturity’ to be taken into account in prosecution and sentencing decisions. Make reference to relevant literature to explain the reasons why this call has come about.

Explain what ‘joint enterprise’ (JE) law is, the trend over time in joint enterprise prosecutions and convictions, and the main problems that are raised in regard to the growing use of joint enterprise. Make reference to relevant literature.

Explain the arguments in favour of problem-solving court approaches being implemented with offenders who have health-related problems such as drugs and/or alcohol dependency that are a key cause of their offending activity. Include an explanation of the defining features of problem-solving courts, and what is the most valued aspect of this approach.

Discussions on sentencing refer to the ‘differential impact’ of punishment and how some people experience imprisonment more severely than others. Here women are referred to, but in particular women with children. Provide some background details on women in prison and make reference to the way ‘motherhood’ has been added to sentencing guidelines as a mitigating factor against sending women to prison.

There are frequent criticisms directed at the magistracy and judiciary for coming from privileged social class backgrounds and that they are not diverse enough in terms of gender, younger age and ethnicity. Provide evidence from the judicial statistics data to illustrate the profile of currently serving magistrates and judges. Discuss the reasons why a broader cross-section should be recruited.

Pre-trial detention or being remanded in custody to await trial raises a number of criticisms. Describe the general trend in pre-trial detention and the reasons people are detained at this point, but incorporate a discussion of the criticisms. Include references to the size of the remand prisoner population in England and Wales.

Traffic offences are by far the most common criminal offence recorded and traffic courts process multiple cases per year in court and through online digital methods. Provide an overview of the different traffic-related offences and the associated penalties including reference to death by dangerous in England and Wales. Include an explanation of Corbett’s article on the Social Construction of Speeding as Not ‘Real’ Crime.