How effectively does society respond to crime?
The ways society and government respond to crime, including the police, the Scottish courts and sentencing, prison and alternatives to custody, and how effective these responses are at reducing reoffending.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on responses to crime, covering the role of the police, the Scottish court and justice system, sentencing, prison and community alternatives to custody, and an evaluation of how effective these responses are at reducing reoffending.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe how society and government respond to crime, explain the role of the police, the courts and sentencing, compare prison with alternatives to custody, and evaluate how effective these responses are at reducing reoffending. This supports -mark "evaluate the effectiveness" essays. Use the distinctive Scottish system, not England and Wales.
The answer
The police and prosecution
The Scottish courts
Prison and sentencing
Scotland operates a presumption against short sentences, meaning courts should not normally impose prison terms of months or less, reflecting the evidence that short custody does little to cut reoffending.
Alternatives to custody
Examples in context
Scotland's presumption against short prison sentences, strengthened to cover terms of months or less, is a direct policy response to evidence that short custody produces high reoffending. Community Payback Orders combine unpaid work that repays the community with supervision and, where needed, drug or alcohol treatment that tackles the cause of offending. Electronic tagging lets offenders keep jobs and family ties while being monitored. Setting these against the cost and reoffending record of prison lets a Higher answer evaluate which response best reduces reoffending, the focus of the highest marks.
Try this
Q1. Describe two alternatives to a prison sentence used in Scotland. [4 marks]
- Cue. Community Payback Orders, electronic tagging, or drug and alcohol treatment orders.
Q2. Evaluate the effectiveness of prison as a response to crime. [12 marks]
- Cue. It punishes and protects the public but is costly, and reoffending after short sentences is high compared with community alternatives.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 202020 marksEvaluate the effectiveness of prison as a response to crime.Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from accurate detail on prison and its alternatives: the aims of sentencing (punishment, public protection, deterrence, rehabilitation), the cost of prison, the presumption against short sentences in Scotland, and community alternatives such as Community Payback Orders and electronic tagging.
Analysis and evaluation marks come from weighing prison's strengths (removes dangerous offenders, punishes) against its weaknesses (high reoffending after short sentences, cost) and comparing it with community alternatives. A sustained judgement is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 202212 marksAnalyse the effectiveness of alternatives to custody in reducing reoffending.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation rather than a list.
KU should cover Community Payback Orders (unpaid work and supervision), electronic tagging, and drug and alcohol treatment orders, plus the Scottish presumption against short prison sentences.
Analysis marks come from explaining why community alternatives can cut reoffending by tackling the causes of crime, while noting they only work if properly funded and enforced. A clear judgement on effectiveness is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)