How does society respond to crime and inequality, and how effective are these responses?
Responses to crime and inequality: how the criminal justice system responds to crime (punishment and rehabilitation) and how government responds to inequality through social policy and the welfare state, and how effective these responses are.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on responses to crime and inequality. Covers how the criminal justice system responds to crime through punishment and rehabilitation, how government responds to inequality through social policy and the welfare state, the punishment versus rehabilitation debate, and how effective these responses are.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain and evaluate how society responds to crime and inequality: the criminal justice response to crime (punishment and rehabilitation), and the government response to inequality through social policy and the welfare state. The key skill is evaluating how effective these responses are, which is where the top marks lie.
The answer
Responses to crime: punishment and rehabilitation
The punishment versus rehabilitation debate
Responses to inequality: social policy and the welfare state
Examples in context
Short prison sentences show the punishment-versus-rehabilitation debate. A short custodial sentence punishes the offender and, briefly, protects the public, satisfying the demand for retribution. Yet reoffending rates after short sentences are high, prison is expensive, and time inside can disrupt work, housing and family ties in ways that make reoffending more likely, so as a way of cutting crime it often fails. A community alternative, such as community payback combined with treatment, aims instead at rehabilitation, is cheaper, and can address the causes of offending, though the public may doubt it is tough enough. The same evaluative logic applies to welfare responses to inequality, which reduce poverty but leave significant inequality and divide opinion. Weighing effectiveness rather than simply describing the response is exactly what earns the top marks.
Try this
Q1. Explain the difference between punishment and rehabilitation as responses to crime. [4 marks]
- Cue. Punishment aims at deterrence, public protection and retribution; rehabilitation aims to change behaviour so offenders do not reoffend.
Q2. Describe two ways government responds to social inequality. [4 marks]
- Cue. The welfare state and benefits, and public health care and education (also the state pension and a minimum or living wage), aiming to reduce poverty and protect life chances.
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 specimen16 marksEvaluate the effectiveness of responses to crime.Show worked answer →
A -mark "evaluate" question. Markers reward strengths and weaknesses weighed and a sustained judgement.
Strong answers explain the aims of responses, punishment (deterrence, protecting the public, retribution) and rehabilitation (changing behaviour to cut reoffending), and the main responses: prison, fines and community alternatives.
Evaluation marks come from judging how well each cuts crime, for example that prison protects the public and punishes but is costly and that reoffending after short sentences is high, while community alternatives aim at rehabilitation but face public doubt. A sustained judgement on the balance of punishment and rehabilitation is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 201912 marksAnalyse government responses to social inequality.Show worked answer →
A -mark "analyse" question. Markers reward developed explanation of the responses and a judgement.
Strong answers explain the welfare state and social policy: benefits, the state pension, a minimum or living wage, public health care and education, which aim to reduce poverty and protect life chances.
Analysis marks come from judging how effective these are, for example that they reduce poverty but that significant inequality remains and critics disagree on whether welfare is too generous or too mean. A clear judgement, linked to the structural versus individualist debate, is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Sociology Course Specification (C868 76) — SQA (2019)