Anthony Goodman

The Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994.

The article presents information on the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in England, which deals with prison population and other conditions prevalent in the prison. The Criminal Justice Acts in England and Wales traditionally occur every five years or so, and have a rationale, usually the pragmatic response of how to deal with a prison population that grows far beyond the states ability to lock people up, even in desperately overcrowded and insanitary conditions. The 1991 Act was an attempt to link the offender with the current offence before the court and it held out the prospect of increasing community sentences. It also made the court take notice of the offenders ability to pay fines with the intention of decreasing the number of fine defaulters held in prison. The Act was implemented in October 1992 and was immediately attacked by some Magistrates and right wingers as being overly lenient, affecting their ability to send offenders to prison, as they could not take into account all previous criminal convictions.

Social work with drug, alcohol and substance misusers

Introduction The links between social work practice and working with substance-misusing clients The nature and extent of drug taking in the United Kingdom The history, legislative changes and key policy documents involved in the field of substance misuse What is known about drug misusers and drug offenders and the drugs commonly used? Policy changes and substance misuse Developments since the change to a coalition government and the problems of alcohol Professional practice issues and approaches Conclusion

Young victims of street crime in an East London borough

In 2007, seven young people were murdered in London alone, four of them under 16, so there is a pressing need to find out from young people about their experiences and fears in respect of crime as well as their views on how their personal safety can be enhanced. This article discusses the findings of a study of victimisation among young people in an East London borough. Although modest and not necessarily representative, the findings of this study are important because of the relative absence of research into children and young people as victims of crime.