Crime and Punishment / 1900-present
Crime and Punishment: Modern Crime Overview
Reported crime rose in the modern period, but that did not always mean there was far more crime.
What To Remember
- Reported crime rose after 1900, but this partly reflected better reporting and recording rather than only more offending.
- New laws reflected changing attitudes to race, gender, sexuality, drugs, abortion and domestic abuse.
- Technology, travel and challenges to authority created new forms of old crimes, such as cyber fraud, people trafficking and terrorism.
Why reported crime rose
The modern crime graph rose because the system counted crime more effectively.
Telephones made it easier to contact the police, and victims often needed a police report to claim insurance for burglary or theft.
Police also became better trained in dealing with violent and sexual offences, so crimes that once stayed hidden were more likely to be reported.
What counted as crime
The 1960s and 1970s show how society changed the law.
The Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalised homosexuality for men over 21, the Abortion Act 1967 legalised abortion in limited circumstances, and the Race Relations Act 1968 widened protection against racial discrimination.
At the same time, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 made many drugs illegal, so greater freedom in society did not always mean fewer laws.
New methods, old motives
Many modern crimes were not completely new.
Fraud, blackmail and smuggling already existed, but computers, the internet, air travel and container shipping let offenders work faster, further away and on a larger scale.
For GCSE answers, link examples to the themes of technology, travel and authority rather than just listing crimes.
Revision Prompt
Why did reported crime rise in the modern period?