I have completed Unit 1 of the WJEC Criminology course with 98/100 marks which is an A. These are the notes I used for my folder to take in the controlled assessment with me :)
AC 2.1 Compare campaigns for change Unit 1 Changing awareness of crime
Purposes of campaigns for change
There are many campaigns for change, with a range of subjects and aims or
purposes that are desired by people. Many relate to a change in law or policy.
Sarah’s law campaign
In 2000, while she and her family were visiting her grandparents, Sarah Payne,
then aged 8, was abducted and murdered by a man called Roy Whiting.
Whiting had a previous conviction for abducting and sexually assaulting a
young girl. Her mother, Sara Payne, insisted that if she knew someone with
such a previous connection was in the same area, she would never have
consented to her daughter being left to play in the local fields without and
adult being present. In other words, she felt that she was unable to make an
appropriate decision about the care of her daughter because relevant
information was not available. Therefore, Sara started a campaign, based on
the American Megan’s law, seeking requirement for the police to make
information about local sex offenders available to the parent or carer of a child
at risk.
Campaign methods and relevant issues for comparison with other campaigns:
The campaign was for a change in the law to provide a legal right for
parents or carers to formally ask the police if someone with access to a
child has a record for child sexual offences.
Use of the media: The News of the World, a Sunday newspaper at that
time, backed the campaign and launched a petition backing the
campaign and launched a petition backing Sarah’s law. Seven-hundred-
thousand members of the public showed their support by signing it.
This was a controversial campaign, which was opposed by some childcare
agencies. The ‘name and shame’ tactics of the News of the World, when it
printed 100 pictures of the alleged sex offenders, fuelled the opposition. This
vigilante attacks where, for example, in Portsmouth, 300 people attacked the
home of a local taxi driver who had been names by the paper. Also, innocent
people were attacked as they looked like people in the published photographs
and the home of a paediatrician was attacked due to confusion over the word
paedophile.
Petition – A formal written request, typically one signed by many people,
appealing to authority in respect of a particular case.
, AC 2.1 Compare campaigns for change Unit 1 Changing awareness of crime
Vigilante – A person who tries an unofficial way to prevent crime occurring or
to catch and punish a criminal, usually as they believe the police are unable to
do so.
Paedophile – A person with a sexual attraction to children.
This campaign arose from a tragic incident involving the death of an eight-year-
old girl Sarah Payne. Her parents, Sara and Michael, were the main supporters
of the campaign for change, which they helped drive forwards. In particular,
Sara spoke at numerous events such as the Police Federation Conference and
numerous fundraising events that raised the campaign. She was awarded the
MBE in 2008.
The campaign could be deemed a success, as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure
Scheme (CSOD) was piloted in 2008 and rolled across England and Wales in
2011. According to the BBC news (2013) website, in 2013 nearly 5,000
applications seeking disclosure of the sex offenders living in the area had been
made and more than 700 paedophiles had been identified since the
introduction of the Scheme in 2011.
Brexit campaign
The United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community (former name
for the European Union) on January 1st, 1973. This was after two previous
applications for membership had been rejected. Brexit is an abbreviation for
‘British exit’, which refers to the referendum, on June 23 rd, 2016, whereby
British citizens voted to exit the European Union.
Brexit campaign methods and relevant issues for comparison with other
campaigns include:
The Brexit campaign: was for a constitutional change in the membership
of Britain in the European Union, unlike Sarah’s law which sought to
change the freedom of information.
Use of a referendum: to allow democracy to take place. This rare
technique was used to allow the public to speak and make a decision
that would have a major impact on the country and the European Union.
Key characters: Boris Johnson and Michael Grove, two politicians who
were at the forefront of Brexit. Whereas Sarah’s campaign was fronted
by her parents, particularly her mother Sara Payne.
Successful vote outcome: on June 23rd, 2016 the UK voted by a majority
of 52% to 48% to leave the EU.
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