"The planned introduction of identity cards proves, if further proof be needed, that this government is committed to the crime control model of criminal justice"

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“The planned introduction of identity cards proves, if further proof be needed, that this government is committed to the crime control model of criminal justice”

In every nation the authority and dedication of the government towards doing its work is challenged again and again. As the U.K. government changed its attitude in dealing with crime it was yet again questioned and criticised as change is very hard to accept. But, as the people accepted the change the controversy evolved from transition of a new system to how well the government is functioning on the new system. With the introduction of the I.D. Cards bill in the Queen’s speech on 17th May 2005, the government was again confronted about its dedication to the new rules.

There was a time, when the U.K. government was following the due process model of criminal justice system. Simply put, the due process model says that we are ‘innocent until proven guilty’, that judges are free from political interference, that confessions are not extracted through fear and torture. In one statement it was committed to the fundamental right of a fair trial. With time and need, these fundamental rights slowly disintegrated and what emerged is known as the crime control model. A criminal justice system that is based on a 'crime control' model would not prioritise these features at all, but would instead be concerned with tampering with the accused's right to silence, limiting judge's discretion, increasing police powers, curbing legal aid and abandoning trials by jury. The crime control model if deeply understood has shades of arbitrary rule.

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Firstly, let’s comprehend the state of crime in the U.K. The name a few types of crime which are encountered by the Home Office, the Security Service (MI5), the Police and other agencies are robbery, Alcohol related crime, Burglary, Business related crime, Fraud, Gun crime, Hate crime, Internet Crime Sexual Offences, Vehicle offences, Drug related crime, Youth crime, Violent crime and also Terrorism. This shows that crime is and has been one of the primary issues to be solved by the British Government.

As stated by the figures of Home Office, the risk of becoming a victim of ...

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