NCJ Number
80445
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1981) Pages: 342-349
Date Published
1981
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Sentences for disorderly conduct at football games in England are compared with sentences for similar conduct in other circumstances to determine if stiffer sentences are given in response to public demand for deterrence measures.
Abstract
Data were obtained from Scotland Yard, Pearl House, and five metropolitan police stations. Information was gathered for 572 offenses committed at football games from 1974 to 1976. These offenses were matched and compared with 2 control samples of cases of disorderly conduct committed during political demonstrations (n=306) and in noncrowd circumstances (n=399). The data were analyzed using the 6.00 version of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences integrated computer programs. The comparison of the football game offenses with the two control samples indicates that persons convicted of disorderly conduct at football games are punished more severely than persons committing similar offenses in other circumstances. The crowd factor does not appear to be involved, since the great majority of offenders arrested in both political and football crowd disturbances were prosecuted under the Public Order Act of 1936. Only in the case of offenders at football games were the heavier fines provided by the Act used. Possible explanations for the disparity in sentencing are that the magistrates deal with a larger number of persons arrested in football crowds, so that the magistrates perceive this problem as requiring more severe penalties for deterrence. Furthermore, magistrates may perceive disorder at football games as being less 'meaningful' than that in political demonstrations. Tabular data and four references are provided.