Criminology In The News | The Case of Colin Pitchfork

The name Colin Pitchfork will be familiar to many criminology students studying the WJEC Level 3 Criminology course as many features of this case have been detailed in resources and textbooks, but it is the potential release of Pitchfork that has recently been in the news.

Pitchfork was found guilty of the murders of schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in 1988, following an extensive investigation into the two murders in 1983 and 1985 respectively. Pitchfork was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 30 years, but this was later reduced to 28 years, and he was released on conditional license in September 2021.

However, less than two months after being released, Pitchfork was recalled to prison after breaching his license conditions and a parole board hearing in December 2023 suggested that he should not be eligible for release, but following an appeal, Pitchfork will face a new hearing.

The mother of Dawn Ashworth has expressed outrage at the decision and politicians from different parties have become involved in the decision. A new hearing will be arranged for early in 2024.

Read more about the case from this article in the Guardian (12/2/24) and answer the questions that follow:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk...

The case brings about many elements that students will have studied during unit 3 and unit 4. There are some questions below for you to answer and apply your knowledge to!

1. Which agencies of social control would be responsible for monitoring Pitchfork during the period he was released on conditional license in late 2021?

2. The reversal of the decision to allow Pitchfork a new parole hearing is a feature of which model of crime control?

3. The interventions by prominent politicians, including the Justice Secretary are features of which model of crime control?

4. Which government departments are responsible for the decisions of the parole board?

5. Which aims of punishment might have been responsible for the initial sentence handed down to Pitchfork? How effective was the prison sentence in meeting these aims, giving specific reference to the article?