NCJ Number
131902
Journal
Policing and Society Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 115-140
Date Published
1990
Length
26 pages
Annotation
The findings from research on the impact of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) were used to assess the effectiveness of rights provided for suspects in police custody which were intended to counterbalance increased police powers.
Abstract
Attention focuses on the involvement in the detention and questioning process of parents, social workers, and legal advisers; the procedures which regulate the detention and questioning of suspects before charge; and the effectiveness of sanctions and supervision. PACE provides a potentially strong set of safeguards for the rights of suspects, which can limit to some extent the effects of the provided police powers. These safeguards have had some significant, albeit geographically variable, effects, for example, on access to legal advice. Compliance with PACE also is variable in the sense that some of its provisions are complied with in full, some are routinized, and some are overlooked or ignored. There are no substantial grounds for complaints that PACE procedures for the detention and questioning of suspects are interfering improperly with the investigation and detection of crime. 47 references (Author abstract modified)