Criminology AC1.1 Notes
Moral Crime
- Definition: A criminal act that goes against society’s
standards of morality.
- Victim/Offender: Often, the victim is the same individual as
the offender. This is because the act itself is typically harmful
to the offender, e.g. prostitution, underage drinking,
vagrancy, illegal drug use.
- Public awareness: Low as witnesses may sympathise with the
offender or the act is committed in secrecy.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, moral crimes are deviant as they
tend to violate societies expected norms.
- Case Study: Diane Pretty suffered from motor neurone
disease [MND]. She wanted to die in her own manner with her
husband's aid, and pleaded to the house of lords for her
husband not to be prosecuted in helping her die. They
refused, and she also went to the European court of human
rights who also stated that the right of life does not include
the right to die.
State Crime
- Definition: A criminal act which directly violates the state's
laws. Typically, it can breach international law, including
crimes that are abusive towards human rights, such as acts
of genocide, war crimes, and mass-killings.
- Likely Victims: Likely victims are typically civilians in conflict
zones, or vulnerable/at risk groups and minorities. This is
due to some governments potentially viewing them as
inferior or expendable.
- Likely Offenders: State/Government officials such as those in
the military, civil servants and those in the police force.
, - Criminal or Deviant: Both, state crimes are deviant as well as
criminal as they violate human rights, which is clearly
deemed as unacceptable in society.
- Public Awareness: Quite low due to the states’ power of being
able to hide and conceal their acts away from the public eye.
- Case Study: Radovan Karadzic was a former president of
Republika Srpska who had leadership during the Bosnian
war. He was found guilty of several state crimes, including war
crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity. Within
his crimes, he was guilty of killing over 7,500 Bosnian Muslim
men and boys. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
White Collar Crime
- Definition: A crime that is typically financially motivated, and
typically committed by an individual of high social status or
respectability. This includes business owners and
government professionals.
- Likely Victims: Typically victims lack financial knowledge or
have vulnerable qualities such as old age and lower intellect.
Victims can also be employees within companies who are
faced with bribes.
- Likely Offenders: Likely offenders are typically wealthy,
upper-class businessmen with motivation for financial gain.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, W.C.C offenders typically target
vulnerable individuals which is immoral and cruel and
violates social norms.
- Public Awareness: Medium, white collar crimes are often
difficult for the public to understand, yet with high profile
scandals, such as Bernie Madoff's, it is steadily increasing.
- Case Study: Bernie Madoff was responsible for carrying out
history's largest Ponzi scheme, responsible for defrauding
investors of $65 billion. He paid old investors with the funds
, generated by new ones, creating a cycle. His scheme
collapsed in 2008 as the market dropped, causing too many
investors to pull funds. He was turned in by his own sons
after confessing to them. For his crimes, he was sentenced to
150 years in prison.
Hate Crime
- Definition: A crime committed that is motivated through
prejudicial views, specifically towards those with protected
characteristics such as an individual's sexual orientation,
age, religion, race etc.
- Likely Victims: Typically, victims of a hate crime are people
who possess protected characteristics.
- Likely Offenders: Typically, offenders are those who hold
prejudicial or hateful views to those with protected
characteristics.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both as hate crimes go against societal
norms and expectations.
- Public Awareness: Relatively low, despite numerous
campaigns and media spotlight, perception of hate crime
remains low and often goes unreported.
- Case Study: A case study example for hate crime would be 18
year old Michael Causer. He was beaten to death in 2008 at a
house party in an unprovoked, homophobic attack. His case
gained attention nation-wide. In response to his death, the
Michael Causer Foundation, which helps young LGBTQ+
members of the region was set up.
Technological Crime
- Definition: An offence committed using a computer or
another piece of technology, such as hacking, cyberstalking,
phishing and fraud.
, - Likely Victims: Individuals of old age typically fall victim to
technological crime as they are the most vulnerable.
- Likely Offenders: Offenders come in a broad range, from any
individual with a device, to highly experienced hackers or
individuals experienced with technology.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, technological crimes take
advantage of vulnerable people which is socially
unacceptable and therefore deviant as well as criminal.
- Public awareness: Low, despite media coverage and
high-profile breaches, technology is rapidly involving and is
hard to keep up with. For example, deepfaking came out of
nowhere and is getting harder to tell whether a piece of
media is legitimate or not.
- Case Study: British tabloid “News of the World’’ hacked into
Millie Dowler’s phone after her murder in 2002, intercepting
voicemails that gave her parents false hope and intervened
with police investigations. This came to a head in July of 2011,
leading to the tabloid's closure.
Domestic Abuse/Violence
- Definition: A criminal act where a partner, ex-partner, family
member or carer has incidences of repetitive or one off
patterns of abusive or threatening behaviour. This can range
from assault, sexual violence, stalking and degrading or
violent behaviours.
- Likely Victims: Victims are typically female ( 93% of cases are
female) & young individuals.
- Likely Offenders: Offenders are usually men (94.4% of
perpetrators were male 2022-2023), and related to the victim.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, domestic abuse directly violates
the victims human rights and also goes against societal
norms.
Moral Crime
- Definition: A criminal act that goes against society’s
standards of morality.
- Victim/Offender: Often, the victim is the same individual as
the offender. This is because the act itself is typically harmful
to the offender, e.g. prostitution, underage drinking,
vagrancy, illegal drug use.
- Public awareness: Low as witnesses may sympathise with the
offender or the act is committed in secrecy.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, moral crimes are deviant as they
tend to violate societies expected norms.
- Case Study: Diane Pretty suffered from motor neurone
disease [MND]. She wanted to die in her own manner with her
husband's aid, and pleaded to the house of lords for her
husband not to be prosecuted in helping her die. They
refused, and she also went to the European court of human
rights who also stated that the right of life does not include
the right to die.
State Crime
- Definition: A criminal act which directly violates the state's
laws. Typically, it can breach international law, including
crimes that are abusive towards human rights, such as acts
of genocide, war crimes, and mass-killings.
- Likely Victims: Likely victims are typically civilians in conflict
zones, or vulnerable/at risk groups and minorities. This is
due to some governments potentially viewing them as
inferior or expendable.
- Likely Offenders: State/Government officials such as those in
the military, civil servants and those in the police force.
, - Criminal or Deviant: Both, state crimes are deviant as well as
criminal as they violate human rights, which is clearly
deemed as unacceptable in society.
- Public Awareness: Quite low due to the states’ power of being
able to hide and conceal their acts away from the public eye.
- Case Study: Radovan Karadzic was a former president of
Republika Srpska who had leadership during the Bosnian
war. He was found guilty of several state crimes, including war
crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity. Within
his crimes, he was guilty of killing over 7,500 Bosnian Muslim
men and boys. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
White Collar Crime
- Definition: A crime that is typically financially motivated, and
typically committed by an individual of high social status or
respectability. This includes business owners and
government professionals.
- Likely Victims: Typically victims lack financial knowledge or
have vulnerable qualities such as old age and lower intellect.
Victims can also be employees within companies who are
faced with bribes.
- Likely Offenders: Likely offenders are typically wealthy,
upper-class businessmen with motivation for financial gain.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, W.C.C offenders typically target
vulnerable individuals which is immoral and cruel and
violates social norms.
- Public Awareness: Medium, white collar crimes are often
difficult for the public to understand, yet with high profile
scandals, such as Bernie Madoff's, it is steadily increasing.
- Case Study: Bernie Madoff was responsible for carrying out
history's largest Ponzi scheme, responsible for defrauding
investors of $65 billion. He paid old investors with the funds
, generated by new ones, creating a cycle. His scheme
collapsed in 2008 as the market dropped, causing too many
investors to pull funds. He was turned in by his own sons
after confessing to them. For his crimes, he was sentenced to
150 years in prison.
Hate Crime
- Definition: A crime committed that is motivated through
prejudicial views, specifically towards those with protected
characteristics such as an individual's sexual orientation,
age, religion, race etc.
- Likely Victims: Typically, victims of a hate crime are people
who possess protected characteristics.
- Likely Offenders: Typically, offenders are those who hold
prejudicial or hateful views to those with protected
characteristics.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both as hate crimes go against societal
norms and expectations.
- Public Awareness: Relatively low, despite numerous
campaigns and media spotlight, perception of hate crime
remains low and often goes unreported.
- Case Study: A case study example for hate crime would be 18
year old Michael Causer. He was beaten to death in 2008 at a
house party in an unprovoked, homophobic attack. His case
gained attention nation-wide. In response to his death, the
Michael Causer Foundation, which helps young LGBTQ+
members of the region was set up.
Technological Crime
- Definition: An offence committed using a computer or
another piece of technology, such as hacking, cyberstalking,
phishing and fraud.
, - Likely Victims: Individuals of old age typically fall victim to
technological crime as they are the most vulnerable.
- Likely Offenders: Offenders come in a broad range, from any
individual with a device, to highly experienced hackers or
individuals experienced with technology.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, technological crimes take
advantage of vulnerable people which is socially
unacceptable and therefore deviant as well as criminal.
- Public awareness: Low, despite media coverage and
high-profile breaches, technology is rapidly involving and is
hard to keep up with. For example, deepfaking came out of
nowhere and is getting harder to tell whether a piece of
media is legitimate or not.
- Case Study: British tabloid “News of the World’’ hacked into
Millie Dowler’s phone after her murder in 2002, intercepting
voicemails that gave her parents false hope and intervened
with police investigations. This came to a head in July of 2011,
leading to the tabloid's closure.
Domestic Abuse/Violence
- Definition: A criminal act where a partner, ex-partner, family
member or carer has incidences of repetitive or one off
patterns of abusive or threatening behaviour. This can range
from assault, sexual violence, stalking and degrading or
violent behaviours.
- Likely Victims: Victims are typically female ( 93% of cases are
female) & young individuals.
- Likely Offenders: Offenders are usually men (94.4% of
perpetrators were male 2022-2023), and related to the victim.
- Criminal or Deviant: Both, domestic abuse directly violates
the victims human rights and also goes against societal
norms.
