WJEC A Level Criminology EXAM STUDY
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1. What is the social definition of crime - ANSWER ✔ behavior that violates
the norms of society
2. legal definition of crime - ANSWER ✔ A crime is an act that violates the
criminal law and is punishable with a jail term, a fine, and or some other
sanction
3. Non court formal sanctions against crime include ? - ANSWER ✔ Caution
, conditional caution and penalty notice
4. What are the two types of cautions - ANSWER ✔ Cautions - administered
by police for minor crime eg graffiti however you have to admit to the
offence and agree to be cautioned
5. Conditional caution - given by police but you have to agree to rules eg
receive treatment for drug abuse
6. What is a penalty notice - ANSWER ✔ Pay a fixed fine for things like
speeding or illegal parking and minor shoplifting
7. What is formal court sanction - ANSWER ✔ Discharged , custodial
sentence , community sentence and fines
8. What is a custodial sentence - ANSWER ✔ When a person is put in jail for
committing a crime, can have a mandatory and discretionary life sentences
and fixed term indeterminate prison sentences
,9. What is a community sentence - ANSWER ✔ Time that has to be given
back to the community in the form of unpaid work.
10.What is a fine - ANSWER ✔ a sum of money to be paid to the state by a
convicted person as punishment for an offense
11.How has law change in different areas regarding growing cannabis -
ANSWER ✔ You can always use different according to regional police
priorities for example enduring constable doesn't prioritise people who grow
cannabis for personal use where is place in Cumbria? I do prosecute
12.How have laws changed in different places regarding female gentle
mutilation? - ANSWER ✔ It's illegal in the UK however Africa Middle
East and Asia all connected to cultural religious and social reasons believe it
preserves her virginity ready for marriage making it legal there
13.How does age affect law application? - ANSWER ✔ Age of criminal
responsibility in the UK is 10 in Canada. It's 12 in Bangladesh. It's nine and
China is 16.
14.How has law changed in different places regarding jaywalking? - ANSWER
✔ In the UK there's no offences it's considered personal responsibility to
cross safely however jaywalking in most suburban areas like USA Canada
and Singapore it's illegal to do so
15.What is the definition of adultery? - ANSWER ✔ voluntary sexual
intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse
16.What is a somatotype? - ANSWER ✔ Body type
17.What are features of endomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Rounded and soft
bodies, lacking fat of muscle
18.What are features of ectomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Thin and fragile, lacking
fat or muscle
,19.What are features of mesomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Muscular and hard
bodies, very little body fat and strong limbs, broad shoulders and narrow
waist
20.What are traits of an endomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Social, relaxed,
comfortable and outgoing
21.What are traits of an ectomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Self-conscious, fragile,
inner looking, emotionally restrained and thoughtful
22.What are traits of an mesomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Adventurous, sensation
seeking, assertive and domineering and enjoys physical activity
23.Why are mesomorphs most likely to be criminals? - ANSWER ✔ They are
attracted to risk taking and their imposing physique and assertiveness is
useful for violent and aggressive acts
24.What somatotype is the least likely to be a criminal? - ANSWER ✔
Ectomorphs
25.What was the correlation study for somatotypes? - ANSWER ✔ A sample
of photos of college students and delinquents were used and rated on a scale
1-7 in terms of resemblance to mesomorphs. The delinquents had a higher
score for mesomorphs.
26.What are some strengths of Sheldon's somatotype theory? - ANSWER ✔
Empirical strengths, control group, primary data, it supported Lombroso's
Atavism theory
27.How do experiences in early childhood affect the development of
personality? - ANSWER ✔ As we reach the phallic stage at around 3
years, we go through a stage known as the Oedipus Complex in boys and
Electra Complex in girls.
28.What is the Oedipus/Electra Complex? - ANSWER ✔ This stage involves
a strong love and desire for the opposite sex parent and a fear of the same
sex parent (or fear of losing mother's love in girls). This turns into the child
identifying with the same sex parent and internalising their values and
, beliefs. Therefore, the child internalises the morality of their same sex
parent.
29.What is the result of a weak superego? - ANSWER ✔ Same sex parent is
absent during phallic stage; child has no one to identify with and no morality
to internalise/
30.What is the result of a deviant superego? - ANSWER ✔ The child
identifies with same sex parent, but that parent happens to be criminal,
therefore the child develops the same morality as a criminal.
31.What is the result of an overdeveloped superego? - ANSWER ✔ Strong
identification with a strict parent, causing excessive guilt and anxiety.
32.What is maternal deprivation? - ANSWER ✔ When a child is deprived of a
close, continuous relationship with its primary carer.
33.What does Bowlby argue? - ANSWER ✔ Bowlby argued that children
need this bond (with their mother) in order to develop normally.
34.How does Bowlby use maternal deprivation to explain crime? - ANSWER
✔ Bowlby's study of 44 juvenile thieves. 39% of thieves experienced early
separation before the age of 5 compared with 5% in a control group of non-
delinquents.
35.What were Bowlby's conclusions for the consequences of maternal
deprivation? - ANSWER ✔ An inability to form attachments in the future
Affectionless psychopathy (inability to feel remorse)
Delinquency (behavioural problems during adolescence)
Problems with cognitive development
36.How does Bowlby's research support Freud's psychodynamic theory? -
ANSWER ✔ Both argue that young children need a stable home
environment and a healthy emotional relationship with their primary
caregiver to develop a healthy, well-adjusted personality.
GUIDE 2026/2027 ACCURATE QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT DETAILED SOLUTIONS ||
100% GUARANTEED PASS
<NEWEST VERSION>
1. What is the social definition of crime - ANSWER ✔ behavior that violates
the norms of society
2. legal definition of crime - ANSWER ✔ A crime is an act that violates the
criminal law and is punishable with a jail term, a fine, and or some other
sanction
3. Non court formal sanctions against crime include ? - ANSWER ✔ Caution
, conditional caution and penalty notice
4. What are the two types of cautions - ANSWER ✔ Cautions - administered
by police for minor crime eg graffiti however you have to admit to the
offence and agree to be cautioned
5. Conditional caution - given by police but you have to agree to rules eg
receive treatment for drug abuse
6. What is a penalty notice - ANSWER ✔ Pay a fixed fine for things like
speeding or illegal parking and minor shoplifting
7. What is formal court sanction - ANSWER ✔ Discharged , custodial
sentence , community sentence and fines
8. What is a custodial sentence - ANSWER ✔ When a person is put in jail for
committing a crime, can have a mandatory and discretionary life sentences
and fixed term indeterminate prison sentences
,9. What is a community sentence - ANSWER ✔ Time that has to be given
back to the community in the form of unpaid work.
10.What is a fine - ANSWER ✔ a sum of money to be paid to the state by a
convicted person as punishment for an offense
11.How has law change in different areas regarding growing cannabis -
ANSWER ✔ You can always use different according to regional police
priorities for example enduring constable doesn't prioritise people who grow
cannabis for personal use where is place in Cumbria? I do prosecute
12.How have laws changed in different places regarding female gentle
mutilation? - ANSWER ✔ It's illegal in the UK however Africa Middle
East and Asia all connected to cultural religious and social reasons believe it
preserves her virginity ready for marriage making it legal there
13.How does age affect law application? - ANSWER ✔ Age of criminal
responsibility in the UK is 10 in Canada. It's 12 in Bangladesh. It's nine and
China is 16.
14.How has law changed in different places regarding jaywalking? - ANSWER
✔ In the UK there's no offences it's considered personal responsibility to
cross safely however jaywalking in most suburban areas like USA Canada
and Singapore it's illegal to do so
15.What is the definition of adultery? - ANSWER ✔ voluntary sexual
intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse
16.What is a somatotype? - ANSWER ✔ Body type
17.What are features of endomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Rounded and soft
bodies, lacking fat of muscle
18.What are features of ectomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Thin and fragile, lacking
fat or muscle
,19.What are features of mesomorphs? - ANSWER ✔ Muscular and hard
bodies, very little body fat and strong limbs, broad shoulders and narrow
waist
20.What are traits of an endomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Social, relaxed,
comfortable and outgoing
21.What are traits of an ectomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Self-conscious, fragile,
inner looking, emotionally restrained and thoughtful
22.What are traits of an mesomorph? - ANSWER ✔ Adventurous, sensation
seeking, assertive and domineering and enjoys physical activity
23.Why are mesomorphs most likely to be criminals? - ANSWER ✔ They are
attracted to risk taking and their imposing physique and assertiveness is
useful for violent and aggressive acts
24.What somatotype is the least likely to be a criminal? - ANSWER ✔
Ectomorphs
25.What was the correlation study for somatotypes? - ANSWER ✔ A sample
of photos of college students and delinquents were used and rated on a scale
1-7 in terms of resemblance to mesomorphs. The delinquents had a higher
score for mesomorphs.
26.What are some strengths of Sheldon's somatotype theory? - ANSWER ✔
Empirical strengths, control group, primary data, it supported Lombroso's
Atavism theory
27.How do experiences in early childhood affect the development of
personality? - ANSWER ✔ As we reach the phallic stage at around 3
years, we go through a stage known as the Oedipus Complex in boys and
Electra Complex in girls.
28.What is the Oedipus/Electra Complex? - ANSWER ✔ This stage involves
a strong love and desire for the opposite sex parent and a fear of the same
sex parent (or fear of losing mother's love in girls). This turns into the child
identifying with the same sex parent and internalising their values and
, beliefs. Therefore, the child internalises the morality of their same sex
parent.
29.What is the result of a weak superego? - ANSWER ✔ Same sex parent is
absent during phallic stage; child has no one to identify with and no morality
to internalise/
30.What is the result of a deviant superego? - ANSWER ✔ The child
identifies with same sex parent, but that parent happens to be criminal,
therefore the child develops the same morality as a criminal.
31.What is the result of an overdeveloped superego? - ANSWER ✔ Strong
identification with a strict parent, causing excessive guilt and anxiety.
32.What is maternal deprivation? - ANSWER ✔ When a child is deprived of a
close, continuous relationship with its primary carer.
33.What does Bowlby argue? - ANSWER ✔ Bowlby argued that children
need this bond (with their mother) in order to develop normally.
34.How does Bowlby use maternal deprivation to explain crime? - ANSWER
✔ Bowlby's study of 44 juvenile thieves. 39% of thieves experienced early
separation before the age of 5 compared with 5% in a control group of non-
delinquents.
35.What were Bowlby's conclusions for the consequences of maternal
deprivation? - ANSWER ✔ An inability to form attachments in the future
Affectionless psychopathy (inability to feel remorse)
Delinquency (behavioural problems during adolescence)
Problems with cognitive development
36.How does Bowlby's research support Freud's psychodynamic theory? -
ANSWER ✔ Both argue that young children need a stable home
environment and a healthy emotional relationship with their primary
caregiver to develop a healthy, well-adjusted personality.
