Criminology Unit 2 - AC1.1 2023 with verified questions and answers

Criminal behaviour - Social definition Crime can be labelled as a social interaction or a wrong against the community. If society says that an act is a crime then it becomes one. A social definition of crime is hard because it can vary from culture to culture, for example some crimes are criminal in some countries but not others, such as bigamy. However some crimes are universal, such as sexual offences. Criminal behaviour - Legal definition Behaviour that breaks the law and for which you are punished by the legal system, for example theft, fraud and murder. Actus reus An element of crime which means the guilty act. Mens rea An element of crime which means the guilty mind. Formal sanctions against criminals - Non-court Cautions, conditional cautions, penalty notices. Cautions Administered by the police for minor crimes such as graffiti on a bus shelter. You have to admit to the offence and agree to be cautioned; otherwise you could be arrested for the offence, caution is not a criminal conviction. Conditional cautions Given by the police but you have to agree to certain rules and restrictions, such as receiving treatment for drug abuse. Penalty notices Given for disorder offences, such as shoplifting, possessing cannabis, or being drunk and disorderly in public. You can only receive a penalty punishment if you are 18 or over. Formal sanctions against criminals - Court sanctions Custodial sentencing, community sentences, fines, discharge. Custodial sentences You are immediately sent to prison, there are mandatory (already known time in prison) or discretionary (your sentence is still to be decided) life sentences and fixed term and indeterminate prison sentences. Community sentences Combination order including unpaid work, probation, curfew and orders such as having drug testing and treatment. Fines Financial penalties; the amount depends on the seriousness of the offence and the financial circumstances of the offender. Discharge Can be either conditional, when if the defendant re offends during a set time period the court can give an alternative sentence, or absolute, when no penalty is imposed as the defendant is technically guilty but morally blameless. Types of criminal acts Fatal offences against the person (Murder, manslaughter), non-fatal offences against the person (Assault, battery, actual and grievous bodily harm), offences against property (Theft, robbery, burglary), sexual offences (Rape, indecent assault), public order offences (Riot, affray, violent disorder), drug offences (Possession of a controlled drug or possession with intent to supply). Deviance Deviance is behaviour that goes against the dominant social norms of a specific group or society, which causes some kind of critical reaction or disapproval. Norms, moral codes and values Unwritten rules of acceptable behaviour, which are often interchangeably in society. Norms Social expectations that guide behaviour and explain why people act the way that they do. They keep in check deviant behaviour. While norms are expected behaviour, they can change from culture to culture. For example in Britain to funerals we wear black but in China they wear white, typically. Moral codes Morals or good ways of behaving. Breaking a moral code would generally be considered serious in society, for example murder. Values Rules shared by most people in a given culture. It is what people feel should happen, more general guidelines than norms. An example is people should respect the elderly. Mores Mores are the morals of a group or society itself. They are not necessarily based on written law and they can change. Informal and formal sanctions against deviance Informal sanctions can include frowning upon behaviour, name calling, ignoring behaviour, labelling behaviour and parents grounding behaviour of their child. For some deviant behaviours more formal sanctions are required. Forms of deviance Admired behaviour, odd behaviour and bad behaviour. Admired behaviour Deviant but considered good or admirable, for example saving a life while putting own at risk as most people would not do so. Odd behaviour Deviant by being odd or different from what is considered the norm, for example living with an excessive amount of cats. Bad behaviour Deviant because it is bad, for example assaulting a pensioner.