CRIMINOLOGY UNIT 2 REVISION
SUMMARISED NOTES; DEFINITION
OF TERMS
Criminal behavior
Acts that break the rules, deemed to be illegal by the law-
making powers of a society. Such acts result in punishment by
the police or by a court.
Values
General principles of guidelines for how we should live our
lives. Tell us what is right and wrong, good or bad.
Norms
Specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern
people's behaviour in particular situations
Moral Code
A set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual,
group, organisation, or society as a whole
Crime
Breaches of rules set as a criminal by a society.
Deviance
Acts that are against social norms. Such acts result in sanctions
from others in society.
,Forms of deviance
Different rules that societies have about deviant behaviour.
Criminal behaviour and deviance
Some crimes are against social norms and therefore deviant,
but some crimes are so common that they're not considered to
be deviant.
Actus reus
guilty act
Mens Rea
guilty mind
Strict liability
Mens rea isn't required, the wrongful act is enough to convict.
Self defence
Acting to prevent harm to yourself or others
Summary offences
Less serious crimes that are dealt with by the Local Court. An
example is shoplifting.
Indictable offence
a serious offence generally heard before a judge and a jury in
the County Court or Supreme Court of Victoria
Sanctions against crime
,Prison, fines, and community orders such as probation.
Sanctions against deviance
Name calling, ignoring someone, and laughing at someone
formal sanctions
sanctions imposed by persons given special authority
Custodial sentences
a sentence to be served in a prison or similar institution
a community sentence
a sentence which allows people to continue to live in the
community under certain conditions
Conditional discharge
releasing a convicted offender under certain terms, and erasing
the criminal record after three years if the terms are met
Absolute discharge
Releasing a convicted offender and erasing the criminal record
after one year
Police caution
A warning for an offence not involving a conviction or court
appearance for a person that is 10+
Police conditional caution
Have to stick to certain rules and restrictions.
, Police penalty notice for disorder.
No conviction If you pay the penalty
Informal sanctions
Punishments that can be applied by most members of a group.
Not written down.
Positive sanctions
a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from
a smile to a material reward
Combination order
A sentence of the court that combines a probation order and a
community service order.
Social control
attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behavior
Social definition of criminal behaviour
Includes differing views of what acts are really crimes, law
enforcement as some criminal laws are not enforced and law-
making, not all acts that could be crimes have laws passed
against them.
Impact
an effect or result of something.
public perception
SUMMARISED NOTES; DEFINITION
OF TERMS
Criminal behavior
Acts that break the rules, deemed to be illegal by the law-
making powers of a society. Such acts result in punishment by
the police or by a court.
Values
General principles of guidelines for how we should live our
lives. Tell us what is right and wrong, good or bad.
Norms
Specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern
people's behaviour in particular situations
Moral Code
A set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual,
group, organisation, or society as a whole
Crime
Breaches of rules set as a criminal by a society.
Deviance
Acts that are against social norms. Such acts result in sanctions
from others in society.
,Forms of deviance
Different rules that societies have about deviant behaviour.
Criminal behaviour and deviance
Some crimes are against social norms and therefore deviant,
but some crimes are so common that they're not considered to
be deviant.
Actus reus
guilty act
Mens Rea
guilty mind
Strict liability
Mens rea isn't required, the wrongful act is enough to convict.
Self defence
Acting to prevent harm to yourself or others
Summary offences
Less serious crimes that are dealt with by the Local Court. An
example is shoplifting.
Indictable offence
a serious offence generally heard before a judge and a jury in
the County Court or Supreme Court of Victoria
Sanctions against crime
,Prison, fines, and community orders such as probation.
Sanctions against deviance
Name calling, ignoring someone, and laughing at someone
formal sanctions
sanctions imposed by persons given special authority
Custodial sentences
a sentence to be served in a prison or similar institution
a community sentence
a sentence which allows people to continue to live in the
community under certain conditions
Conditional discharge
releasing a convicted offender under certain terms, and erasing
the criminal record after three years if the terms are met
Absolute discharge
Releasing a convicted offender and erasing the criminal record
after one year
Police caution
A warning for an offence not involving a conviction or court
appearance for a person that is 10+
Police conditional caution
Have to stick to certain rules and restrictions.
, Police penalty notice for disorder.
No conviction If you pay the penalty
Informal sanctions
Punishments that can be applied by most members of a group.
Not written down.
Positive sanctions
a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from
a smile to a material reward
Combination order
A sentence of the court that combines a probation order and a
community service order.
Social control
attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behavior
Social definition of criminal behaviour
Includes differing views of what acts are really crimes, law
enforcement as some criminal laws are not enforced and law-
making, not all acts that could be crimes have laws passed
against them.
Impact
an effect or result of something.
public perception
