1.1 Criminal Behaviour And Deviance Flashcards
What is the legal definition of crime?
An act punishable by law, as being forbidden by statute or injurious to the public welfare
In law what much crime have?
An ACTUS REUS (guilty act)
And MENS REA (guilty mind)
Why might you not be guilty of a crime even if a actus reus & mens rea are present?
A person may have a legal defence, such as insanity or self defence
Example of insanity defence?
Lorena Bobbitt. Her husband had a history of mentally and sexually abusing Lorena and on 23rd June 1993 her husband raped her and she stepped into the kitchen to get some water and saw a carving knife and cut off her husbands penis. She went on trial and revealed details of her marriage and her defends claimed she was suffering from clinical depression. She was ordered to under psychiatric evaluation for 45 days
What is action theory?
Social constructionism, the idea that crime like other social phenomena is the outcome or product of interaction and negotiation between people lining in complex social groups
Why can culture change the severity of a crime?
Some cultures allow the death penalty (4.1) whilst others do not. Some cultures also don’t allow types of dress and have a strict dress code unlike other cultures.
Examples of formal control
Imprisonment, fines, court case, community service
Examples of informal control
Kill the perpetrator(s), socially exclude perpetrator(s), ban perpetrator(s) from areas.
What is the social definition of a crime?
Acts attracting legal punishment, offences against the community’
Give examples of crimes.
Murder, burglary, GBH, ABH, rape
Give examples of deviance.
Dyed hair, premarital sex, being gay or lesbian, having AIDS
Examples of criminal and deviant acts:
Having sex with an animal (Beastiality), shoplifting, marrying cousins, cannibalism, seeking illicit drugs
