AC 1.1

Question 1

what is the social definition of crime?

Answer 1

crime is a label from social interaction, or a wrong against a community. this is due to society’s shared norms and values. if society says an act is a crime, it tends to be seen as one

Question 2

what is the basic legal definition of crime?

Answer 2

an illegal act that is punishable by law

Question 3

what is the extended definition of crime?

Answer 3

an act must contain actus reus and mens rea to be deemed a crime

Question 4

what is actus reus?

Answer 4

guilty physical act, eg shooting someone

Question 5

what is mens rea?

Answer 5

guilty mind- intention to cause harm or kill. eg, planning to shoot someone

Question 6

what is the exception to the legal definition of crime?

Answer 6

strict liability offences which only require actus reus (guilty act) for example someone selling alcohol to a minor, traffic offences ect

Question 7

what factors determine whether something is criminal or not?

Answer 7

time
situation
place
culture

Question 8

what are some defenses people use in court?

Answer 8

Intoxication
-Insanity
-automatism
-consent
-Self-defence
-Diminished responsibility
-Loss of control
-Lawful excuse
-Duress
-Infancy
-necessity

Question 9

what are some formal sanctions?

Answer 9

• Fine
• Driving ban
• Caution
• CBO (Criminal behaviour order, normally results in a ban- replaced ASBOs)
• CPN- Community protection notice
• Extradition/ deportation
• Tag/curfew
• Community service
• Prison
• Restraining order
• Sex offender register

Question 10

what are some non court sanctions that can be put in place?

Answer 10

Caution by the police
Conditional Cautions by the police – the police could impose a ‘condition’ such as “regular drug testing orders” or they could ask you to clean up graffiti ect
Penalty Notices-Can be issued by the police where an individual may have behaving inappropriately in public

Question 11

what are the 4 key sentence types to colurts can issuje to offenders?

Answer 11

1. Custodial Sentences
2. Community Sentences-
3. Fines- monetary charges/penalties.
4. Discharge

Question 12

what are custodial sentences?

Answer 12

prison sentences which are mandatory and life e.g. this is for serious offences such as murder etc

Question 13

what are community sentences?

Answer 13

includes some form of work in the community or a form of order to rehabilitate the offender (e.g. litter picking/drug testing orders/anger management) There are 12 different orders available for adult offenders and 18 different orders available for young offenders.

Question 14

what can fines be issued for?

Answer 14

This can be for offences such as driving/non-payment of bills/fly tipping, speeding ect

Question 15

what is a discharge sentence?

Answer 15

dismissal from court and let go free (this is often done when the offence is not serious, and the offender is clearly remorseful or a first-time offence)

Question 16

what is the difference between the 2 types of courts in the uk?

Answer 16

Magistrates Court are for less serious offences and can issue a maximum of up to 6 months in prison and can issue fines.
Crown Courts are for more serious offences and has unlimited sentencing powers

Question 17

what is the basic definition of deviance?

Answer 17

A person who is deviant is one who breaks the norms/social rules of society. These go against most people’s moral code.
These can either be written (laws and rules) or unwritten (normal ways of behaving).

Question 18

what does deviant behaviour depends upon?

Answer 18

a) The situation the behaviour takes place in
b) The culture where the behaviour happens as a person who is considered deviant in one country might be considered perfectly normal in another.

Question 19

what is a key thing to remember when thinking about deviance?

Answer 19

Deviant behaviour is not always criminal behaviour.

Question 20

what is a moral code?

Answer 20

Moral codes: These are good ways of behaving. Breaking these codes would generally be considered very serious by society.

Question 21

what is a norm?

Answer 21

Norms: norms are specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s behaviour in particular situations.

Question 22

what is a value?

Answer 22

Values: These are general principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. They tell us what is right, wrong, good, and bad.

Question 23

what is the extended definition of deviance?

Answer 23

Deviance is behaviour that goes against the norms, values, and moral codes of society. This explains deviance as behaviour which goes against these norms is seen as deviant and not normal behaviour. Norms differ in different cultures and countries, Not adhering to society’s values would be considered as deviant as it would be frowned upon to not follow what society values
Breaking moral codes would generally be considered very serious by society and seen as deviant.

Question 24

what are the 3 forms of deviance?

Answer 24

Admired behaviour – saving a life whilst putting your own at risk.
Odd behaviour- being different by living outside social norms e.g. hoarding/having too many pets cats/being obsessive.
Bad behaviour- e.g. assaulting a pensioner/punching someone/stealing/treating someone unkindly

Question 25

what are the sanctions of behaving deviantly?

Answer 25

People tend to express their disapproval of deviant behaviours by:
Frowning upon behaviour
Name calling.
Ignoring behaviour
Labelling behaviour
Parents grounding children
Excluding people from certain social groups
some deviant behaviour is also criminal so there can also be formal consequences such as prison.