AC 1.1 (compare criminal behaviour and deviance) Flashcards
Social definition of crime.
Wrong against the community.
Some crimes are universally disapproved of, others are not.
Varying between places.
Example for social definition of crime.
Bangladesh and child marriage.
Blackburn’s definition for social definition of crime.
‘Acts attracting legal punishment […] offences against the community.’
Legal definition of crime.
Any behaviour that breaks the law should be punished.
To be punished by the legal system a crime must have 2 elements: actus reus and mens rea.
Example for legal definition of crime
Crimes punished due to breaking the law: Murder, theft, fraud.
Crimes that don’t need a mens rea: selling alcohol to minors, traffic offences.
Formal sanctions against criminals.
Involves the court imposing a sentence, custodial or community.
Example of formal sanctions against criminals.
Murder = life in prison, minor criminal damage = police caution, drunk and disorderly in public = police penalty notice.
Deviance definition.
Behaviour that goes against the dominant social norms of a specific group or society, causing some kind of critical reaction of disapproval.
Norms definiton.
Social expectations that guide behaviour. Could vary from culture to culture.
Example of norms changing from culture to culture.
In the UK we wear dark colours to funerals, in China the colour of mourning is white.
Moral codes definition.
Good ways of behaving. Seen as serious in society.
Example of moral codes being broken.
Murder.
Informal sanctions against deviance.
Unofficial punishment, made up by people.
Examples of informal sanctions against deviance.
Frowning at behaviour, name calling, labelling, ignoring behaviour, being grounded.
Formal sanctions against deviance.
Official punishment.
