ac 1.1 unit 2 Flashcards
what are social values
general principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives, they tell us what is right and wrong
what are social norms
specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern peoples behaviour in particular situations
what are moral codes
basic rules, values and principles which are held by an individual, group, organisation or society as a whole (may be written down)
what are the 9 policing policies (moral codes - police code of ethics)
- accountability
- integrity
- openness
- fairness
- leadership
- respect
- honesty
- objectivity
- selflessness
define deviance
- any behaviour that differs from normal. (unusual or out of the ordinary behaviour)
- breaks “norms” of society
- acts that are “not the done thing”
- actions that we thrown upon and believe to be “unacceptable”
what are the types of deviance
- unusual but good behaviour (eg risking own life to save someone else)
- unusual and eccentric or bizarre (talking to trees in the park)
- unusual and bad or disapproved (physically assaulting someone for no reason)
what is behaviour that is unusual and bad or disapproved of (deviant)
- leads to critical, hostile or disapproving reaction from others
- these “others” could be society as a whole or a sub-group within society
- their reaction may involve punishing the deviant in some way
what are the four sanctions for deviance
- formal and informal
- positive
- acts of social control
formal sanctions for deviance
- imposed by official bodies such as police, courts, schools and other institutions
- punishments for breaking formal written rules or laws
informal sanctions for deviance
- used where the rules are not formally written and are perhaps “unspoken”
- examples : frowning uon behaviour or name calling
positive sanctions for deviance
- societies may choose to reward dthe behaviours they approve of generating a culture of positive reinforcement
- example, medals of honour
sanctions as an act of social control
to avoid deviant behaviour becoming a social norm, sasnctions are created y society with view of seeking control behaviour and ensure that we conform to the expected social norms and values
define criminality
- breaks a written law of society
- can be punished by the police and law courts
- examples : drink driving, arson, rape
define criminal behaviour according to society
- not all harmful acts are crimes, not all crimes are harmful acts
- public often have different views of what acts are “really” a crime
- sometimes laws are changed to reflect changes in public opinion
legally speaking criminal behaviour…
- is any action that is forbidden by the criminal law
- for a court to consider a defendants action to be a crime, the action must normally have two elements : actus reus (latin for guilty act - the action) and mens rea (a guilty mind - the intention)
- so, the defendant mustve done something forbidden by a law and they mustve done so with bad intentions
what are the two exceptions for criminal behaviour
- strict liability
- self defence
strict liability (an exception)
- sometimes the wrongful act on its own is enough to convict someone
- even if the person didnt intend to do wrong, sometimes its still a crime
- many health and safety laws work on this but also traffic law (eg speeding)
self-defence (an exception)
- assaulting someone when it is self defence isnt a crime
- so long as the force used was reasonable in the situation
- this must be in response to an actual/perceived threat at the person
seriousness of the offence
in UK the law distinguishes between 2 main types of offence
- summary offences (less serious, such as speeding)
- indictable offences (more serious, such as murder)
subject matter of offence
- we can also classify the crime by the nature of it
- main categories of these pffences are : violence against the person, sexual offences, offences against property, fraus and forgery, criminal damage, drug offence and public order offences
formal sanctions against criminals
- penalties set out by the law that are imposed on the convicted of commiting a crime
- sanction given depends on the severity of the crime
- can be imposed by the courts or the police
how would you decide on a sentence efor a criminal (formal sanctions)
seriousnsess of the offence, victim and the offender
whats one of the most important things judges and magistrates should consider when sentencing (formal sanctions)
aprropriate to the crime
what do judges and magistrates use to decide on sentences (formal sanctions)
the sentencing guidelines
although cirumstances of crimes may be different, what is always the same
the way the sentence is decided
the 8 points that judges and magistrates consider when deciding on a sentence
- seriousness of crime
- harm to victim
-level of blame - previous conviction
- personal circumstance
- remorse
- guilty plea
- change in behaviour
4 main types of sentence
- prison
- community service
- fine
- discharge
why is prison used as a punishment
change in the offender behavior/ seriousness of crime
how much time will someone spend in prison
at least half their sentence
what do community sentences include
between 40-300 hours of community work, rehab, counselling
what determines the level of the fine
the level of the offence
what is a discharge and why are they used sometimes
for the least, must stay out of trouble
what are the 4 formal sanctions that the court gives out
- custodial sentences
- community sentences
- fines
- discharge
custodial sentences (formal sanctions: courts)
- going to prison or youth offenders
- for serious offences and the prison term relates to the offence itself
community sentences (formal sanctions: courts)
- served in the community
- can include community service, curfews, drug testing, anger management course etc.
