AC1.1 Flashcards
What does actus reus mean
Guilty act
What does mens rea means
Guilty mind
Define criminality
An act that goes against the criminal law - the act must be actus reas and mens rea normally
Define deviance
Deviance is an act that is uncommon and goes against the social norm
Give an example of criminal acts
Less serious offences - summary offences like speeding
And
More serious offences - indictable offences like rape or murder
Give an example of deviance
There’s many different ways to describe something as deviant - such as unusual and good acts like risking your life to save another
There is also unusual and eccentric, doing things like talking to trees or hoarding
There is finally unusual and disapproved such as physically attacking someone unprovoked
Explain a sanction of criminal acts
It can vary from imprisonment to fines
Due to if it is a summary offence or an indictable offence
Explain a sanction of deviance
It could vary from being viewed differently and being ignored to being fined
This is dependent of whether it is a formal sanction or an informal sanction
Explain how both can change over time
An example of this is :
For criminal acts an example would be the possession of cannabis in America
For deviant acts an example of this would be smoking - used to be normalised now it is commonly frowned upon in public areas
How can crimes be seen as deviant
For example murder and rape as it is both illegal and goes against social norms
How can crimes be seen as non deviant
Example is possession of cannabis - as it a crime here in the UK but is still commonly done and normalised
How can legal acts be deviant
Such as homosexuality as some people still believe it is morally wrong despite it being legal now
How can deviant acts be seen as good and heroic ?
For example - risking your life to save someone else’s as it is good however it still goes against the norms
What did Becker say about deviance ?
An act in itself cannot be deviant
