AC1.1 Flashcards
What is the legal definition of crime? (CK)
Any action/behavior that’s forbidden by criminal law, which the legal system can punish you.
Examples of crime under legal definition
Murder, Manslaughter, Kidnapping
What is the Actus Reus?
The guilty Act, doing something illegal
What is the Mens Rea?
The guilty mind, thinks of doing something illegal.
Exceptions to mens rea and actus reus.
Suspect can be not guilty if the court agrees they acted with reasonable force. The MR is justified
Types of criminal acts and examples
Fatal offences - Murder, manslaughter
Non-fatal offences - Assualt, Battery, ABG, GBH
Offences against property - Theft, robbery
Sexual offences - Rape
Public order offences - Riot
Drug offences - Possession of a controlled drug.
What is a sanction?
The social pressure that punishes people for committing a crime, a deterrent for people committing negative behavior.
What is a formal sanction?
Imposed by official bodies, police, for committing formal offenses. Through court sanctions - Custodial, community sentences, Fines, discharge. Or through bob-court sanctions - Penalty notice, caution.
What is the social construction of crime?
Crime is defined differently depending on where you are in the world/society we live in. It differs between societies due to cultural differences. Crime changes according to time, place, and culture. The perception of crime can differ from the definition of legal/illegal
What are values and some examples? (CK)
Beliefs of principles people hold very important, generally shared by a community/culture.
E.g. Manners, democracy
What are norms and their examples? (CK)
Socially accepted standards that guide our behavior, are linked to society’s values.
E.g. Respectful, Holding door open
What are moral codes/mores? (CK)
Determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable within a given culture.
What is deviance? (CK)
behavior that deviates from norms, and values in society. Something can be deviant but not criminal or vis versa.
What are the types of deviant behaviour? (EK)
Admired behavior: unusual but good behavior
Odd behavior: Behavior that is unusual and eccentric/bizarre.
Bad behavior: unusual and bad or disproved of.
What are informal sanctions and some examples? (EK)
sanctions that are used when rules are not formally written down and are perhaps unspoken.
E.g grounding children, telling someone off
