how laws change according to place - exam questions

Question 1

with reference to two examples, explain the social construction of criminality according to PLACE (9 MARKS)

Answer 1

GUN LAWS
- gun laws in the UK are more strict compared with gun laws in the USA
- in the UK, it is strictly illegal to carry any type of firearm, with exception to specific firearms with a license
- however, in the US, gun laws are much more relaxed and almost anyone can get a gun with or without a license
- since gun laws in the US are much less strict, people in the US could use guns for good instead of harm
- they are more readily available, people could use them for self defence
- however, since they are so readily available, they could easily be used to commit gun crimes
- in the UK, since gun laws are much more strict, people are deterred from using or trying to obtain a gun illegally which protects the public and limits the amount of gun crimes that are being committed

DRUG LAWS
- drug laws in portugal are much more relaxed than in the UK
- relaxed drug laws in portugal could limit the amount of illegal drug use by the population
- since drugs are more readily available, this limits the amount of drug trafficking and illegal use of drugs as the population would feel less oppressed and worried of the fear of being arrested for using drugs
- however, in the UK, since drug laws are more strict, this increases the amount of drug related crime and drug trafficking as people are going against the law to obtain drugs