Key concepts Flashcards
5 types of crime
violent offences, drug related offences, acquisitive offences, sexual offences, anti-social offences
what are violent offences
aggressive crimes resulting in physical harm or death to the victim, e.g. assault
what are drug related offences
crimes involving trading in or using illegal substances
what are acquisitive offences
crimes where capital or belongings are acquired through illegal means, e.g. theft
what are sexual offences
crimes where a victim is forced to commit or submit to a sexual act against their will, e.g. rape
what are anti-social offences
criminal acts that cause harassment, alarm or distress to people who do not share a home with the perpetrator, e.g. vandalism
subjectivity
based on personal opinion rather than fact
social construct
a concept that exists as the result of interaction between people who make up a society
what does it mean by criminal behaviour being a social construct
it means that society determines what is considered criminals, often based on what is considered acceptable at that particular point in time. Some countries may consider euthanasia, assisting a terminally ill person to die as acceptable and not against the law but some countries like the UK will consider euthanasia as illegal.
what is deviation from norms
when an act or behaviour goes against the accepted standards of a society
what is culture
a collective set of norms and values that determine the way of life of a group of people
how does deviation from norms correlate with crime
if a behaviour is different from what society expects, then this is an example of deviation from norms, e.g. walking around naked in public (indecent exposure)
what are anti-social behaviours
behaviour by a person which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as the person
How are crimes measured 1
official statistics, it tells us which crimes are more common, or which ones are on the increase or decrease. They are collected and published by government or crimes that have been reported to or recorded by police force. However, not all crimes are reported or some may not even be detected even though they have taken place.
How are crimes measured 2
Self-report surveys are sometimes confidential surveys which ask convicted criminals about other crimes they have committed, besides the ones they have been charged for, or ask the public about their offences. Victim surveys, people can report crimes they have experienced even if they decided not to report them to the police.
