SOC FINAL Flashcards
The Consensus Approach
Laws represent the agreement of most of the people in society that certain acts should be prohibited by the criminal law
The Conflict Approach
Laws are passed by members of the ruling class in order to maintain their privileged position by keeping the common people under control
Ecological Citizenship
notions of morality and rights should be extended to “non-human nature”
Substantive Criminal Law
refers to legislation that defines the nature of various criminal offences (such as murder) and specifies the various legal elements that must be present before a conviction can be entered against an accused person.
Criminal Procedure
a body of legislation that specifies the procedures to be followed in the prosecution of a criminal case
Regulatory Offenses
generally less serious in nature than “true crimes”.
True Crime
occurs when an individual engages in conduct that is not only prohibited but also constitutes a serious breach of community values.
Actus Reus
a particular event or state of affairs was caused by the accused person’s conduct
Mens Rea
this conduct was simultaneously accompanied by a certain state of mind (mental elements)
Subjective mens Rea
what actually went on in the accused persons mind
Objective mens rea
would a reasonable person, in the same circumstances and with the same knowledge of the accused would have avoided the action taken due to the risks
Inchoate Crime
a criminal offence that is committed when the accused person seeks to bring about the commission of a particular crime but is not successful in doing so. The three inchoate offences are attempt, conspiracy, and counselling
Counselling
Procuring, soliciting, or inciting another person to commit a crime
Criminal Attempt
occurs when an individual does – or omits to do – anything for the purpose of carrying out a previously formed intention to commit a crime
Conspiracy
An agreement by two or more persons to commit a criminal offense
NCRMD (not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder)
it must be proved on the balance of probabilities that, because of mental disorder, the accused lacked the capacity to appreciate the nature and quality of the act or omission in question
Mistake of Fact
a defence where the accused person acts under the influence of an honest mistake in relation to any of the elements of the actus reus of the offence charged
Intoxication
can be used as a defence if it prevents the accused from forming the intent required for a specific intent offence, such as murder or robbery
Necessity
may be a defence to a criminal charge when the accused person commits the lesser evil of a crime in order to avoid the occurrence of a greater evil
Duress
may be a defence to a criminal charge when the accused was forced to commit a crime as a consequence of threats of death or serious bodily harm made by another person
Provocation
the required elements of provocation are (i) that the accused responded to a wrongful act or insult that was of such a nature that an ordinary person would have been likely to lose the power of self-control and (ii) that the accused acted on the sudden and before there was time for his passion to cool
Self Defence
can be used when the individual concerned becomes the object of an unlawful assault. Where the individual acted in self defence without intending to inflict death or grievous bodily harm on the assailant. It must be shown that no more force was used then was necessary in the circumstances.
Correlate
any variable that is related to another variable. Age and sex are the two strongest correlates of crime
Correlation
a relationship that exists when two or more variables, such as age and crime, are associated or related to one another
Maturational Reform
the observation that involvement in crime tends to decrease as people age
Role Convergence
Over-Representation
a group that has a number of its members in some condition in greater numbers than their population would suggest
Cultural Explanation
an explanation for crime that is phrased in terms of the value and beleifs of a society or its component subgroups
Structural Explanation
an explanation for crime that focuses on social structures (inequality, poverty, power differentials)