Social construction - LO1

Question 1

How do laws change over time?

Answer 1

When the act takes place can decide if it is deviant or not. Whether that is time of the day or changes of crime/deviance over a period of time.

FOR EXAMPLE -
*drinking alcohol at 9 o’clock in the morning is different to drinking at nine o’clock in the evening.
*The decriminalisation of homosexuality over the years.

Question 2

How do laws change from culture to culture?

Answer 2

Different cultures have different expectations of appropriate behaviour. What is acceptable in one culture will not be seen as acceptable in another.

FOR EXAMPLE -
*alcohol use and purchasing in Britain is perfectly legal at 18, whereas in the USA this is not acceptable until the age of 21.
*Laws in Pakistan reflect the Muslim culture of this country, for example homosexuality is illegal here, however in the UK it is perfectly legal.

Question 3

How do laws differ according to place?

Answer 3

Where the criminal act takes place can decide whether it is criminal/deviant. This also relates to the social situation of where the act takes place.

FOR EXAMPLE -
*an adult running naked across a nudist beach is different to an adult running naked across a football pitch.
*Jaywalking is illegal in most urban states in the US, the UK however does not have jaywalking laws.

Question 4

How are laws applied differently according to circumstance?

Answer 4

A criminal/deviant act will often require certain circumstances to be fulfilled as well as the action itself.

FOR EXAMPLE -
*the act of sexual intercourse is not illegal in itself, but could become so according to the age or whether consent has been given.