Social construction of criminality: circumstances of the act

Question 1

What is a moral panic?

Answer 1

a feeling of fear spread among many people that some evil threatens the well-being of society

Question 2

What are typifications?

Answer 2

Ideas (usually held by the police) about what a typical criminal is like

Question 3

What is ACR?

Answer 3

Age of Criminal Responsibility – the age below which a child is deemed not to have the capacity to commit a crime

Question 4

What is homicide?

Answer 4

The act of murder – killing someone with intent

Question 5

What is manslaughter?

Answer 5

When a person kills another but without the intention required for a charge of murder

Question 6

What is differential enforcement?

Answer 6

When the law is not applied equally to everyone

Question 7

What does the homicide act of 1957 contain?

Answer 7

Three special defences for murder when the defendant can plead not guilty despite having killed someone

Question 8

What is diminished responsibility in terms of homicide?

Answer 8

Mental condition substantially reduces ability to understand what they were doing or form a rational judgement – reduces conviction to manslaughter

Question 9

What is loss of control in terms of homicide?

Answer 9

A partial defence that may reduce the conviction to manslaughter

Question 10

What is automatism in terms of homicide?

Answer 10

If the defendant can prove the act was involuntary, they can plead the defence of automatism

Question 11

What is the responsibility for criminal actions?

Answer 11

Children below a certain age are unlikely to understand the full meaning of the act they have committed

Question 12

What is the ACR in the UK?

Answer 12

10 years

Question 13

What are youth courts and punishments in terms of ACR?

Answer 13

Most countries have separate courts to deal with offenders below a certain age. In England and Wales this goes up to 17. They are less formal than adult courts

Question 14

What is prison for children in terms of ACR?

Answer 14

Youth courts can not send anyone to prison. They can send them to detention centres or impose training orders to be carried out in a secure centre

Question 15

What are typifications: Chambliss in terms of different enforcement of the law?

Answer 15

Police enforced the law more leniently against middle class ‘Saints’ and more harshly towards working class ‘Roughnecks’

Question 16

What are typifications: Cicourel in terms of different enforcement of the law?

Answer 16

Police more likely to regard working class with suspicion resulting in more arrests for this group

Question 17

What are typifications: Piliavin and Briar in terms of different enforcement of the law?

Answer 17

Situational factors including class, age, ethnicity, attitude towards the officer, time and place play a large part in decisions to stop or arrest