Topic 1 social construction of crime Flashcards
what is the difference between crime and deviance
a crime is illegal and against the law whereas deviance is behaviour that is looked down upon and goes against societies norms and expectations
what are some examples of crimes
murder
parking on a double yellow line
being an extremist and nazi saluting
what are some examples of deviance
having lots of tattoos and piercings
having 100s of cats
picking your nose
what is the legal definition for crime
any action or behaviour that is forbidden by criminal law and which can be punished by the legal system
what crimes come under the legal definition of crime
murder and theft
what is actus reus
a person physically doing the action when committing a crime
what is mens rea
the intent/state of mind of a defendant
“guilty mind”
what are types of criminal acts
fatal offences against a person
non fatal offences against a person
offences against property
sexual offences
public order offences
drug offences
what is a sanction
form of social pressure that punishes people for committing and deters any future offenders.essentially is a punishment
what is a formal sanction
sanctions administered by formal agencies e.g criminal justice system
what are some court sanctions
custodial sentences
community sentence
fine
discharge
what are some non court sanctions(given by police)
penalty notice
caution
conditional caution
why does crime differ between societies
due to different norms and values
what type of crimes are usually disapproved in our UK society
honour crime
violent crime
white collar crime
what is a social construction of crime
the way we see crime as a society and how differently it is viewed in different societies ands by different people
what is it meant if an idea is socially constructed
an idea made by society
what is admired behaviour
behaviour is unusually good
what is odd behaviour
behaviour that is unusual or bizarre
what is bad behaviour
behaviour or actions that are bad or disapproved
what are informal sanctions
not formally written laws
what are some examples of informal sanctions given for deviant behaviour
parent grounding a child
telling someone off
how does law change depending on place
some countries/areas have different rules and laws that make some things that are illegal in the UK legal there
what is an example of a law changing in place within the same country
in cumbria they stop cannabis smokers whereas in durham they dont and focus resources elsewhere
what is an example of law changing in place in a different country
in singapore it is a legal offence to spit out chewing gum on the floor as its not maintaining public cleaness
