Unit 1 - Crime in Law Flashcards
What is an anarchy?
When people do not follow rules and regulations i.e when footballers drink at football games it is against the law and can go up in court if you are caught
Laws for the country are made by who?
Laws are created and debated at the parliament.
What is a crime?
A crime is something that takes place when someone breaks a law of the country.
How many males and females are likely to commit a crime in their lifetime?
Men= 4/10 Females= 1/10
What does the criminal law deal with?
Identifying when the law has been broken and prosecuting people who have broken the law. This type of law deals with any type of offences. Some offences are relatively minor however some are ,major such as rape and murder.
What is civil law for?
Is used to settle disputes between individuals and also sets the rules for various civil procedures such as buying a house or getting a divorce.
Why may some crime statistics be wrong?
some people choose to not report crime as they feel they may end up getting themselves in trouble or feel as though it is to long a process to get involved in, so because of this some crime statistics may be off as not all crime is reported.
Why are some crimes not reported?
- The general public see them as not being serious enough
- The victim finds the matter embarrassing
- Lack of confidence or trust in the police
- Children may not understand some issues
What was the crime rate like in 2014?
- Has reached the lowest in the last 40 years. shows a 10% reduction in violent crime.
- However the number of sex crimes has risen by 12% since 2013
- Rape has went up 24% from 2012/2013
- sexual crimes are now at the highest they have been since 1971
Why do people commit crimes?
- Because of their gender ( they may feel as though something is unfair and want revenge acting in crime and breaking the law)
- Age ( younger people are more likely to commit a crime as they either want to show of and fit in or are peer pressured)
- Ethnicity ( people from ethnic minorities can find them self not being treated as fairly and usually living in poverty so from boredom they feel the need to commit a crime)
- Poverty ( people living in poverty is a cause of crime as they may have had poor role models or living in an area where crime happens all the time and it is normal for them to want to break the law)
what is the relationship between poverty and crime?
- Poorer areas have higher crime areas than richer ones.
Higher rates of unemployment lead to people committing a crime as they have nothing to do all day and find boredom so they commit a crime.
-poorer areas are likely to suffer from poorer housing - poorer areas are likely to have poorer high schools with not as good qualification levels as others so pupils may leave early and try find a job but sometimes this is not the case and they are at home all day.
- these areas have a high alcoholism or drug rate so people may turn to their addiction and commit a crime
- young people may not have positive role models
- people who do not have many drug dealers in their area may travel, while they are here they may use their addiction badly and commit a crime because they think they have less chance of getting caught.
What is the difference between crime levels in East Dumbartonshire and The City of Glasgow?
- Robbery in Glasgow 1431 in east dumbartonshire robbery is 27 per 1000 population.
What is the relationship between age and crime?
- The peak ages for people to commit a crime are between the ages of 15-19
- Criminal involvement typically starts at the age of 15
- when people reach their 20’s they decide to stop committing a crime as they want to settle down with a job and a family which distracts them from crime.
- However those who begin to commit crimes earlier, at the age of 14 are more likely to be the ones who stick to crime for the rest of their lives.
Crimes that younger generation are more likely to participate in?
- antisocial behavior
- heavy drinking
- drug-taking
- dangerous driving
- shop lifting
- vandalism
- taking vehicles without the owners consent.
Why do some young people turn to crime?
- peer pressure form a large group of people may be scary so people feel as though they must commit the crime.
- bad upbringing can lead a child to violence as this may be all they are used to seeing so they think its an okay behavior to have.
- being male
- being born to a teenage mum
- not living with parents / being in care
- suffering bereavement or family breakdown
- drug or alcohol misuse
- experiencing neglect, physical, sexual, emotional abuse.
- witnessing violence against a family member
- playing truant or being excluded from school
- associating with delinquent friends
- having family or friends who already offend may encourage you to want to try it as you think it is ‘cool’.
Gender in relationship with crime?
- males commit 5 times more crime than women
- when women take part in a crime it usually attracts a lot of media attention as it is not something we often see.
- offenders in wales and England outnumbered female offenders by more than 4 to 1.
What types of crimes do women usually commit?
- The most popular crime committed by a women is shoplifting.
- The second most common is drug offences.
- Allow its usually 98% of sexual assaults found to be male women too commit sexual assaults.
- sex industry/ prostitution 3/4 women who find their self in the sex industry are found to have started before they reached 21.
Why do women commit crimes?
- Influenced by financial problems
- poor education
- drug dependency
- mental health problems
What is the main reason women commit crimes?
Over half of women who have committed a crime admitted that the reason behind them breaking the law was down to them having no money.
How many black people make up the UK population?
1.8%
What percentage of black people make up our total prison population?
12%
Why do ethnic people commit crimes?
- Ethnic minorities on average earn less, and have lower incomes than white people, and therefore tend to live in poorer areas, which have higher crime rates
- Afro-caribbean’s have a younger age profile than whites (between the ages of 14 and 21) which is the peak ages for someone to commit a crime.
- Many ethnic minorities live in poorer places and are drawn into commit a crime.
- Many black working class families are headed by single parents, this can be hard to work and look after your child, you may cause a crime because of stress but your child may also commit a crime because of your poor role-modeling skills.
What are the 6 types of crime?
- Violent crime
- Knife crime
- property crime
- professional and organised crime
- corporate crime
- sexual offenses
What is the most extreme violent crime?
Murder.
What is the difference between murder and culpable homicide?
Murder is where you meant to kill someone and it is planned.
Culpable homicide is where it is not planned and is named manslaughter. There was no idea or thought of killing them so in someways it can be seen as an accident. Many people claim that once they kill someone they cay it was culpable homicide to try and get less time in prison.
What is knife crime like in Scotland?
- serious issue
- knife crime is strongly linked with gang crime, as many young men join gangs for fun not knowing the consequences that comes with it.
- others feel that carrying a knife for protection however may use it in the wrong down to peer pressure.
How does Glasgow relate to the overall statistics of knife crime?
It is seen that overall knife crime can happen in Glasgow on a Friday or Saturday night when people are going out drinking and take a knife for their safety however can end up getting themselves so drunk they use it at the wrong times.
- a third of all knife crimes happen in Glasgow
What are points for and against a mandatory jail sentence fore carrying a knife?
- For : - Education campaigns on their own do not work
- It will act as a deterrent to carrying a knife
- A prison sentence is a suitable punishment for the crime
- Against : - Prisons will become to full
- Prisons will lead young men into further crime
- Not all circumstances of people carrying knifes are the same.
What are sexual offences crimes?
These are offences that break the law while participating in sexual activities. sexual activities include: - Having sex with an under age - prostitution - indecent exposure
What is property crime?
- burglary
- housebreaking
- theft
- fraud
- forgery
- robbery
- criminal damage
What is professional and organised crime?
Some people begin to class committing a crime as their job and they begin to make a living out of it.
- drug dealing
- protection rackets
- the sex industry
- illegal gambling
- producing counterfeit goods
What is corporate crime?
Can be carried out by individuals or by the business
individuals may use computers to hack into other peoples information, corporate crimes through businesses can be crimes against consumers ( e.g. selling them short measures or inaccurately labeled items) corruption or health and safety offences.
Why do people drink?
For relaxation or pleasure.
What can alcohol do to your body?
Alcohol may not affect your body in little consumption but alcohol is a drug and just like any drug it can become addictive. In large amounts it can be poisonous and lethal to your liver and your whole body.
In 2010 what did the Scottish government estimate the consequences of alcohol abuse in Scotland to cost them?
- crime costs of 727.1 million
- health care 268.8 million
- social care costs 230.5 million
What became banned in 2011 about alcohol?
a ban came about where supermarkets or shops could no longer do deals on alcohol ( 3 for £10 ) but many supermarkets have found ways around this like selling bottles for 3.33 each.
What percentage of Scotland’s school students excess to much alcohol in early years?
35% of Scotland’s population was seen to be drinking to much alcohol at such a young age. However, it could be more than this as many people choose not to admit to drinking at an early age as they are scared of the consequences.
What age in Scotland do teenagers start binge drinking?
13 years old, Scotland were second highest in terms of alcohol
What are the concerns with teenagers binge drinking?
When you’re younger your body is not ready for alcohol in the body as it has not built away to fight against it yet, therefore young children can find themselves at heavy risks as they begin to find it addictive.
Younger children may also not be aware of what is going on around them and commit to things they would not normally do while being sober. The may take part in sexual activities that they do not want to do or they may commit a crime and not think about it while doing it.
A drinks promotion is irresponsible if?
- it involves the unlimited supply of alcohol for a fixed fee
- The promotion targets anyone under the age of 18
- if it encourages anyone to consume more alcohol than they should
- it encourages people to drink quickly
- it offers alcohol as a prize
Which drugs are class A?
- heroin
- crack
- cocaine
- ecstasy
- LSD
- methadone
Which are class B drugs?
- cannabis
- amphetamines
- codeine
What are examples of class C drugs?
- ketamine
- GHB
- anabolic steriods
- some tranquilisers
What can happen if you are found in possession of a class A drug?
Up to 7 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
What can happen if you are found in the possession of a class B drug?
Up to 5 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
What can happen if you are found in the possession of a class C drug?
Up to 2 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
What are legal highs?
legal highs are drugs which give off the same effect as an illegal drug but they are not controlled under the misuse of drugs act.
why are legal highs dangerous?
legal highs have not been tested for as much as illegal drugs have and many more legal highs get brought onto the market frequently yet no one knows their consequences.
What are changes in the law regarding smoking?
although tobacco is not an illegal drug the government has tried to reduce the amount of people selling it by:
- introducing a smoking ban in 2006 in Scotland and 2007 in England and Wales.
- increasing the age at which people can buy cigarettes fro 16 to 18
- made the health warnings bigger on the packaging
- put disturbing pictures of cancerous lungs
What are changes in the law regarding alcohol?
- labelling bottles with the amount of units they contain
- ensuring bottles have a ‘ drink responsible ‘ message on them
- asking supermarkets to ask for ID for people who look under the age of 25
What are changes in the law regarding drugs?
- changing cannabis from a class C to B
- more robust enforcement against cannabis supply or possession
What is white collar crime?
broadly describes office work or work in business. White collar crime includes :
- Fraud
- Bribery
- Inside trading
- Embezzlement
- Computer crime
- Forgery
What is fraud?
Where you take money of people discretely.
What is bribery?
offering, giving or receiving any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty.
What is insider trading?
trading of a corporations stock or other securities ( e.g. bonds or stock options) by corporate insiders such as officers, key employees, directors, or holders of more than 10% of the firms shares.
What is embezzlement?
Is when you take money that has been given to you in trust but belongs to another person but you take it. For an example when you put money in the bank if the banker was to take your money and keep it once you have trusted them with the money can be called embezzling.
what is computer crime?
Where the computer is the main target of the crime. These can be things such as hacking, spreading harmful viruses, stealing personal details and identity theft/
What may crimes do to individuals?
It may leave thoughts in your mind for ever, you be face anxiety, feel vulnerable, intimidated and also scared that it may happen to you all over again. This can lead to mental traumas such as depression.
many times after a crime the victims family suffers from it too.
Being a victim of crime by age?
As your age goes on you are less likely to be a victim of crime.
Risk of being a victim by gender?
The risk of being a victims of any crime is slightly higher for males than females, but only by 1%.
risk of being a victim by ethnicity?
According to statistics ethnic minorities have a slightly higher chance of being a victim of crime than whites do. This is often because people are against their race or beliefs.
risk of being a victim of a crime by social class?
If you are from a lower social class you are more likely to be involved in a crime. Repeat victimisation happens the most with people living in poorer areas. The higher social class can afford to live in safer areas, buy alarms and CCTV.
risk of being a victim of a crime by religion?
Catholics in Scotland have a higher chance of suffering crime due to their religion. 1/3 of these incidents are related to football.
What is reckless driving?
Deliberately driving in a manner that is likely to cause an accident
