Unit 2- AC 1.1 Flashcards
what are values?
general principles/ guidelines for how we should live our lives
e.g respect for human life
what are norms?
specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s behaviour
e.g queuing in a line
what are moral codes?
- used to describe a set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual, group, organisation or society.
- they may be written down
- help determine what is right and wrong
what is deviance?
- behaviour that differs from normal, unusual, uncommon or out of the ordinary
- goes against social norms of society
- not always illegal
how can deviant behaviour be seen as unusual?
- unusual but good, e.g risking one’s own life to save someone else
- unusual and bizarre, e.g hoarding large amounts of newspapers
- unusual and bad, e.g physically attacking someone for no reason
what are formal sanctions?
imposed by official bodies such as police, schools, courts etc
punishments
e.g fines, exclusions
forms of non-court formal sanctions
cautions- given by police for minor crimes like graffiti, have to admit to the offence and agree to be cautioned otherwise could be arrested
conditional cautions- given by police but have to agree to certain rules and restrictions, e.g. repairing damage to property
penalty notices- given for offences like shop lifting, have to be aged 18 or over to receive
notes
some acts may be deviant but not criminal e.g. shouting in a library
some acts are classed as criminal but not deviant e.g. keeping excess change given by mistake
some acts are considered criminal and deviant e.g. murder
forms of court formal sanctions
custodial sentences- where you are immediately sent to prison
community sentences- combination order including unpaid work, probation, curfew
fines (financial penalties)- amount depends on seriousness of offence and financial circumstances of offender
what are informal sanctions?
used where the rules are not formally written down and are ‘unspoken’
what are positive sanctions?
rewards for behaviour that society approves of
e.g medals, certificates, praise
can be formal or informal
what is social control?
ways in which society sees to control our behaviour and ensure we conform to its norms and behave ways others expect us to
all sanctions are forms of social control
what is criminal behaviour?
form of deviance that involves serious and harmful acts that are wrong against society
regarded as so disruptive that the state must intervene on behalf of society to punish them by law
what is the legal definition of criminal behaviour?
a defendants action has to have two elements for it to be regarded as a crime by the court
- actus reus- ‘a guilty act’
- men’s rea- ‘a guilty mind’
this means defendant must have done something the law forbids and must have done so with bad intentions
what are the two exceptions where the legal definition of criminal behaviour isn’t relevant?
- strict liability
- some cases don’t require men’s rea to be present
- offences can be done without intention of doing wrong but still harms others so is prosecuted
e.g health and safety regulations where manager is responsible for employees health
- self defence
- if actus reus and men’s rea is done in self defence it is not a crime as long as it was reasonable in the situation
what is the social definition of criminal behaviour?
crime is a social construct and therefore definition includes 3 aspects:
- differing views
- the public having different views of what acts are really crimes
-e.g users of soft drugs may not believe they’re criminals
- law enforcement
- not all criminal laws are enforced, some are low on list of police priorities
- e.g police may feel enforcing laws against possession of soft drugs is unpopular and waste of time
- law making
- not all acts that should be made into crimes have laws passed
- which actions get made illegal depends on who has the power to influence law makers such as media
- some laws are changed to reflect changes in public opinion such as decriminalisation (not seen as a crime and seen as more normal)
what are the two main types of offence?
- summary offence- less serious offences such as speeding
- indictable offence- more serious offences such as rape or murder, sentences are more severe
what are the main categories of indictable offences?
- violence against the person- e.g murder, assault
- sexual offences- e.g rape, grooming
- offences against property- e.g theft, robbery
- fraud and forgery- e.g tax evasion
- criminal damage- e.g arson
- drug offences- e.g supplying or possessing any drugs
- public order offences- e.g riots, violent disorder
how may criminal acts be classified?
in terms of their seriousness or subject matter
summary offence case study
indictable offence case study
what are formal sanctions?
the penalties laid down by the law that can be imposed on those convicted of a crime
the sanctions vary according to the severity of the crime
they can be imposed by courts or the police depending on the offence
what types of formal sanctions can courts give?
custodial sentences and community sentences
what are custodial sentences?
examples: imprisonment and detention in a young offenders institution
length of a sentence can vary from days up to life imprisonment
prisoners serving life sentences are eligible to apply for parole after 15 years though courts can impose a longer minimum sentence in more serious cases
