Unit 3: International Law and Dispute Resolution Flashcards
what is actus reas?
- the prohibited act
- physical component to criminal conduct
what is mens rea?
- the guilty mind
- the mental component to a crime/intent
what is absolute liability?
-the accused aren’t given the opportunity to prove reasonable care was taken
what is strict liability?
-guilt is based on the accused’s ability to prove duty diligence/reasonable care to avoid committing the offence
what is criminology?
- the study of the nature, causes and means of dealing with a crime
- theories include a variety of ideas from sociology/psychology
who were the 2 famous theorists in criminology? (late 18th-19th cen)
- Beccaria
- Bentham
what was Beccaria’s theory?
-humans are driven by self-interest but would rational in their actions by weighing all possible consequences
what was Bentham’s theory?
- believed that law should ensure the greatest good for the greatest #
- gov’t should determine what behaviours were criminal
what did both Beccaria and Bentham both believe?
-the gov’t could control crime by creating laws and swiftly punishing when broken
What is positivism? (late 19th cen)
-focused on biology and psychological factors to explain criminal behaviour
who was positivism’s best known theorist?
Cesare Lambroso
what did Cesare Lambroso believe?
- serious offenders had inhereted criminal traits
- they were born criminal
what did positivists in the 60s believe about criminals?
-criminal behaviour’s connected to chromosomal abnormalities
what did positivists in the 60s believe about criminals?
-criminal behaviour’s connected to chromosomal abnormalities
what is the sociological perspective?
-considered the external/physical influences as major contributors to criminal behaviour
what are the three theories of the sociological perspective?
- theory of anomie
- ecological school
- consensus theory
what are the three theories of the sociological perspective?
- theory of anomie
- ecological school
- consensus theory
what is the theory of anomie?
- the shift from rural to urban caused a shift of tradition, causing them to weaken
- an indv’ls anonymity in urban society means they turn to crime
true or false:
traditional society made it harder to commit crimes b/c everyone would know
true
summarize what the ecological school of sociological perspective is
criminal behaviour was fostered and encouraged in certain environments
what did the ecological school’s study find?
poor/transient neighbourhoods were more likely to condone criminal activity
what is the social conflict theory?
- argued that a capitalist society that encourages competition for resources means crime is inevitable
- the justice system protects those w/money and power than poor ppl
what is the consensus theory?
- there’s a universal definition of right/wrong
- criminal law prohibits behaviours that society has agreed are harmful and these collective prohibitive acts apply to all classes of ppl
what is strain theory?
- ppl commit crimes b/c they think they can’t achieve the their desires and goals
- unfair econ. structures makes ppl. turn to crime for compensation
what is the socialization theory?
-suggests that the key influences of criminal behaviour are found in upbringing, peers and role models
what are the contemporary theories?
- strain theory
- socialization theory
- social conflict theory (again)
- biological trait theory
- neurophysiological theory
true or false:
extensive research in biology and genetics caused positivism to be revisited
true
summarize biological trait theory
-human traits like intelligence, genetic makeup and personality might cause certain indv’ls to engage in crime
what has bio-chemical research suggest factors in to criminal behaviour
-poor diet, hormones and prenatal exposure
what is an indictable offence?
- a felony that leads to over 2 years in prison
- ie. murder