Criminology

• criminal?


  If something is criminal it is against the law.
• Deviant?


  If something is deviant it is not illegal however it is going against what society deems acceptable.
• White collar crime definition?

  A crime that is committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of their occupation. Job roles that are likely to commit white collar crime: teacher, police, doctor, nurse, dentist, bankers, accountant, stockbrokers, lawyers. Highly qualified professionals.  
• White collar crime offenders?

  • Corporate crime: when a crime is committed by or on behalf of a company (big company’s such as: Tesco, McDonalds, Nike, apple, Starbucks etc.)  
  • Professional crime: when crime is committed by professionals.  
• White collar crime victims?

  • Consumers/customers: companies making false claims about their products, scamming.  
  • Tax payers and the government: through companies committing tax fraud. 
  • Employees: harassment/discrimination in the workplace.  
  • The general public: through companies breaching environmental standards and polluting the environment.  
• Is the public aware of White collar crime?

  Low level of public awareness.
• Is white collar crime criminal, deviant or both?

  White collar crime is both criminal and deviant, they are breaking the law which makes it criminal but they are also betraying the trust of others and can cause great harm to the victims which makes it deviant. 
• Moral crime definition?


  Crimes that go against society’s norms or moral code. They typically involve one person supplying goods (e.g. drugs) or services (e.g. prostitution) to another.
• Moral crime offenders?


  Very according to the crime.

  • E.g. drug dealers – could be their main source of income, or could be shopkeepers who sell alcohol to underage customers.  
  • E.g. people who are forced into offending due to personal circumstances, such as unhoused people.  
• Moral crime victims?

  Some moral crimes are considered victimless, e.g. taking the illegal substances. This is because its not thought to affect anyone other than the offender. Others consider the offender to also be the victim in these cases. In cases where the crimes do not involve consenting adults (e.g. selling to underage people or exploitation of sex workers) then these people are considered the victims. 
• Moral crime examples?


  Drug dealing, selling age restricted products to underage individuals, begging.
• Is the public aware of Moral crime?

  There is a mixed level of public awareness, it is within the internet of drug dealers to conceal their crimes so they are not arrested. However, the public may not choose to report crimes such as begging to the police. 
• Is moral crime criminal, deviant or both?

  Mostly both, but some crimes, e.g. begging, aren’t considered deviant. 
• Examples of Moral crime?

  • Prostitution  
  • Possession of illegal drugs  
  • Selling illegal drugs  
  • Underage substance use 
  • Selling age restricted items to underage individuals  
  • Assisted suicide 
• State crime definition?


  illegal or deviant activities perpetrated by state agencies; or crimes by other individuals or groups when carried out with the backing of the state (government). 
• State crime examples?

  §  Torture, e.g. Guantanamo Bay Case

  §  Police brutality, e.g. George Floyd Case

  §  Imprisonment without trail, e.g. 1970s Northern Ireland Troubles

  §  War crimes (e.g. indiscriminate bombing of civilians), e.g. Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, Nazi Germany (Holocaust)

  §  Political crimes (e.g. election rigging)
• State crime offenders?

  §  State officials (e.g. politicians civil servants, police officers, security forces)

  §  Militias

  §  Government supporters acting with encouragement from the state.
• State crime victims?

  §  Citizens of that state

  §  Citizens of another state that is subject to aggression or occupation

  §  Often members of religious or ethnic minorities, or political opponents of the government.
• Level of public awareness for State crime?

  §  High, there is a lot of media coverage on many state crimes so the public know what’s going on

  §  Low, the state may attempt to conceal crimes by censoring media coverage or passing laws to legitimize their actions.
• Is state crime criminal, deviant or both?


  Definitely deviant but not always criminal. §  As states have the power to change the law, they can make it legal to carry out certain activities.

  §  However, the international law defines human rights abuses as crimes, so the International Criminal Court can try those who have been accused of genocide/state crime.
• Technological crime definition?

  Offences involving the use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as the internet, social media ect. They are also known as cyber-crimes or e-crimes.
• Technological crime examples?

  §  Financial crimes – e.g. phishing frauds

  §  Cyber-trespass – e.g. hacking social media accounts or releasing viruses

  §  Identity theft – e.g. stealing someone’s personal information/data

  §  Hate crimes – e.g., racist abuse, online threats to assault individuals etc.

  §  Illegal downloading – e.g. of copyrighted material like music or videos

  §  Publishing or viewing child pornography
• Technological crime offenders?

  §  Can be anyone with access to technology to commit crimes like cyberbullying

  §  More specialist technical knowledge necessary for hacking ect

  §  Can be in a different part of the world to the victim due to the internet
• Technological crime victims?

  §  Can be anyone with access to the internet

  §  Also, people with publishing rights (could be victims of piracy)

  §  The elderly are more likely to be victims of technological crime due to their lack of knowledge on the internet and how it works.
• Level of public awareness for Technological crime?

  mixed, it depends of the type of crime. Some have high public awareness such as hate crime and illegal downloading.
• Is technological crime criminal, deviant or both?

  Some acts are definitely criminal and deviant (e.g. viewing child pornography, or fraud), others are criminal but not considered deviant (e.g. illegal downloading of copyrighted content), others are not criminal but considered deviant (e.g. viewing adult pornography).
• Hate crime definition?

  crimes where the perpetrator is perceived to be motivated by hatred of the victim because of the victim’s disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. These are also known as the protected characteristics.
• Hate crime victims?

  §  Religious minorities

  §  Ethnic minorities

  §  Transgender and non-binary individuals

  §  Women

  §  Gay and bisexual individuals

  §  Disabled individuals
• Hate crime offenders?

  §  People who hold prejudice attitudes (e.g. racism, islamophobia, transphobia, biphobia...) about the group to which the victim belongs.
• Level of public awareness for Hate crime?

  It has a high level of public awareness; it is higher nowadays due to the media reporting and campaigning.  
• Is hate crime criminal, deviant or both?


  Both. It is illegal to commit these crime as it goes against the demand characteristics, it is also deviant as it is very frowned upon to be racist, homophobic ect.
• Honour crime definition?


  violence committed to defend the supposed honour of a family or community. The violence is directed against the individual who is deemed to have brought shame upon the family.
• Honour crime examples?


  forced marriage, female genital mutilation
• Honour crime victims?


  almost always female, mostly young, most are from minority ethnic backgrounds
• Honour crime victims?


  usually the victims family, extended family, members of the community, most commonly male relatives but can involve females
• Level of public awareness for Honour crime?

  low because members of the community may not see it as a crime, members outside of the community may not know it is occurring, victims may not know they are a victim or not able to report it.
• Is honour crime, criminal, deviant or both?

  It is criminal however not considered deviant by the offenders but is by the wider society
• Individual crime definition?

  Individual crime refers to a violent act carried out by a person against another individual, resulting in physical, emotional, or psychological harm to the victim.
• Examples of individual crime?

  domestic violence, assault (sexual and physical), battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, homicide
• victims of individual crime?

  general public and loved ones