1.1 Compare criminal behaviour and deviance

• How can deviance be described

  1. Behaviour that is unusual and good - E.g. heroically risking your life.
  2. Behaviour that is unusual and eccentric or bizarre - E.g. Talking to the trees in the park.
  3. Behaviour that is unusual and bad or disapproved of - E.g. physically attacking someone.
• what are all sanctions a form of

  social control
• What are the 2 exceptions when it comes to defining criminal behaviour

  • strict liability
  • self-defence
• what are the main categories of indictable offences

  • murder
  • rape
  • manslaughter
  • robbery
  • possession of a firearm
  • causing death by dangerous driving
  • violence against a person
  • sexual offences
  • fraud/forgery
  • criminal damage
  • public order offences
  • drug offences
  • offences against property
• how is a sentence decided for a criminal

  • which crimes were most serious
  • what happens to the victim
  • has justice been done
  • preventing reoffending
  • why did they do it
• what do judges and magistrates use to decide on sentences

  sentencing guidelines
• what always stays the same even if circumstances may be different

  the way a judge decides a sentence
• what 8 points should judges and magistrates consider when deciding on a sentence

  • harm caused to individual
  • previous criminal record
  • personal circumstances
  • guilty pleas - how early they admit - lowers sentence by 1/3
  • how serious offence is
  • offenders level of blame
  • remorse
  • what is most likely to stop them reoffending
• what are the main 4 types of sentence

  • prison
  • community sentence
  • fines
  • discharges
• how much time will someone spend in prison

  half their sentence - the rest on licence in the community (have to obey certain rules)
• what do community sentences include

  complete unpaid work e.g. litter picking, cleaning graffiti. Drug treatments/addiction services.

  40-300 hours
• what determines the level of a fine

  • the offenders income
  • seriousness of offence
• what is a discharge and why are they sometimes used

  used for the least serious offences, where the thought of going through a trial is enough - if they reoffend they can be tried for 1st and 2nd crime
• what are examples of formal sanctions against criminals

  Court sanctions

  • custodial sentences
  • community sentences
  • fines
  • discharge

  Police sanctions

  • cautions
  • conditional cautions
  • penalty notices
• Examples of acts that are criminal but not deviant

  • murder
  • illegal downloading
  • under age drinking
  • speeding
• examples of acts that are deviant but not criminal

  • pushing in a queue
  • cheating on a test
• what is the social construction of criminality?

  • made/constructed by society.
  • what counts as criminal is simply whichever acts a society defines as criminal.
  • one society or culture can look at such acts and classify them differently - cannabis illegal in the UK but legal in the US
  • as society changes over time we can see its ideas about crime also changing.