AC 1.2 - social construction

• Polygamy is when someone has more than one wife or husband
• Polygyny is when a man has more than one wife
• Polyandry is when a woman has more than one husband
• Polygamy is against the law in most countries
• In the UK, it is called bigamy when someone marries another person whilst still married
• In the UK, bigamy carries a custodial sentence of up to 7 years
• Countries where polygamy is legal

  • Sudan
  • Pakistan
  • Bangladesh
  • Morocco
  • Cameroon
• why is Polygamy is legal in Sudan?

  They hope to raise the population
• why is Polygamy legal in Pakistan?

  It is common within society and deeply rooted in their social lives
• why is Polygamy legal in Bangladesh?

  They must have permission and treat their wives equally
• why is Polygamy is legal in Morocco?

  By the family codes
• why is Polygamy legal in Cameroon?

  It is a symbol of wealth
• homosexuality is sexual acts between members of the same sex

  is still regarded as a criminal behaviour in some countries
• Male homosexuality is still illegal in approximately 70 countries, and lesbian relationships are still illegal in 45 countries
• In Russia, homosexuality is not illegal, but it is illegal to promote it
• 5 countries which criminalise homosexuality

  • Uganda
  • Morocco
  • Bangladesh
  • Ghana
  • Syria
• Why these countries criminalise homosexuality

  • It goes against their religion
  • It is regarded as deviant and criminal
  • Public opinions and views of people in society also influence it
  • Most of these countries are in Africa which has a large group of Muslims who also criminalise homosexuality, therefore they are listening to the majority of their population due to them being religious
• Different societies and cultures have different attitudes towards the use and possession of drugs such as cannabis
• the law on cannabis can change, indicating that social attitudes can influence law making and the social construction of criminality
• Cannabis in the UK

  Illegal as it is a class B drug. The maximum penalty for possession is 5 years imprisonment. A magistrate's court can also impose a fine of up to £2,500
• Reasons why the law on cannabis varies

  • Some social attitudes focus on individual choice and promote the idea of freedom
  • Some countries decriminalised cannabis as a way of disrupting the ecosystem
• Countries where cannabis is legal

  • Portugal - decriminalised it to get rid of drug dealers
  • Amsterdam - so people could be more free and it is a good tourist attraction
• what year did The sexual offence act decriminalises sex between two men over 21 and in private

  1967
• what year was The first pride held with 2000 participants

  1972
• what year did the WHO declassify same sex attraction as a mental illness

  1992
• what year was Gay marriage legalised in the UK

  2014 (same sex couples act)
• The Wolfenden Report was led by John Wolfenden in 1957 and recommended decriminalising private and consensual homosexual acts between adults. It stated that homosexuality was not a disease but actually a normal alternative path of life. The report influenced the Sexual Offences Act 10 years later in 1967 which decriminalised acts between men over 21 in private. The report has been referred to multiple times in subsequent legislative changed including a reduced age of consent to 18 in 1994 and finally to 16 in 2001
• Stonewall stand for the LGBTQ+ community where people are free to be themselves. The campaign was created in 1989. In 1992, they began their first major campaign for an equal age of consent. 8 years later, their campaign was successful and group sex between men was decriminalised. A year later in 2001, they set up a diversity champions program
• In 1967 David Steel chose to sponsor a bill on homosexuality. He also passed an abortion bill. In 1974 the abortion act was threatened by James White's private member bill. In 1975 the NAC was established to protect the 1967 act and campaign for its improvement. In 2003 NAC and ALRA merged to form abortion rights
• The law before drugs were decriminalised in 2001 in Portugal was that the criminalization of drug use was enacted to ensure legislation was in compliance with the three major United Nations treaties on drugs
• After in 2001, all drugs were decriminalised in Portugal in hopes to reduce the number of people who use it. They don't send them to prison and instead help them with treatment and give them methadone
• • Drug-related deaths have remained below the EU average since 2001 in Portugal
  • The proportion of prisoners sentenced for drugs has fallen from 40% to 15%
  • Rates of drug use have remained consistently below the EU average
• In 1996 a gunman invaded a primary school in Dunblane and shot and killed 16 children and their teacher before killing himself. the residents of the town created a campaign 'snowdrop' to seek changes In gun laws
• In early 1997, parliament banned the possession of private ownership to handguns and later in the year banned all guns. The campaign was successful as the number of gun killings in the UK has dropped significantly
• Moral panics


  When behaviour shocks or disrupts society. Different people are affected differently of a crime they have committed. It makes sure that people don't commit this behaviour again in the future and makes sure to tell people who are thinking of repeating the crime that there will be severe consequences
• Age of criminal responsibility

  Children are not criminally responsible until they are 10 years old. They cannot be convicted in the same way of an adult as they are not considered to have the full mental capacity and understanding of wrong behaviours until they are older
• Homicide cases

  When people are murdered, the homicide act 1957 says that there are some conditions where an offender can plead that they are not guilty. For example you can change a conviction from murder to manslaughter if they are found to not have full mental capacity
• Typifications


  Police and other organizations intentionally or unintentionally treat different groups of people differently and in an unequal way. People who fit these 'types' are more likely to be stopped than other people and therefore criminals are able to get away with crimes as they know what police are on the lookout for