Criminology

• Norms


  Specific rules of expectations in society about what is socially acceptable behaviour
• Norms


  • Dependent upon a social context (e.g. location, time of day, specific culture)
  • Dependent upon age, gender, ethnicity and other social factors
• Norms


  • Eating with a knife and fork
  • Queuing in a line
• Moral codes


  A code of ethics with the expectation that you will follow them and adhere to them
• Values


  General principles or guidelines that refer to what people in society believe is the right thing to do within a society
• Values


  A reflection of social norms and what is seen as an acceptable way to act in a specific given situation
• Moral codes


  • Dependent upon social institutions such as education, the government or the criminal justice system
• If individuals didn't behave in the expected desirable ways

  They may be subject to formal and informal sanctions
• Moral codes


  • The Police code of ethics
• Values are subject to change - general guidelines on how we should live our lives
• Values include respect for human life
• Moral codes are a written guide to the core principles and standards that officers are expected to uphold
• Deviance


  The act of violating a social norm
• Deviant behaviour


  • Physically attacking someone for no reason
  • Talking to the trees in a park
• Deviant behaviour


  • Can be criminal, but not all deviant behaviour breaks the law
  • May be viewed positively if it goes against norms and values that limit people's behaviour
  • May be seen as unusual rather than bad - behaving in a way that other people would not
• Formal sanctions against deviance


  • Imposed by official bodies such as the police or courts
  • Punishments for breaking formal written rules or laws
• Formal sanctions


  • Courts may fine an offender for theft
• Social control


  • The ways in which society seeks to control our behaviour and ensure that we conform to its norms and behaviours
  • Can be formal and informal
• Informal sanctions against deviance

  • Used where the rules aren't formally written down and are perhaps 'unspoken'
  • When someone breaks these rules, others show disapproval in informal ways such as refusing to speak to them, telling them off, or giving them a dirty look
• Positive sanctions


  Rewards for behaviours that society approves of, such as medals for sporting achievements
• Criminal behaviour


  • A form of deviance that involves serious harmful acts that are wrong against society
  • The State must intervene on behalf of society to forbid them and to punish them by law
• Legal definition of crime

  • Any action that's forbidden by criminal law
  • Normally requires two elements: Actus Reus (a guilty act) and Mens Rea (a guilty mind)
  • Exceptions include strict liability (where mens rea is not required) and self-defence (where the force used was reasonable)
• Types of criminal acts

  • Violence against the person (e.g. murder, manslaughter, assault)
  • Sexual offences (e.g. rape, sex trafficking, grooming)
  • Offences against property (e.g. burglary, theft, robbery)
  • Fraud and forgery (e.g. investment fraud, Ponzi schemes)
  • Criminal damage (e.g. arson)
  • Drug offences (e.g. supplying or possessing heroin)
  • Public order offences (e.g. riot, violent disorder)
• Formal sanctions against criminals

  • Custodial sentences (imprisonment or detention in a young offenders' institution)
  • Community sentences (served in the community, e.g. probation orders, restrictions, community payback)
  • Fines (financial penalties)
  • Discharge (a conditional discharge where the offender commits no further offences for a given period)
• Police sanctions


  • Cautions (warnings for minor crimes)
  • Conditional cautions (with rules and restrictions)
  • Penalty notices (for minor crimes like shoplifting or possession of cannabis)
• Other implications of committing a criminal act include exclusion from certain occupations, placement on the violent and sex offender register, travel bans, restrictions on adoption/jury service/standing for elected office, and having to declare unspent convictions when obtaining insurance
• Social construction


  Something that has been made up (constructed) by society rather than occurring naturally
• What counts as criminality is simply whichever acts a society defines as criminal
• One society or culture can define a particular act as criminal and pass laws against it, while other cultures see nothing wrong with it
• As a society changes over time, its idea about what is a crime can also change
• Activities illegal in the UK but legal in other countries

  • Polygamy
  • Honour crimes
  • Selling cannabis
  • Assisted suicide
  • Euthanasia
• Activities that used to be illegal in the UK but are now legal

  • Homosexuality
  • Abortion
• Activities that used to be legal in the UK but are now illegal

  • Slavery
  • Corporal punishment
  • Driving without a seatbelt
• Activities that are legal in the UK but not in other countries

  • Adultery
  • Homosexuality
  • Jaywalking
  • Abortions
• Polygamy


  The practice of having more than one husband or wife at the same time
• Polygyny


  Where a man may take two or more wives
• Polyandry


  Where a woman may take two or more husbands
• Where is polygamy legal?

  • Mainly in Muslim or African countries
  • In five multicultural societies with a large Muslim population (India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka), the law permits polygamous marriages, but for Muslims only
• Polygamy is against the law in most countries
• In some Muslim countries such as Turkey and Tunisia, polygamy is also considered a crime