crim unit 2

• Social crime

  Sometimes crime is a label from "social interaction" or a wrong against the community. If a society has said that an act is a crime then it becomes one
• Formal sanctions against crime

  • Non Court sanctions
  • Court sanctions
  • Cautions
  • Conditional Cautions
  • Penalty Notices
  • Custodial sentences
  • Community sentences
  • Fines
  • Discharge
• Cautions

  They are administered by the police and are given for minor crimes like graffiti. If you don't accept and admit the offence punishments will be increased
• Conditional Cautions

  Also given by the police but you have to agree to certain rules and restrictions such as receiving treatment for drug abuse or repairing damage
• Penalty Notices

  Given for offences like shoplifting, cannabis or being drunk and disorderly. And you can only receive if 18 or over
• Custodial sentences

  You are immediately sent to prison. There are mandatory and discretionary life sentences and fixed terms and indeterminate prison sentences
• Community sentences

  Can be a combination order including unpaid work, probation, curfew and orders such as having drug testing and treatment
• Fines

  Financial penalties; the amount depends on the seriousness of the offence and the financial circumstances of the offender
• Discharge

  Can be conditional, if the defendant reoffends during a set time, the court can give an alternative sentence or absolute, when no penalty as imposed so the defendant is technically guilty but morally blameless
• Deviance

  Behaviour that goes against the dominant social norms of a specific group or society, which causes some kind of critical reaction or disapproval
• Norms

  Social expectations that guide behaviour and explain why people act the way they do. It keeps deviant behaviour in check
• Moral Codes

  Morals or good ways of behaving. Breaking this would be considered serious in society like murder
• Values

  Rules shared by most people in a given culture. It is what people feel should happen, they are more general guidelines than norms. E.g. Respect the elderly
• Informal sanctions of deviance

  • Frowning upon behaviour
  • Name calling
  • Ignoring behaviour
  • Labelling behaviour
  • Parents grounding a child
• Forms of Deviance

  • Admired Behaviour
  • Odd Behaviour
  • Bad Behaviour
• Admired Behaviour

  Deviant but considered good or admirable, e.g. saving a life while putting own at risk, as most people would not do so
• Odd Behaviour

  Deviant by being odd or different from what is considered as the norms
• Bad Behaviour

  Deviant because it is actually bad
• Examples of deviant behaviour

  • Cross dressing
  • Hoarding newspapers
  • Excessive washing of hands
  • Downloading of music
  • Speeding
  • Naked sunbathing
  • Murder
  • Smoking
• Adultery

  Sexual relations between a married person and another, with the exception of their spouse
• Honour Crimes

  Crimes where the accused have brought shame on their family, it can include killing
• Homosexuality

  Involving or characterised by sexual attraction between people of the same sex
• Legality of acts in the UK

  • Adultery - Not considered a criminal offence but may have legal consequences in the divorce process
  • Honour Crimes - Such actions are crimes and if killing is involved it is murder
  • Homosexuality - Was illegal but then partially decriminalised in 1967 with the age of consent. Initially civil partnerships were allowed and now same sex marriage is also allowed
• Cultures where acts are legal

  • Adultery - UK and other European countries
  • Honour Crimes - Most honour crimes take place within south Asian and middle eastern families
  • Homosexuality - Uk, Europe, USA and Canada
• Cultures where acts are illegal

  • Adultery - Many countries governed by Islamic law such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
  • Honour Crimes - Almost half of the states ion the USA consider it a crime but in most it is only a misdemeanour (minor offence)
  • Homosexuality - UK, Europe, Pakistan, etc. India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen and Nigeria
• Why laws vary in different cultures

  • Religion
  • Status of women
  • Politicians may not wish to be seen as opposing moral law
  • Originated from tribal customs
  • None of the words major religions condone honour related crimes
• How laws change over time

  • Capital Punishment
  • Double Jeopardy
  • Prostitution
• In the 18th century, there were over 200 offences for which the death penalty could be given. Such crimes like picking pockets and shooting rabbits
• The laws were often focused on the poor who were viewed as lazy and agents of their own misfortune
• This view faded as all people were given rights and freedom like wise the death penalty also faded and became illegal in many places. Yet isn't completely abolished
• The law prevented a person from being tried again for the same offence, which was abolished for serious offences
• This change was necessary as the law at the time was inadequate to bring justice
• Many women became prostitutes in order to earn a life style and money, however, societies views slowly changed
• Nowadays there are calls for it to be decriminalised with appropriate regulations after it was fully illegal to solicit sexual gratification for money
• How laws change in different places

  • Possession of Cannabis
  • Jaywalking
  • Female genital Mutilation
• Cannabis is illegal in England and Wales, but there has been talks to decriminalise it and allow its use, particularly for medical use. However in countries such as Columbia and Uruguay it is legal
• Jaywalking is where pedestrians cross without regards to traffic rules. It is an offence in areas in the USA, Canada, Singapore and Poland. Yet in the UK it is legal
• Female genital mutilation is the deliberate mutilation of girls, generally 15 years olds, to prevent them from having sex. This is illegal in the UK, but yet is legal in many parts of Africa, the middle east and Asia
• How laws are applied differently according to circumstances in which actions occur

  • Age
  • Diminished responsibility or loss of control
• In the Uk the criminal responsibility age is 10