modern - crime and law

Cards (47)

  • non sexual (category of crime)

    crimes which are very violent in nature and often result in physical harm to a person or property however do not involve sexual activity
  • other (category of crime)

    this category includes all the different types of crime that are not easily categorised. some are more serious and include crimes such as drugs and driving offences
  • sexual offences (category of crime)

    these crimes are very harmful in nature and will have an emotional and or physical impact on the victim. they all involve some form of sexual activity
  • crimes of dishonesty (category of crime)

    this category of crime includes all the different crimes that people commit by cheating or deceiving other people of business
  • fire raising / vandalism (category of crime)

    these crimes are when people cause deliberate harm to property or the environment by damaging it in some way
  • this category of crime is: non sexual
    • murder
    • attempted murder
    • serious assault
    • robbery
  • this category of crime is: crimes of dishonesty
    • housebreaking
    • theft
    • shoplifting
    • fraud
  • this category of crime is: fire raising
    • deliberately setting fires
    • damaging property
  • this category of crime is: other
    • handling a weapon
    • drug offences
    • traffic crimes
    • public disorder
  • this category of crime is: sexual offences
    • rape
    • attempted rape
    • sexual assault
    • prostitution
  • groups affected by crime
    • transgender people
    • poorer people / working class
    • ethnic minorities
    • religious minorities
    • LGBT
  • social causes of crime
    • drugs & alcohol
    • ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
    • social pressure
  • drugs & alcohol
    someone may commit a crime to meet their addictions or while under the influence. for example, the Scottish gov found just under 2/3rds of violent crime is committed while someone is under the influence of alcohol
  • ACES
    people who grew up in households where their upbringing was abnormal are more likely to be a perpetrator of crime themselves. for example the BBC reports that people with ACES are 20x more likely to be in prison in their life
  • social pressure
    there is a lot of pressure in Scottish culture on men to "act the man" or be "the big man" which may pressure men to commit crime or to show they are in charge. for example, around 80% of domestic abuse cases had a male perpetrator and female victim.
  • economic causes of crime
    • greed
    • poverty
    • unemployment
  • greed
    when someone has a selfish desire to get more and more of something. for example a former SNP MP Natalie McGarry was jailed for embezzling more than £25,000 including donations meant for a foodbank
  • poverty
    people may turn to crime to provide for what they cant afford in life. for example, around 25% of all crimes of dishonesty are when people steal items from shops such as food and clothing which is known as "survival shoplifting"
  • unemployment
    when people don't have a job, there are few options to make a living legally so many turn to shoplifting. for example, in areas like Glasgow there is a high unemployment rate so there are more gangs
  • biological causes of crime
    • psychopathic tendencies / mental disorder
    • hormones
    • brain development
  • psychopathic tendencies
    people who have the mental disorder of psychopathy are people who lack remorse or feel little remorse for others. this means they are less likely to feel guilt or regret for committing crimes so they are more likely to do so. for example, Aaron Campbell who killed Alesha MacPhail has been labelled a psychopath by experts who have warned he should never be out of prison.
  • hormones
    men have higher levels of the hormone testosterone than women which historically makes them more aggressive and prone to higher risk taking. this aggression or risk taking can lead them to commit violent crime. for example, around 90% of prisoners are male compared to the 10% who are female.
  • brain development
    one reason young people may commit crimes is because their brains are not developed fully. for example in 2020 the BBC reported that judges in Scotland were trying to reduce the number of under 25 year olds sent to prison because evidence suggests their brains had not yet matured enough to be treated the same way as an adult
  • consequences of crimes on the perpetrator
    • jail time
    • injury
    • guilt
    • embarrassment
    • unemployment
    • debt
  • consequences of crimes on the victim
    • death
    • injury
    • distrust
    • trauma
    • repairs
    • unemployment
  • consequences of crimes on families
    • loss
    • property damage
    • fear
    • anger
    • setting up charities / donations
    • funeral payment
  • consequences of crimes on communities
    • loss
    • property damage
    • distrust
    • property value decreases
    • setting up charities / donations
  • consequences of crimes on wider society
    • loss
    • increase of taxes
    • distrust
    • setting up charities / donations
    • property value decreases
  • the Scottish courts:
    • justice of the peace
    • sheriff court
    • high court
  • justice of the peace court
    this court can FINE offenders. this court deals with less serious crimes like road traffic cases and shoplifting. gives out short punishments like fines. for example, the justice of the peace court can give out a fine for up to £25,000 for crimes such as theft and breaches of the peace.
  • sheriff court
    the sheriff can issue a COMMUNITY PAYBACK ORDER (CPO) to offenders. this court deals with serious crimes and issues punishments like forcing people to work in their local community to try make up for their crimes. for example, the Hamilton sheriff court gave a CPO to Mark Mclean for his racist and abusive behaviours.
  • high court
    the high court deals with the most serious crimes and can JAIL offenders for life. for example, the killers of Margaret Fleming were given jail sentences in 2019 for her murder and other crimes.
  • the role of the courts:
    • determine guilt
    • punish
    • provide justice
  • reasons why courts are EFFECTIVE:
    • imprison perpetrators
    • deter crimes
    • keep the public safe
  • reasons why courts are INEFFECTIVE:
    • high reoffending rates
    • not deterring enough
    • guilty people get away
  • roles of the children's hearing system (CHS)
    • investigate referrals
    • organise a panel
    • support a child
  • powers of the children's hearing system (CHS)
    • supervise a child in their home
    • remove a child from their home
    • issue a warrant
  • 4 stage of the CHS
    • the referral
    • the investigation
    • the hearing
    • the outcome
  • government responses to (knife, alcohol, gang related) crime
    • funded 'No Knives Better Lives' (knife crime programme)
    • laws to reduce alcohol consumption (minimum pricing act)
    • funded 'Violence Reduction Unit' (gang programme)
  • police are EFFECTIVE at tackling crime
    • prevention strategies (campus cops)
    • carry out investigations (finding guilty perps)
    • keep the public safe (protecting people at events)