Unit 2.1

• Define criminal behaviour

  An act punishable by law, as being forbidden by statute or injurious to the public welfare … An evil or injurious act; an offence, sin; esp. of a grave character
• Social definition of crime

  Criminal behaviour is anything that a society deems unacceptable usually based on behaviour that causes harm (“……an evil or injurious act”)
• Formal sanctions

  Formal sanctions are the penalties laid down by law.
• Custodial sentences

  Custodial sentences – Imprisonment –Detention in a youth offenders institute
• Community Sentences

  served in the community rather than prison – Curfews – Electronic tags drug testing
• Court Imposed Sanctions

  • Fines

  – Speeding fines

  – Parking fines

  – Not picking up litter/dog mess

  – COVID fines

  • The size of the fine depends on the offence, whether it is

  a repeat offence and the offender’s ability to pay.
• Police Sanctions

  • Cautions

  –Minor crimes

  –Graffiti

  –Anti-social behaviour e.g. playing loud music in a

  residential area during unsocial hours

  – Petty theft (first offence)
• Police Sanctions • Conditional Cautions – You have certain rules or requirements – If you break them, you will be formally charged with an offence –Attendance at drug abuse treatment programmes
• Police Sanctions • Penalty notices – Issued for minor crimes – Possessing cannabis – Shoplifting – If you pay the penalty, then the case will go no further
• Deviance is any behaviour which challenges accepted values, norms and moral codes of society.
• Values are general principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. They tell us what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is bad
• Norms are specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s behaviour in particular situations.
• Moral Codes A set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual, group, organisation or society as a whole. The Police Code of Ethics is a written guide to the core principles and standards that officers are expected to uphold in their work.
• Ways of being deviant

  Unusual and good

  Unusual and essentric

  Unusual and bad
• The term ‘social construction’ refers to something that has been made or defined by society, rather than simply occurring naturally.

  Therefore, what counts as criminality is simply

  whichever acts a society defines as criminal.
• physical punishment? • Any sanction that contains a physical element • Can you think of any physical punishments that criminals have received? • Hanging; hard labour, birching , lethal injection, etc
• Corporal punishment – physical punishment that is intended to cause pain or discomfort Capital punishment - punishment that results in death. In other words, state authorised execution
• Why did the laws on capital punishment change? • Breaches a basic human right – right to life! • The death penalty doesn’t work as an effective deterrent . • We believe that people can change. • Society doesn’t take pleasure in watching people being hanged anymore. • Too many miscarriages of justice e.g. execution of Derek Bentley– led to changes in public opinion.
• Why did the law on Corporal punishment change? • It was considered degrading • It was an abuse of power – children as young as 5 getting the cane from an adult! • The rights of children • It doesn’t contribute to good behaviour of children • 1967 Plowden Report – Caning in primary schools should be banned.
• An example of law change is homosexuality