1.1, Compare criminal behaviour and deviance Flashcards
(29 cards)
What are values?
And give an example
Rules that are shared by most people in a culture or the ideas they hold in value.
e.g. is having respect for each other and treat others with dignity.
What are norms?
And give an example
The expected behaviours, actions, and choices within a specified space.
an example is respect for authority, not stealing from others.
What are moral codes?
Often used to describe a set of basic rules, values and principals held by an individual, group or organisation, society as a whole.
they are heavily dependant on culture. moral codes influence parts of or lives and usually dictate how we act, dress and treat others.
What is The Police Code of Ethics?
Supports everyone in policing to deliver a service that is fair, ethical and can be trusted to make decisions in the interest of keeping people safe.
What are the 9 policing principles?
Selflessness
Integrity
Objectivity
Accountability
Openness
Honesty
Leadership
Fairness
Respect
What is deviance?
Actions or behaviours that go against social norms or expectations.
What are 3 ways that behaviour can be deviant
Behaviour that is unusual or good. e.g. gifting gifts to strangers.
Behaviour that is unusual eccentric or bizarre. e.g. dancing in public blasting loud music.
Behaviour that is bad or disapproved of. e.g. stealing.
What are the results of behaviour that is bad or disapproved of?
It involves breaking rules, and the rule breaking can lead to a critical, hostile or disapproving reaction from others. ‘others’ may be society as a whole or subgroups and may involves punishing the deviant in some way.
Forms of deviance
Society has many different rules and therefore deviance which involves rule braking can take many different forms. Can range from extremely serious acts such as rape, murder or arson to very trivial things such as queue jumping. Some types of acts can be deviant but nor criminal and some are criminal but not deviant and sometimes can be considers as both criminal and deviant.
What are the types of sanctions against deviance?
Informal and formal sanctions.
What are formal sanctions?
Actions that are legalised and official in nature and enforced by authoritative forces or agencies of the criminal justice system, like police officers and courts.
Actions taken by official government entities to alter behaviour of individuals and groups in society.
What are informal sanctions?
All the tacit, informal, subtle, and unofficial ways social norms and values are enforced in society.
What is the criminal behaviour definition?
The conduct of an offender that leads to the commission of an unlawful act.
What is Actus Reus?
A guilty act.
What is Mens Rea?
A guilty mind.
What is the defence of causation which negates the actus reus?
Automatism.
Give an example of crimes where mens rea is not required.
Driving offences such as speeding and driving without insurance.
What is the social definition of criminality?
It relates to what society sees as a crime and more likely to report it.
e.g. illegal streaming is common and unlikely to be reported even though it is against the law.
The public have different views on what acts are seen as true crimes compared to the legal definition of crimes.
Give an example where a defendant may also have a defence which negates the mens rea.
Committing theft, e.g. you take someone’s else’s umbrella that you though was your because they looked a like.
Why is it difficult to define criminal behaviour using social definitions?
Some crimes are universally disapproved in our society for example child sex offences. But forced marriage still exists in some countries where children become brides, hence a social definition can vary and be difficult to use.
Why could social definitions vary?
Media influences, cultural differences, social status and resources.
Custodial sentences.
The court usually imposes them.
Judicial sentences, imprisonment reserved for the most serious offences and are imposed when the offence committed is so serious neither a fine alone and no community sentence can be justified for the offence.
Community sentences.
A judge or a magistrate usually imposes them.
All different ways in which courts can punish a defendant who has been convicted of committing an offence other than through custodial sentence or capital punishment.
Discharge (conditional and absolute)
The court usually imposes them.
Conditional - you can still get a sentence if you break the conditions
Absolute - the court has decided not to impose a punishment because the experience of going to court has been punishment enough.
