AC 1.1 (1) Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are norms?
Unwritten rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s behaviour in certain situations. Norms of society are usually linked to its values.
What are values?
General principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. They tell us what is right and wrong, good and bad.
What are moral codes?
A set of basic rules and values which are morals, held by an individual, group, organisation or society as a whole. Breaking a moral code would be considered serious in society, e.g., murder.
What is deviance?
Any behaviour that differs from normal. It breaks social convention and is unusual, uncommon, or out of the ordinary.
What are the three types of deviance behaviour?
- Admired behaviour: deviant but considered good, e.g., saving a life while putting one’s own at risk.
- Odd behaviour: deviant by being odd or different, e.g., living with an excessive number of cats.
- Bad deviant: deviant because it is bad, e.g., assaulting a pensioner.
What are sanctions?
Forms of social control that society uses to ensure conformity to its norms. Deviance and crime that is disapproved of likely lead to negative sanctions.
What are formal sanctions?
Imposed by official bodies like police, courts, and schools. They punish breaking formal written rules or laws, e.g., courts may fine an offender for theft.
What are non-court formal sanctions?
- Cautions: Administered by police for minor crimes, e.g., writing graffiti. A caution is not a criminal conviction.
- Conditional cautions: Given by police with rules and restrictions, e.g., treatment for drug abuse.
What are court sanctions?
- Custodial sentences: Immediate prison sentences.
- Community sentences: Combination orders including unpaid work and probation.
- Fines: Financial penalties based on the seriousness of the offence.
What are informal sanctions?
Used when rules are not formally written down. Disapproval is shown informally, e.g., refusing to speak to someone.
What is the legal definition of crime?
Any action forbidden by criminal law, requiring two elements: Actus reus (guilty act) and Mens rea (guilty mind). E.g., shooting someone with intent to kill.
What is strict liability in crime?
Mens rea is not always required; the wrongful act alone can secure a conviction, e.g., a factory owner liable for unsafe machinery.
What is self-defence in relation to crime?
Assaulting someone with the intention to harm is usually a crime, but if done in self-defence with reasonable force, it is not a crime.
What is the social definition of crime?
Acts that break a set of norms, which are socially constructed. What is considered a crime can vary between individuals.
What are examples of varying definitions of crime?
Some acts are crimes in some countries but not in others, e.g., forced marriages in some cultures. Not all criminal acts are harmful, e.g., parking on double yellow lines.
