exam revision

Question 1

social causes of crime

Answer 1

peer pressure

lack of education

Question 2

example of peer pressure

Answer 2

3500 young people have joined one of the 170 street gangs in glasgow

Question 3

example of lack of education

Answer 3

52% of men and 71% of women in prison have no qualifications

Question 4

economic causes of crime

Answer 4

unemployment

greed

Question 5

example of unemployment

Answer 5

two thirds of prisoners were unemployed before entering prison and 17% have never had a job

Question 6

example of greed

Answer 6

former MP Natalie McGarry, who despite earning more than £70,000 a year, stole over £20,000, some of which was meant for a food bank

Question 7

biological causes of crime

Answer 7

brain type

gender

Question 8

describe/explain brain type

Answer 8

peoples amygdala isn’t fully developed so they don’t feel emotions which makes it easier for them to commit crimes

Question 9

describe/explain gender

Answer 9

due to hormonal differences, women tend to be less aggressive than men as they have less testosterone levels

Question 10

example of brain type

Answer 10

Aaron Campbell, who murdered six year old Alesha MacPhail, was labelled a psychopath

Question 11

example of gender

Answer 11

men commit 88% of all crime in Scotland and 96% of violent crimes

Question 12

impact of crime on perpetrators

Answer 12

suffer financially

lose contact with family

Question 13

describe/explain the financial struggles

Answer 13

they may lose their job and find it hard to get another one with a criminal record so they aren’t making any money

Question 14

describe/explain why they would lose contact with family

Answer 14

if they are placed in a far away prison then they won’t be able to see their family or family may not want to engage with them anymore as a result of the crime they committed

Question 15

example of suffering financially

Answer 15

only around 25% of prisoners manage to find work once they’re released

Question 16

example of losing family contact

Answer 16

one study showed that 43% of prisoners said they lost contact with their family and 1 in 5 prisoners who were married ended up splitting up with their partner

Question 17

impact on victims

Answer 17

emotional impact

financial impact

Question 18

example of emotional impact

Answer 18

depending on the severity of the crime, some victims may develop PTSD (sexual assault, physical assault)

Question 19

example of financial impact

Answer 19

may need to pay to replace stolen goods and repair doors and windows

Question 20

impact on families

Answer 20

suffer financially

emotional impact

Question 21

example of financial impact

Answer 21

family member sent to prison may have been a financial support and they lose their income

Question 22

example of emotional impact

Answer 22

may lose contact from their own family and friends

Question 23

impact on communities

Answer 23

damages community spirit

house prices decrease

Question 24

example of damaging community spirit

Answer 24

some areas of inner city london

Question 25

example of house prices decreasing

Answer 25

ferguslie park in paisley

Question 26

impact on wider society

Answer 26

costs society money | creates fear

Question 27

describe/explain how it costs them money

Answer 27

if there is lots of shoplifting, the price of the product will increase and money is also needed for CCTV and security

Question 28

describe/explain how it can create fear (describe fully n don’t need example)

Answer 28

it discourages people from moving around freely. they may avoid certain areas at night. they may also not socialise with one another as they don’t want to leave their homes. this is particularly a problem for elderly woman as they don’t feel as safe as they did when they were younger.

Question 29

example of costing them money

Answer 29

it is estimated that shoplifting costs retailers £4.4 billion annually

Question 30

groups affected by crime

Answer 30

young people | minority groups

Question 31

describe/explain how young people are affected

Answer 31

committing crime has a long lasting effect on young people. they may end up with a criminal record and not be able to get a good job in the future. they may also end up in the cycle of crime and end up with no where to live when they get out of prison. they may get involved in crime again and end up back in prison. they may also suffer the same physical, emotional, and economic impacts already studied

Question 32

describe/explain how minority groups are affected

Answer 32

minority groups are groups of people who make up a small amount of the population. if a crime is committed against one of these groups (non white people, lgbtq, non christian people, disabled) then it’s considered a hate crime.

Question 33

example of minority groups

Answer 33

stealing from an asian person wouldn’t necessarily be a hate crime, but assaulting them because of their race would be

Question 34

what are the 3 criminal courts in scotland

Answer 34

justice of the peace courts sheriff courts high courts

Question 35

what’s the role of the justice of the peace court

Answer 35

there are 30 justice of the peace courts in scotland.these courts are the lowest level of the court system. they are chaired by a volunteer known as a justice of the peace. they are not legally qualified but they are accompanied by a legally qualified clerk. they deal with minor crimes such as breach of the peace.

Question 36

what’s the role of sheriff courts

Answer 36

they are in major towns and cities and there are 49 of them. they deal with slightly more serious crimes such as assault. they either use the solemn procedure which is used in serious cases heard infront of a sheriff and a jury or the summary procedure which is used for less serious crimes and it’s heard with a sheriff and no jury

Question 37

what’s the role of high courts

Answer 37

there are 2 permanent high courts in scotland, one in glasgow and edinburgh. it’s the highest in the land and deals with the most serious crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and serious sexual offences particularly those including children. cases are presided over by a single judge and tried by a jury of 15 men and women.

Question 38

what powers do the justice of the peace courts have

Answer 38

the maximum sentence is 60 days imprisonment or a fine up to £2500

Question 39

what powers do the sheriff courts have

Answer 39

in a solemn procedure the court can give up to 5 years in prison or a fine of any amount. in a summary procedure the maximum sentence is 12 months imprisonment with a maximum fine of £10,000

Question 40

what powers do the high courts have

Answer 40

unlimited prison time and unlimited fine

Question 41

what are the 3 verdicts in scottish courts

Answer 41

guilty not guilty not proven

Question 42

what does it mean if you are guilty

Answer 42

the accused has committed the crime they were accused of. the judge or sheriff then decides a sentence for the accused

Question 43

what does it mean if you are not guilty

Answer 43

the accused has not committed the crime they were accused of. the accused can only be tried again for that offence if there is important new evidence

Question 44

what does it mean if you are not proven

Answer 44

there is not enough evidence to convict the accused but there is doubt about their innocence. the accused can only be tried for that offence again if there is new important evidence

Question 45

describe/explain what the CHS does

Answer 45

it’s a legal meeting that a child is asked to attend to solve their problems. the child may have committed a crime, needs protection or care or they aren’t attending school regularly. a referral may be made by police, school or a social worker. the panel is made up of 3 members of the public and all panel members are given training to help make decisions for the child

Question 46

2 reasons scottish criminal courts are effective

Answer 46

there are low (and decreasing) levels of crime in scotland. the levels of crime have decreased by 4% since 2015 and decreased 41% since 2006. this suggests that the sentences being given are acting as a deterrent to crime. judges have some freedom in the sentences they give. depending on the court, the justice, sheriff or judge has a variety of sentences they can give

Question 47

2 reasons scottish criminal courts are ineffective

Answer 47

short term sentences are ineffective as 57% of prisoners serve less than 3 months reoffending rates are high as 64% of those released from prison are reconvicted within 2 years

Question 48

what powers does the CHS have

Answer 48

they can discharge a case. this could be because the situation has improved for the young person at home or school and the panel members feel that they don’t need to attend any more meetings they can also take a compulsory supervision order (CSO) which is a legal document which means social work or local authority must be involved in the young persons life and are responsible for helping looking after the child. most children part of a CSO stay at home but if it’s deemed unsafe they may move and stay elsewhere