PART 1:
1. Writing in your own words, summarise the following material from Section 1.1 of
Chapter 2. Your word count for this task is 350 words.
Drake, Muncie and Scott. (2023, Section 1.1, Chapter 2, DD105 Introduction to criminology: Book
1, pp. 48-51) argue that criminal law is never static and changes according to society and these
changes are influenced by social class, gender and other dimensions. An example of this is the
prohibition of alcohol in the USA between 1920 and 1933, which is now permitted; or some jobs in
which previously only men were allowed such as lawmakers. The opposite is also the case, with
behaviour such as domestic violence within marriage that was legally until its abolition, also
practices such as the poaching game became illegal in Wales and England in the interests of
social class and power.
For a long time, some forms of ‘inappropriate conduct’ have been treated as crimes by the police
even though they were not recognised by the law as public drunkenness. Even so, the police can
issue a Community Protection Notice (CPN) in England, Wales and North Ireland or an Anti-Social
Behaviour Order (ASBO) in Scotland.
Laws also change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as does the age at which a person can be held
criminally responsible.
The death penalty is legal in some countries and not in others, as is homosexuality, which is still
punishable by death in some countries.
Durkheim (2013) and Hulsman (1986) argue that crime appears neither fixed; rather, it is a
historically and socially specific concept.
Not everything that a society considers harmful becomes a crime and vice versa, only what each
country defines as prohibited. An example of that is marijuana, which is increasingly accepted by
the laws of many countries and there are scattered opinions, people who think legalisation is right
and people who think it is inappropriate.
Criminal law considers ‘real crime’ such as theft or graffiti and ‘regulatory offences’ such as health
violations because the first one is not more harmful than the seconds one although society may
consider the opposite. Sutherland (1940) argue that definitions of crime that rely only on criminal
law also underplay the variable ways in which it is enforced.
Word count: 345
References:
Drake, Muncie and Scott. 2023, Section 1.1, Chapter 2, DD105 Introduction to criminology: Book
1, pp. 48-51
2. Explain what started the Grenfell Tower Fire and why the event was not prosecuted
as a crime. Your word count for this task is 450 words.
In 2017, after Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council refurbished Grenfell Tower to improve the
image of the building and bring it in line with the wealthy aesthetic of the surrounding area, a faulty
fridge in one of the flats caught fire and the fire spread rapidly throughout the building thanks to
the material used for the cladding, an inexpensive material banned in many other countries
1
1. Writing in your own words, summarise the following material from Section 1.1 of
Chapter 2. Your word count for this task is 350 words.
Drake, Muncie and Scott. (2023, Section 1.1, Chapter 2, DD105 Introduction to criminology: Book
1, pp. 48-51) argue that criminal law is never static and changes according to society and these
changes are influenced by social class, gender and other dimensions. An example of this is the
prohibition of alcohol in the USA between 1920 and 1933, which is now permitted; or some jobs in
which previously only men were allowed such as lawmakers. The opposite is also the case, with
behaviour such as domestic violence within marriage that was legally until its abolition, also
practices such as the poaching game became illegal in Wales and England in the interests of
social class and power.
For a long time, some forms of ‘inappropriate conduct’ have been treated as crimes by the police
even though they were not recognised by the law as public drunkenness. Even so, the police can
issue a Community Protection Notice (CPN) in England, Wales and North Ireland or an Anti-Social
Behaviour Order (ASBO) in Scotland.
Laws also change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as does the age at which a person can be held
criminally responsible.
The death penalty is legal in some countries and not in others, as is homosexuality, which is still
punishable by death in some countries.
Durkheim (2013) and Hulsman (1986) argue that crime appears neither fixed; rather, it is a
historically and socially specific concept.
Not everything that a society considers harmful becomes a crime and vice versa, only what each
country defines as prohibited. An example of that is marijuana, which is increasingly accepted by
the laws of many countries and there are scattered opinions, people who think legalisation is right
and people who think it is inappropriate.
Criminal law considers ‘real crime’ such as theft or graffiti and ‘regulatory offences’ such as health
violations because the first one is not more harmful than the seconds one although society may
consider the opposite. Sutherland (1940) argue that definitions of crime that rely only on criminal
law also underplay the variable ways in which it is enforced.
Word count: 345
References:
Drake, Muncie and Scott. 2023, Section 1.1, Chapter 2, DD105 Introduction to criminology: Book
1, pp. 48-51
2. Explain what started the Grenfell Tower Fire and why the event was not prosecuted
as a crime. Your word count for this task is 450 words.
In 2017, after Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council refurbished Grenfell Tower to improve the
image of the building and bring it in line with the wealthy aesthetic of the surrounding area, a faulty
fridge in one of the flats caught fire and the fire spread rapidly throughout the building thanks to
the material used for the cladding, an inexpensive material banned in many other countries
1
