Criminology WJEC Unit 2 Exam 2023

social definition - what society believes is wrong within a community. for example, moat people in the UK would think it is wrong to have sex with a 14-year old, but in other cultures in different countries it might not be seen as a problem because society doesn't label it as one. legal definition - in our society, it is the legal system which defines crime. for example behaviour that breaks the law and for which you are punished by the legal system. actus reus - latin for guilty act. essentially means committing a crime. mens rea - latin for guilt mind. essentially means having a motive to commit the crime. cautions - administered by the police for minor crimes such as writing graffiti on a bus shelter. you have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned; otherwise you could be arrested for the offence. a caution is not a criminal conviction. conditional cautions - given by the police but you have to agree to certain rules and restrictions, such as receiving treatment for drug abuse or repairing damage to a property. penalty notices - given for offences such as shoplifting, possessing cannabis, or being drunk and disorderly in public. you can only get a penalty notice of you are ages 18 or over. custodial sentences - where you are immediately sent to prison. there are mandatory and discretionary life sentences and fixed term and indeterminate prison sentences. community services - a combination order (sentence of the court that combines a probation order and a community service order) including unpaid work, probation, curfew and orders such as having drug testing and treatment. fines - financial penalties; the amount depends on the seriousness of the offence and the financial circumstances of the offender. discharge - either conditional, when if the defendant re-offends during a set time period the court can give an alternative sentence, or absolute, when no penalty is imposed as the defendant is technically guilty but morally blameless. fatal offences against the person - murder, manslaughter. non-fatal offences against the person - assault, battery, actual and grievous bodily harm. offences against property - theft, robbery, burglary. sexual offences - rape, indecent assault. public order offences - riot, affray, violent disorder. drug offences - possession of a controlled drug or possession with the intent to supply. deviance - behaviour that goes against the dominant social norms of a specific group or society, which causes some kind of critical reaction or disapproval. norms - social expectations that guide behaviour and explain why people act in the way that they do. norms keep in check deviant behaviour. while it is expected behaviour, it could vary form one culture to another. for instance, in the UK we wear dark sombre colours for a funeral but in China the colour of mourning is white. moral codes - morals or good ways of behaving. breaking a moral code would generally be considered serious in society, an example would be murder. values - rules shared by most people in a given culture. it is what people feel should happen. they are more general guidelines than norms. so, for example, most people feel we should respect the elderly. informal sanctions against deviance - -frowning upon behaviour -name calling -ignoring behaviour -labelling behaviour -parents grounding a child formal sanctions against deviance - fines or even imprisonment may be appropriate for some deviant acts. admired behaviour - deviant but considered good or admiral, e.g. saving a life while putting own at risk, as most people would not do so. odd behaviour - deviant by being odd or different from what is considered the norm, e.g. living with an excessive number of cats. bad behaviour - deviant because it is bad, e.g. assaulting a pensioner. what is adultery? - sexual relations between a married person and another, with the exception of their spouse. adultery with regards to legality in the UK - not considered a criminal offence but may have legal consequences in divorce proceedings.