LS227 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Class Conflict
19 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Study of crimes- body of knowledge regarding crimes. Goal is scientific: to develop a body of general principles and verified principles and knowledge regarding law, crimes, reactions. Study crime- to understand criminal acts and society"s response to it. 6 major categories: definition of crime and criminals, origins and roles of law, the social distribution of the crime, causation of crime, patterns of criminal behaviour, societal reactions to crime. Legal definition of crime: a crime is an act that violates criminal law and is punishable. Schewendinger (1970) proposed a broader definition of crime based on human rights rather than status. If an act violated someones rights to necessities of life, it should be considered a crime: government policies that create harm. Socially constructed: ie- kills soldier is not a crime, kills person on street is. Deviance- violation of rights- however it is up to society to decide. Examples of things that constitute crime: alcohol, gay marriage, marijuana.
