CRIM1000 Study Guide - Deviancy Amplification Spiral, Moral Panic, Twin
Document Summary
Deviance: the behaviour that violates the normative rules, understandings or expectations of social systems. Disorder: triggers feelings of crime; gives impression that nobody cares. Formal legal definition: defined by state, proscribed by criminal law. Cross-cultural universal norms: crime which does not vary e. g. murder. Labelling: only exists where there is a social response to an activity i. e. cannabis. Human rights: any violation of a human right, regardless of whether state-recognised i. e. racism, sexism. Human diversity: oppressive or unequal circumstances i. e. power relations. Both must be present to constitute a crime. Actus reus: conduct that caused the crime. Legal personhood: all adults have the necessary mental capacity to make judgements and take responsibility for actions (children under 10. Allows us to: understand nature and extent of crime in society, track crime trends and emerging problems, assess limitations of crime statistics, evaluate theories of criminal behaviour. Administrative data sources: data recorded by police, courts, corrections and other criminal justice agencies.
