Specific rules or socially accepted standards that govern people’s
behaviour in certain situations. Norms of society are usually linked to
its values.
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what are values
General principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. Tell
us what is right and wrong, good and bad
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whats a moral code
A set of basic rules, values and principles held by an individual, group,
organisation or society as a whole. It can be written or it can be
unwritten.
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what is deviance
Deviance is any behaviour that differs from normal. It is behaviour that breaks social
convention and that is unusual, uncommon or out of the ordinary in some way.
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whats a formal sanction
Imposed by official bodies i.e. police,
courts, schools and other institutions.
Punishments for breaking formal written
rules or laws. For example, courts may fine
an offender for theft; schools may exclude
pupils for bullying
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whats an informal sanction
Used when the rules are not formally
written down and are perhaps ‘unspoken.’
When these rules are broken, others show
their disapproval in informal ways, such as
refusing to speak to them, telling them
off, etc.
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whats the legal definition for criminal behaviour
Any action that is forbidden by the
criminal law. For a court to consider a
defendant’s actions to be a crime, the
action must have two elements:
• Actus reus – which is Latin for a
“guilty act”
• Mens rea – meaning a “guilty mind”
They must have done som
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whats the social definition for criminal behaviour
Crimes are acts that break a set of norms.
Crime as a concept is socially constructed and
what is a crime for one person will differ to
what another person considers to be a crime.
Not all harmful acts are criminal i.e. antipollution laws often specify ho
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expectations to the legal definition of crime
-strict liability
Mens rea is not always required, the
wrongful act on its own can be enough to
secure a conviction. Many health and
safety laws operate on this basis. For
example, a factor owner is liable if he fails
to safeguard dangerous machinery that
injures someone –
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expectations to the legal definition of crime
-self defence
Assaulting someone (an actus reus) with
the deliberate intention to harm them
(mens rea) is usually a criminal act.
However, if it is done in self-defence, it is
not a crime as long as the force used was
reasonable.
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what are custodial sentences
Serious offences can be punished with a custodial
sentence: imprisonment or detainment in a young
offenders’ institution
The length of the sentence can vary from a matter
of days, up to life imprisonment for murder.
Prisoners serving a life sentence are u
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what are community sentences
Served in the community rather than jail
They include probation orders, restrictions such as
curfews, attendance on anger management courses
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define polygamy
The practice of
having more than
one
wife/husband at
the same time
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define adultery
Involves a sexual
act between two
people, one or
both of whom is
married to
another person
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
what are values
Back
General principles or guidelines for how we should live our lives. Tell
us what is right and wrong, good and bad
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