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social construction of crime - Coggle Diagram
social construction of crime
the idea or concepts that have been created in society
done through shared beliefs/ interpretations
makes it hard to define crime
culture
the 'way of life' for certain groups
shared values, beliefs and norms
impacts defining criminal behaviour
bigamy/polygamy
bigamy
offence of marrying another while still married
less consentual- parties often unaware
a criminal offence under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973
legal in islamic countries e.g United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia (eastern cultures)
permitted to have more than one wife
religious driven legislations
men encouraged to have multiple wives
monogamy promoted in western cultures
e.g America, UK, Canada- it's illegal
polygamy
practice of having more than one partner
more consentual- know about each other
monogamy is the societal norm
polygamy is deviant
polygamy encouraged by sacred texts of islam
homosexuality
quality or characteristic of being sexually/romantically involved with the same sex/gender
UK made it legal between two consenting adults over 21 under Sexual Offences Act 1967
Sexual Offences (Ammendment) Act 2000 lowered homosexual consenting age to 16
legal in western cultures
e.g France, UK, Canada
64 countries where homosexuality is illegal
e.g Middle East, some of Africa and Southeast Asia
legality varies in different cultures
often due to religion
secularisation of the west has influenced western politics
religion influences eastern cultures heavily
repres. of LGBTQ differs
if its illegal they are not shown in mainstream media
separation of the church and the state
adultery
voluntary sexual intercourse between an individual and someone who isnt their spouse
UK sees it as deviant
was decriminalised under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857
legal in Western cultures
our culture is not governed by the church
role of women in society- would have been punished/discriminated worse than men
countries governed by fundemental islamic law see it as illegal
it prohibits 'zina' or 'fornication of marriage'
e.g Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
honour killings
killing of a relative
traditionally against girls/women
brought "dishonour" to the family
illegal everywhere
UK prosecutes it (murder) against the Offences Against the Persons Act
its written into law in all countries BUT not always treated as criminal in some cultures
prosecution influenced by culture
e.g role of women
womens position in society improves, these laws disappear
place
cannabis
illegal in england + wales
calls to decriminalise
e.g medical reasons
misuse of drugs act 1971
5 yrs in prison
misuse of drug regulations 2018
can use in extreme cases
legal in places like
canada
germany
mexico
USA depending on the state- left leaning/ social demographics e.g california
not enforced by all UK police forces
enforced by
chesire
hampshire
not enforced by
durham (police prioritisation)
northumbria
abortion
UK decriminalised under Abortion Act 1967
during first 24 weeks of pregancy
legal in
finland
india
france and austrailia under conditions
some US states
illegal in
Egypt
Iraq
Jamaica
Bible Belt US states
time
homosexuality
decriminalised under Sexual Offences Act 1967
timeline
1533
1957
1967
1988
2000
2004
2 more items...
civil partnership act
sexual offences (ammendment) act
section 28
sexual offences act 1967
wolfenden report
the buggary act
smoking
timeline
1930s
1950s
1964
2002
2006
2014
children and families act
health act- banned public place smoking
tobacco advertising and promotion act
television act- advertising smoking banned on TV
british medical council- smoking= lung cancer
acceptable + encouraged
circumstances
age of criminal responsibilty
UK- 10
Bangladesh- 9
Canada- 9
China- 16
e.g jamie bulger case
sent to youth detention for 8 years
lenient sentence
defences to murder
partial defences
diminished responsibility
defendant suffers from abnormality of functioning due to recognised medical conditions
murder charge put down to manslaughter
loss of control
behaviour as a result of overwhelming emotion
full defences
self defence
can lead to complete acquittal
reasonable and proportionate force
aggravating and mitigating factors
aggrevating
circumstances that make the offences worse
e.g racial mottivation,pre-meditation, weapons
mitigating
linent sentencing
e.g no previous convictions, pleading guilty