Summary
Summary Criminology Unit 1 AC 1.1
- Module
- Changing Awareness of Crime
- Institution
- WJEC
Criminology Unit 1 AC 1.1 analysing different types of crime
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Unit 1 AC 1.1: Analysing different types of crimeThe concept of crime is entirely socially constructed. It is a
reflection of one's beliefs, and the result of a court's conviction
is punishment. Essentially, a crime is an act that violates the
law, such as murder, theft, or assault. Deviant behaviour, on the
other hand, is different. Although it does not violate the
country's laws, it does violate the society's norms, values, and
beliefs. Public nudity and underage drinking are two examples of
this.
White Collar Crime
White collar crime generally refers to nonviolent crimes
committed for monetary gain. These crimes can include a
variety of offences such as violating health and safety laws, tax
evasion, or fraud. Such crimes are committed by people in
positions of power or authority, such as those who have large
sums of money to invest in schemes. Directors, doctors, or
dentists in the case of Ponzi schemes. White-collar criminals
frequently target people who are recruited by friends or family
members. Since public awareness is low, perpetrators frequently
conceal their activities very well. White collar crimes are without
a doubt low because it can be difficult to prosecute those
involved in these types of crimes as criminals who break the
law. However, not all crimes can appear as such, which is why
these crimes are frequently referred to as 'invisible.'
Bernie Madoff, a former American businessman, is an example
of a Ponzi scheme, which is a type of fraud in which new
investors are taken advantage of. This scheme lasted 20 years,
during which time he stole and lured investors and paid profits
to earlier investors with funds totalling $64.8 billion. He pleaded
guilty to 11 federal felonies in March 2009, admitting to turning
his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme.
Madoff received the maximum allowed sentence of 150 years for
his crimes in June of the same year.
Moral Crime
Moral crimes are acts that violate societal norms and accepted
rules and behaviours. These crimes frequently involve one
person providing a service or specific goods to another. As a
result, such examples would include prostitution or drug sales,
as well as underage drinking, illegal gambling, or assisted
suicide. As there is sometimes no specific victim, it is common
to believe that moral crimes are victimless. Furthermore, the
offender may be both the victim and the perpetrator. This is true
in cases where the victim and perpetrator are the same person,
such as underage drinking or prostitution. Though this varies by
, crime, the offender is usually in a difficult situation, either
personally or financially. Many of these criminals see their
crimes as a source of income or simply a part of their daily lives.
Moral crimes have a low public awareness because many people
appear to ignore the problem. People begging may be doing so
out of sympathy for the victim, as people are far more likely to
give someone money than to report a crime to the police. Moral
crimes are generally regarded as deviant, but they also violate
criminal law, though some may argue that these acts should not
be regarded as such.
State Crime
State crimes are deviant or illegal activities committed by state
agencies, such as a country's government. State crimes can also
include activities carried out by other individuals or groups of
individuals with the full support of the state. These acts may
include mass genocide, police brutality against peaceful
protestors, torture of prisoners in order to obtain information, or
political opponents' imprisonment without trial. Victims of these
crimes may be citizens of that country's state or citizens of
another state who have been subjected to aggression or
occupation by a foreign state. Victims may also be members of a
different religion or hold opposing political views to the
government. Offenders are frequently senior and high-ranking
state officials, such as police officers, politicians, or members of
the security forces. Offenders will also include government
supporters acting with state assistance and encouragement.
Although it is less likely, these offenders could be low-ranking
officials such as guards or regular soldiers. Because the scale
and magnitude of the crimes are so extreme, and media
coverage of such acts is so quick, public awareness is frequently
high. Certain more powerful states, on the other hand, may
conceal their crime by censoring the media or by enacting and
passing laws that legalise or justify their actions. State crimes
are clearly deviant and violate both natural law and society's
moral compass. Most people consider these actions to be
criminal. However, states will make their own laws and will be
able to decide whether such behaviour is criminal.
The Rwandan genocide in 1994 is an example of a state crime.
During the Rwandan Civil War, between April 7th and July 15th,
1994, certain ethnic groups, including Tutsi and moderate Hutu,
were massacred in large numbers. Historians believe that the
genocide was planned for at least a year by some core members
of the Hutu political elite, with many holding top positions in the
national government. Despite the fact that both the brutality of
and seemed to ignore the genocide. This massacre resulted in
the deaths of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, with an
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