Criminology (WJEC) Unit 2 Set 1
4 reasons that laws change - correct answer-Change in attitudes, change in demographics,
change in technology/knowledge, campaigns for change (public/media pressure)
Behavioural (Learning) theories of criminality - correct answer-Individualistic theories of
criminality that say that deviant behaviour is learned. Examples include: Bandura
(1965/1976) Social Learning theory and Bobo doll experiments, Sutherland (1939)
Differential Association Theory
Crime (legal definition) - correct answer-An act that breaks the law; nearly always also
deviant - Examples include fraud, murder and upskirting
Crime (social definition) - correct answer-Acts that fit into a socially constructed category -
are labelled - at a given time and in a given place as being against the formal rules of that
society. Examples in our society now include fraud, murder and upskirting
Custodial sentence - correct answer-Punishment awarded by a Court that involves time in
prison
Decriminalisation - correct answer-When a law is no longer enforced or penalties are
decreased; may lead to legalisation. Examples include cannabis possession in some areas.
Deviance - correct answer-Behaviour outside what is normal, usual or acceptable within a
society. Examples include nearly all crime, but also wearing a black wedding dress.
Functionalist theory of crime - correct answer-A sociological theory that says crime is
inevitable and even necessary in society. Durkheim (1895) - Functions are social
cohesion/boundary maintenance and promoting adaptation/change, Davis (1961) - Deviance
is a safety valve, Cohen (1966) - warning light
Genetic theories of criminality - correct answer-Biological theories of criminality that focus on
genes/inheritance or chromosomal abnormalities. Examples include: Family Studies -
Osborne and West (1982), Adoption Studies - Mednick et al. (1994), Twin studies -
Christiansen (1977) and studies of Jacob's XYY syndrome (1965)
Interactionist (Labelling) theories of criminality - correct answer-Sociological theories of
criminality that say that it is how the label of deviance is applied that decides who is criminal.
Examples include Becker's Labelling Theory (1963), Lemert's Theory of Primary and
Secondary Deviance (1951), Goffman's Theory of Spoiled Identities (1963)
Left Realist theory of criminality - correct answer-A sociological theory of criminality that is
loosely based on Marxist ideas, but adapted to observations of modern society. Example:
Lea and Young (1984) - Crime is mainly due to relative poverty and inequalities in society.
leading to marginalisation and subcultures (gangs).
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