WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate & Diploma Criminology sample

AC1.1 ANALYSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRIME Types of victim Moral crimes are often thought to be victimless. However, arguably the offender and the victim can often be the same person. For example, prostitution, vagrancy and under-age drinking can involve the offender and victim being the same person. Types of offender This can differ from crime to crime or even, as described above, be the same person. However, the offender is commonly in a difficult situation, for example financially or personally, such as a homeless vagrant or someone forced into, for example, prostitution for financial reasons. Level of public awareness This is often low as many of the offences are hidden from offenders’ families. Alternatively, it is often a crime that the public ignore due to sympathy for the victims, rather than a desire to report them to the police. For example, vagrancy often brings sympathy for the victim for having to sleep rough. Deviant or criminal? Such acts are likely to be both criminal and deviant. Overall, society disagrees with the activities, which are all against the law. State crimes Criminal offences State crimes are activities perpetrated by, or by order of, state agencies, such as governments that commit crimes in order to further their policies. For example: • genocide • war crimes • torture • imprisonment without trial. Often such crimes are in breach of articles from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) , such as Article 2 a right to life or Article 3 freedom from torture and inhuman treatment. Moral crime can mean that the offender and victim are the same person. Genocide: Any action with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic or religious group. European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR): A treaty or agreement to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Key terms Mr and Mrs S brief There is a link to the child of the family, Katie, who has started under-age drinking. ‘ As a result of all the difficulties within the family, Mr S’s youngest child, Katie, has been feeling very neglected and has started to drink alcohol. A few days ago she was brought home by the police in a drunken state.’ Brian Williams ‘There is a suspicion of tacit acceptance of young people, especially young women, below the legal age limit, who are drinking in a public bar.’ Link to brief 17