WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate & Diploma Criminology sample

UNIT 1 CHANGING AWARENESS OF CRIME Types of offender The offender of honour crime is usually a male member of the family, typically a father, brother or uncle of the one being targeted. These individuals usually come from Asian communities. Level of public awareness Generally, this type of crime has low levels of public awareness due to differences in culture. Within communities where honour crime occurs, it is viewed as the appropriate retaliation to ‘shameful’ behaviour. As a result, it is not reported to the authorities, so the wider community remains unaware of honour crime. Deviant or criminal? Any action that is aimed at punishing an individual for shameful behaviour is seen in wider society as both deviant and criminal. This is because, in the UK, it’s socially frowned upon to harm individuals based on their life choices. Individual crimes – domestic abuse Criminal offences Domestic abuse is any act targeted to be abuse against a partner/family member that happens within the home, often in secret. Domestic abuse can include physical violence such as: • assault • murder • torture • verbal abuse. It can also cover emotional abuse to the victim, such as name calling or controlling behaviour. Types of victim Typically, women such as girlfriends or wives, or any female involved in an intimate relationship, can be victims. However, men can be victims as well, albeit not as frequently as women. Victims are not restricted by age and circumstances. One example of domestic violence was the case of Clare Wood, a mother from Manchester, who became victim to the abuse of George Appleton after meeting him on an internet dating site. Unaware of his previous abusive history with women, she entered into a relationship with him. She was eventually raped, strangled and set alight in her own home. Mr & Mrs S Mrs S was raised in India and moved to the UK six months ago. Attracted to his flamboyant lifestyle, she fell in love with Mr S and married him, despite protests from her family. Mrs S has been raised as a Hindu and her family are furious that she married a white, British non-Hindu man. Her family are so opposed to the marriage that they are arranging to have Mrs S killed to prevent any further shame being brought on them. Link to brief Domestic abuse is an under-reported crime. 22