Summarise WM3• Group 1

– Discuss amongst yourselves what night be the causes of this crime. In psychology we focus on three origins of behaviour: Your Genes/Biology, Your Upbringing, and Your Thinking.

– Can you use any of these theories to explain the criminal actions in the case of the WM3?

• Group 2– In your group discuss what you think about the quality of the evidence. What

psychology do you know that might suggest that some of the testimony is invalid? What about the confession, can you trust it why would you not, would any one confess to a crime they had not committed?

• Group 3– Your task is to decided what persuasion techniques were used in the case. Did

the lawyers use emotion, argument, logic, etc to persuade you that their version of the events was true? What do you think the effect was of having an expert witness? Will this change the jury thinking?

• Group 4– Your job is to decide what kind of punishment would be appropriate and why. Is

the death penalty appropriate? Will it stop this kind of crime being committed in the future? Can we treat the perpetrator or rehabilitate them in some way to fit back into society? Or should they never be released?

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Answer these questions• Have crime rates risen or fallen in the last fifteen

years?• What proportion of crimes involve violence or

sex?• Is the UK murder rate rising or falling?• Are more or less offenders imprisoned?• Is the rate of child abduction and murder going

up?• Are women more likely to be attacked than men?• Are old people right to be afraid of crime?• What % of men have a criminal record by the age

of forty?• What age group is most at risk of being a murder

victim?

Some interesting answers• Recorded crime has fallen down from 20,000,000

to 4,043,339 (2011)• 6% of crimes are violent or sexual• Going down (769 in 2007 - 648 in 2009 fifth fall in

a row)• More offenders are imprisoned (Increased by

66% since 1995 (up 32,500 now 82,100))• Unchanged 56 in 2011 (36 murdered by a parent,

43 knew their murderer)• Men three times more likely to be attacked• Elderly less at risk of crime (under 29 year olds

thirteen times more likely to be attacked than a pensioner)

• 31.5% by the time they reach 30• Children under 12 months (36 per million)

Are these activities crimes?• In your group decide whether or not you think a

crime has been committed– If so why– If not why not

Are these activities crimes?• On 5th July 1884, the yacht the Mignonette,

crewed by three men and a cabin boy, sank in a storm 1,600 miles off the Cape of Good Hope. The crew escaped in a small open boat with no supply of food or water except a can of turnips. By 24th July, all four were in a terrible condition and one of the men, Dudley, killed the cabin boy, who was delirious, with a knife and all three drank his blood and fed on his body. Four days later a passing boat picked them up. It is accepted that the boy would not have lived and the men probably would have died if they had not eaten him.

Are these activities crimes?• Inmates in a government prison learn that

another inmate sentenced for a relatively minor crime has admitted to a cellmate that he has sexually abused children in the past. The inmates convene their own court, try the inmate, and find him guilty. As a sentence they beat him up, breaking both his legs and kneecaps, and leave him permanently crippled.

Are these activities crimes?• In 2003 many thousands of abortions were

carried out in the US in accordance with the valid law. Members of the pro-life movement claim that the doctors carrying out the operations are guilt of murder—are they? One pro-life member shoots and kills a well-known abortion-performing doctor, because he says the doctor was breaking God’s will and he needed to be punished.

Defining a crime• Types of crime–Mala in se• An act which is inherently wrong

– Murder, rape

–Mala prohibita• An act which is wrong because we have

defined them as such– Drugs, Prostitution, Gambling

Defining a crime• Which of these do you agree with most

– A crime is some action or omission that causes harm in a situation that the person can be held responsible regardless of what the law books say

– Crime is an action against the law of God, either revealed in a holy book or because we instinctively know. It does not matter what the law books say it is still a crime

– A crime is an act or omission that has been defined as such by the nation state laws. If it has not been defined by the state as a crime it is not a crime

– Crimes only exist if there is a criminal justice system

– Crime is an irrelevant concept that is tied to the formal social control mechanisms of the state. Crime is a social construction

An Extension• Is it a a crime to mutilate a persons

genitals without their consent?

An Extension• Is it a a crime to mutilate a persons

genitals without their consent?– Female circumcision is acceptable in

some cultures but is a crime in Britain–What about male circumcision?• Is this child abuse?

An Extension• At what age do you think we become

criminally responsible?

An Extension• At what age do you think we become

criminally responsible?– 10 in England and Wales– 8 in Scotland– 15 in Sweden

• Which country is right?

An Extension• History

– Things no longer criminal• Suicide, adultery

– Things now criminal• Abuse of children, animals and employees• Speeding, driving without a seatbelt, driving while using

your phone

Plenary• Why do we need a good definition?

• Crime figures

• Sentencing

• Courtrooms

• Causes

Causes of Crime• Draw a mind map of the causes of

crime in the space

• Compare your map with your partner

• Which explanations are most likely?

• Using what you know about the serial killers work in small groups to decide on the possible causes

• Now do the same for serious crime