Unit 11 Sociology: Crime, Punishment, and Global Deviance

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering sociological theories of crime and deviance, aims of punishment, comparative criminal justice systems, international crime dynamics, and gun control policies.

Retribution

An aim of punishment focused on inflicting a penalty or suffering on an offender that is proportionate to the crime committed, satisfying society's desire for justice or revenge.

Deterrence

An aim of punishment that uses the threat or severity of punishment to discourage offenders and the broader public from committing criminal acts.

Rehabilitation

An aim of punishment focused on reforming offenders through treatment, education, or skills training to reintegrate them into society and reduce recidivism.

Societal Protection

An aim of punishment that seeks to safeguard the community from harm by incapacitating an offender, typically through imprisonment or physical restriction.

Restorative Justice

An approach to justice that emphasizes repairing harm caused by criminal behaviour through direct mediation and dialogue between victims and offenders rather than relying solely on punitive measures.

Community Service Orders

A non-custodial sentencing option requiring an offender to perform a specified number of hours of unpaid community work to make amends to the community.

Suspended Sentence

A court-imposed sentence where the custodial term is held in abeyance, meaning the offender does not serve time in prison unless they commit another offence within a specified time period.

Diversion Programs

Intervention initiatives designed for minor or first-time offenders that redirect individuals away from the formal criminal justice system into rehabilitation, counseling, or community work.

Mandatory Sentencing

A statutory requirement establishing fixed minimum penalties for specific serious offences, thereby restricting judicial discretion in sentencing.

Ronald Ryan

The last individual executed in Australia, hanged on $3\text{ February } 1967$ following his escape from Pentridge Prison with accomplice Peter Walker on $19\text{ December } 1965$, precipitating the nationwide abolition of capital punishment by $1985$.

Merton’s Strain Theory

A sociological theory proposed by Robert K. Merton arguing that deviance occurs when there is a structural gap or tension between culturally valued societal goals (such as wealth and status) and access to legitimate, institutionalised means to attain them.

Conformity (Strain Theory)

An adaptation where individuals pursue culturally defined goals through socially approved, legitimate means, such as working hard to achieve a promotion.

Ritualism (Strain Theory)

An adaptation where individuals abandon cultural goals of success but continue adhering strictly to socially legitimate routines and motions, such as punctually attending work every day without ambition.

Innovation (Strain Theory)

An adaptation where individuals accept cultural goals but reject legitimate pathways, devising alternative, often criminal methods (e.g., robbing a bank rather than working in one) to achieve financial success.

Retreatism (Strain Theory)

An adaptation where individuals reject both cultural goals and the legitimate means to achieve them, effectively withdrawing from mainstream society (e.g., dropping out of work and experiencing chronic substance addiction).

Rebellion (Strain Theory)

An adaptation where individuals reject existing cultural goals and institutionalized means, seeking to replace them with an alternate social structure or ideology, such as participating in revolutionary or terrorist movements.

Human Trafficking

The illegal trade, recruitment, transportation, or harbouring of people for exploitation or commercial gain, taking forms such as sexual exploitation, forced labour, organ removal, and child trafficking.

International Drug Trafficking

The transnational trade in prohibited narcotics involving the production, preparation, concealment, transport, or sale of illicit substances across international borders, estimated globally at \426\text{ to } \$652\text{ billion}$ annually.

Golden Triangle

A major illicit opium- and heroin-producing geographic region located in Southeast Asia, encompassing parts of Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Thailand.

Golden Crescent

A principal illicit opium- and heroin-producing crossroads located in South and Southwest Asia, comprising Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Terrorism (Criminal Code Act 1995)

Under Australian federal law, an action or threat of action undertaken to advance a political, religious, or ideological cause while coercing or intimidating a government or the public.

Lindt Café Siege

A $16\text{-hour}$ terrorist incident in Martin Place, Sydney, occurring on $15\text{--}16\text{ December } 2014$, where lone extremist Man Haron Monis held $18$ hostages, resulting in the deaths of hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson as well as the perpetrator.

State Average Crime Data

A statistical reference point used by criminologists and policymakers as an objective baseline to evaluate local crime prevalence, identify regional disparities, inform resource allocation, and assess systemic inequities.

Indigenous Overrepresentation in Criminal Justice

The statistical disparity where First Nations Australians constitute approximately $32\%$ of the incarcerated population despite accounting for only about $4\%$ of Australia's overall demographic population.

Mass Shooting (United States Research Definition)

An incident involving firearm violence in which $4$ or more individuals (excluding the perpetrator) are injured or killed.

Port Arthur Massacre

A mass shooting in Tasmania in $1996$ in which a lone gunman killed $35$ individuals and injured $23$, serving as the primary catalyst for immediate bipartisan gun legislation reform across Australia.

National Firearms Agreement (NFA)

The comprehensive Australian legislative framework enacted in $1996$ under Prime Minister John Howard that standardized nationwide gun restrictions and initiated a buyback of approximately $650{,}000$ firearms funded by an increased Medicare levy.

Second Amendment (United States Constitution)

A constitutional provision guaranteeing the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, functioning as a primary legal and cultural barrier against federal firearm restriction in the United States.