Introduction to Criminology

• Session Focus: Crime, Media, and Social Difference

Transforming Difference into Deviance

• Key Themes:

  • Social difference and subordinate status (gender-patterned crime).

  • Social difference and feared status (discourse on disability).

  • Status offenses concerning juvenile crime.

Prescribed Textbook and Additional Readings

• Textbook: White, Perrone & Howes (2019).

• Reports include: Australian Human Rights Commission (2014), Cunneen & White (2011), Presdee (2000).

Crime and Media

• The relationship between crime and media is complex; they influence perceptions of deviance.

• Social media case studies (e.g., Depp v Heard) illustrate media's role in shaping public opinion.

Gender and Crime

• Gender Constructs: Gender is a social construct, influencing perceptions of crime and legal responses.

• Feminist Contributions: Address issues like domestic violence, sexual assault, and the treatment of female offenders.

Juvenile Crime

• Legal categories in Australia:

  • Under 12: No criminal responsibility.

  • Ages 10-12 (Min. age for criminal responsibility): Rebuttable presumption of doli incapax (incapable of knowing wrongfulness).

  • Ages 15-18: Eligible for various adult privileges (e.g., driver’s license).

Chivalry Thesis

• Suggests leniency in law enforcement towards women, perceiving them as less criminally inclined.