Learning Objective 1

The two most common models of how society determines which acts are criminal are:

• The Consensus Model and the Conflict Model

• The Social Contract Model and the Legalist Model

• The Utilitarian Model and the Retributive Model

• The Rehabilitation Model and the Deterrence Model

According to the Consensus Model, what do members of a society come to as it is formed?

• Agreement about shared norms and values

• Disagreement about laws

• Individual opinions

• None of the above

The Consensus Model views crimes as acts that ________ and are deemed harmful to society.

• violate this shared value system

• benefit the majority of people

• are always accidental

• support individual freedoms

According to the Consensus Model, as societal norms and values about morality change, what will also change?

• Laws will change

• Weather will change

• Geography will change

• Population will change

Tags

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

According to the Conflict Model, in large, diverse societies, people may not share beliefs about _________

• controversial issues

• basic arithmetic

• universal laws of physics

• the alphabet

According to the Conflict Model, who has the most influence on criminal law?

• The majority of the population

• The most politically powerful members of society

• Law enforcement officers

• The media

According to the Conflict Model, what is deemed criminal activity is determined by _________?

• whichever group happens to be holding power at any given time

• the consensus of all citizens in a society

• the decisions of law enforcement agencies alone

• universal moral standards agreed upon by everyone

The consensus and conflict models view changes in laws related to marijuana differently. Which statement best describes their perspectives?

• The consensus model sees law changes as reflecting shared societal values, while the conflict model sees them as outcomes of power struggles between groups.

• Both models agree that law changes are always based on scientific evidence.

• The conflict model believes all law changes are random, while the consensus model sees them as government mistakes.

• Both models view law changes as irrelevant to social order.

Crime is defined as:

• An act that is forbidden by law and punishable by the state.

• A good deed performed for society.

• A natural disaster caused by nature.

• A type of government policy.

Fill in the blank: An action that is punishable under criminal law, as established by the ________ or a powerful minority, is considered a crime.

• majority

• court

• police

• victim