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Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin and I'm going to be taking you through this citizenship lesson.
I'll be explaining all of the information that you need and I'll be pausing and telling you when you need to complete tasks.
Hope you enjoy the lesson.
The outcome for today's lesson is that you'll be able to explain the changing nature of crime and how societal structures, such as the law, keep up with these changes.
This lesson is called "What is crime?" and it's taken from the "What can we do to reduce crime?" unit.
These are the keywords that we're going to be looking at today, and you'll see these pop up a lot during the lesson.
So we've got law, rules that are usually made by parliament that are used to order the way in which a society behaves.
Illegal, which is something that is not allowed and is forbidden by law.
Crime, which is an illegal act that is punishable by law.
And social structure, which is the way that different customs, relationships, and institutions work together to make up society.
And first, we're going to be looking at what constitutes a crime? So what constitutes a crime? Let's think about laws.
Laws are created in Parliament.
Laws are therefore an Act of Parliament.
And that's why after a title of a law, you'll see the word Act with a capital A because it's an Act of Parliament.
When an Act of Parliament is passed and becomes law, all citizens must follow this law.
So Izzy is just reminding us of some key knowledge about parliaments.
So Parliament comprises of three parts.
We've got the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the monarch.
And one of Parliament's key purposes is to make laws.
If a citizen does not comply with an Act of Parliament and breaks a law, they have committed a crime.
So that's ultimately what a crime is, when someone has gone against an Act of Parliament.
And a crime is an illegal act that is punishable by law.
So for example, Izzy's telling us about "when Parliament made smoking in indoor public places against the law in 2007, it instantly became an illegal act.
If you smoke indoors in public places, you've committed a crime." Because Parliament have made something law, and therefore if you go against that, you have committed a crime.
So let's have a look at our first check.
Which definition of crime is correct? Is it A, an immoral act punishable by law? B, an illegal act punishable by law? C, a broken rule punishable by law? Or D, an action that physically harms others? Pause if you need to.
And the correct answer is B, an illegal act punishable by law.
A crime has taken place when someone has committed an illegal act which is punishable by law, which is what we've just looked at.
A crime is not determined by whether or not the action is seen as immoral.
Whether something is moral or immoral is personal opinion.
So Lucas is giving an example here.
"Some people might think it's immoral not to visit elderly relatives, but it isn't illegal as it hasn't been made law to do so." So that's an action that some people might think isn't very kind or isn't very nice.
But ultimately, unless Parliament have decided to make something law, then if you act in that way, you've not committed a crime.
So it's really, really important that we understand the difference.
A crime is not defined as the breaking of a rule.
This is because different rules exist in different places.
However, laws exist everywhere and for everyone.
So Izzy's giving an example here.
"I have to wear a tie to school.
It's the rules." Whereas Alex is saying, "I have to wear a seatbelt in the car.
It's the law." So what Alex is talking about is the law and therefore it applies to everyone.
So everyone needs to wear a seatbelt when they're in a car, whereas what Izzy's talking about is a rule.
And you might have some schools where you have to wear a tie and other schools where you don't need to wear a tie.
So it's different for different people depending on the situation.
So another check.
Which of the following would constitute a crime? A, a citizen laughing at a homeless person.
B, a citizen smoking inside a cafe.
Or C, a citizen arriving late to work.
And it's B, a citizen smoking inside a cafe.
Laughing at a homeless person may be considered immoral, but it's not illegal.
There is no Act of Parliament that states that this behaviour is breaking the law, and therefore it is not a crime.
So again, going back to Lucas's example before about elderly relatives, it's an example of something that people might think is immoral, that's not very nice, it's not very kind, but it isn't illegal.
Something only becomes illegal when it's been made law by Parliament and then that's broken.
Arriving late for work may break the rules of that workplace, but it's not a crime.
Turning up to work on time is a rule.
It's not a law.
So different workplaces will have different rules about punctuality, whereas laws do not change depending on location.
The law is explicit.
So again, in terms of work, some places might have a really, really strict time where you must be in the building or you must be logged on, whereas other jobs might be really, really flexible with times.
That means it's a rule.
It's not a law.
Laws are the same for everyone.
So smoking in an indoor public place is a crime.
The Health Act 2006 makes it a legal requirement to keep indoor public places and workplaces, including work vehicles, smoke-free.
The legislation was designed to protect workers and members of the public from the serious health risks of secondhand smoke.
Speed limits are set out in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967 and are therefore law.
This means that breaking the speed limit is illegal.
So again here, we've got examples of things that Parliament have decided are going to be against the law.
There's going to be a law to make sure that people do not act in this way.
And therefore that becomes a law, and if you go against that, you have committed a crime.
So for your first task, I want you to look at Lucas and Izzy's examples and I want you to tell me, do they constitute crimes? Explain your answer, trying to use the words law, crime, and illegal.
So Lucas's example is, "Mr. Jones was late for an important hospital appointment, so he drove his car at 36 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone." Izzy's example is, "Mrs. Moss smoked a cigarette at the lake.
And there were children nearby." So pause while you complete this task.
So for this task, your answer may have included, Lucas's example is a crime.
Speed limits are set out in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967 and they are therefore law.
This means that breaking the speed limit is illegal.
Driving at 36 miles per hour when the law states the maximum speed is 30 miles per hour is a crime.
Izzy's example is not a crime.
The Health Act 2006 made it against the law to smoke indoors in public places.
It is not against the law to smoke outside, only inside public places.
Therefore, Mrs. Moss had not done anything illegal and had not committed a crime.
So even though you might think that actually Mrs. Moss shouldn't have smoked around children at the park, or you can understand why someone might go a little bit faster because they're in a rush, ultimately, the law is the law.
And if you drive too fast and you break the speed limit, you've broken the law.
And even though people might not think you should smoke around children in outside places, that's not a law, so that isn't a crime.
We're now going to move on to how is crime changing due to external factors? Over time, some crimes increase while others decrease.
Crime in England and Wales is monitored and reported by the Office for National Statistics, ONS.
Crime in Scotland is monitored by the National Records of Scotland, NRS.
And crime in Northern Ireland is monitored by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, NISRA.
It is important to know how crime is changing because this informs professionals involved in crime reduction.
For example, if knife crime is increasing, schools may need to do more work around weapons awareness.
So it's really, really important that we understand what's happening to crime so that we can tackle that when we need to.
So it's really, really vital we have statistics about what's happening with crime.
So what these statistics tell us is that online crime and theft from the person, that's stealing from someone, are increasing.
So according to the ONS, online crimes increased by 37% in the 10-year period from 2013 to 2023.
And theft from the person went up by 40%.
And there are lots of different reasons why this may have happened.
So Lucas has come up with an idea.
He's saying, "More people use online systems now.
If more people are using online systems for banking and shopping and storing data, there is more opportunity for crime." And Izzy is saying that "the cost of living has increased.
If more people are struggling to meet the cost of living, then there could be more temptation to commit theft." So I don't know what you think about that, if you agree or disagree.
Have a little bit of a think if you'd like to.
So let's have a little check-in.
Which statement is correct? Crime rates don't ever change.
They remain static.
Crime rates increase and decrease for various reasons.
Crime rates increase for various reasons but don't decrease.
And it's B.
Crime rates increase and decrease for various reasons.
And we're going to keep on looking at some of these.
When new laws are made, new crimes are committed.
So for example, the Voyeurism Act 2019 made upskirting illegal.
So you might have heard of this.
Anyone who takes a photo underneath someone's clothing without permission has committed a crime.
Since 2019, the number of crimes relating to voyeurism have gone up because before that, they didn't exist! So Izzy is telling us that "in the first two years of upskirting becoming illegal, 134 cases went to court." So this is an example of when crime rates might go up because this behaviour would've been happening before 2019, but when that behaviour was happening, it wouldn't have been recorded anywhere because it wasn't a crime, and we only record crimes when they are crimes.
So as soon as that became law, it means that anyone then carrying out that behaviour has committed a crime and therefore that would be logged.
So it simply means that when new laws are made, there's naturally going to be an increase in that type of crime simply because it didn't exist before.
It's the same with seatbelts.
So car passengers didn't always have to wear seatbelts.
This only became law in the 1980s.
So in 1983, front-seat passengers had to wear seatbelts.
And in 1991, it also applied to back-seat passengers.
And I can remember when this law came into place of getting seatbelts in the back of our family car when I was young.
So seatbelt laws have continued to change, and in 2006, new regulations were introduced.
So seatbelts and wearing a seatbelt, that law has changed as we've begun to learn more about car safety.
And that means that prior to 1983, if you weren't wearing a seatbelt in the car in the front, then it wouldn't be recorded as a crime because it wasn't a law, whereas afterwards, it would.
So you're naturally going to see a little bit of a change in data.
So Izzy is saying, "Today, it is against the law to not wear a seatbelt.
However, in the past, this was not classed as a crime." So now anyone that's caught not wearing a seatbelt, that would be logged as a crime and that would go in onto the crime statistics, whereas before that, of course, it wouldn't.
So let's have a check.
Which statement is correct? The creation of new laws causes certain crimes to increase.
The creation of new laws causes certain crimes to decrease.
Or the creation of new laws does not impact crime rates.
And it's A.
The creation of new laws causes certain crimes to increase.
"The creation of new laws causes certain crimes to increase because a crime did not exist before, meaning there is no previous data.
Therefore, any of these crimes will be an increase." Lucas is saying that "the same can be said for crimes relating to new laws created due to changes in societal views, new technology, and scientific discoveries." So whenever we have new laws that are made for any of these reasons, we're going to see a bit of a change in the statistics.
So for this task, what I want you to think about is mobile phones.
So mobile phone usage has dramatically increased in recent years.
What impact could this have had on crime rates? Explain your answer using what you've learned so far.
And Lucas has given you some tips.
He's telling you to "remember what we discussed about what online crime can look like.
Now most people have instant online access via their phones, what could this mean in terms of crime rates?" So pause while you complete this task.
So some of the things that you might have included in your answer is that there are more opportunities for online crime, such as identity theft and fraud, and you might have gone into a bit of detail with these.
There are more opportunities for harassment and online abuse, things like online stalking.
And these reasons suggest that there'll be an increase in the recording of crimes because it's much more accessible due to having mobile phones.
We're now going to look at how do social structures keep up with the changes? So social structures organise societies.
It's the way different customs, relationships, and institutions work together to make up society.
This can be a little bit of a tricky concept.
So to get your head around it, let's think about a building.
So a building is a structure that needs bricks, cement, and mortar to keep it stable and solid.
So if you think about the building in which you're sat in, now, if you didn't have bricks, if you didn't have cement, if you didn't have mortar, you probably wouldn't want to be sat in there because it'd be really, really unsafe.
The whole building could fall down.
It wouldn't be safe.
It wouldn't be solid.
It wouldn't be secure.
And the same can be said with societies.
So societies need things like laws, education, police, family units to keep it stable.
So that's what we mean by a social structure.
And social structures also have systems to reduce crime.
So these will include ideas on how to prevent crime.
Deter people from committing crime.
And that means to put people off committing crime.
To educate citizens about crime.
Ensure our laws adapt as and when is needed.
So let's have a check.
What is a social structure? Fill in the missing words.
Pause if you need to to complete this check.
So social structures organise societies.
It is the way different customs, relationships, and institutions work together to make up society.
Social structures consider the impact of the economy too.
So for example, structures are put in place to support citizens who may be struggling with the cost of living.
So Lucas is giving one of those examples in terms of opening up food banks in local communities where people can go and get access to food and necessities that they need if they can't quite afford them themselves.
And Izzy's giving another example and that's welfare for citizens that need financial support.
So different types of benefits that the public can access.
Social structures also consider the use of technology.
So for example, structures are put in place using technology to deter crime from happening.
And Lucas has given the example of a video doorbell, and you might have seen one of these or even have one of these yourself at home.
And Izzy's given the example of the surveillance cameras in shops.
So we can see what's happening in shops and what customers are doing.
They're both examples of social structures using technology to try and reduce crime.
So another check.
Which is an example of a social structure that aims to tackle the increase in shoplifting? Is it A, media literacy within the curriculum? B, naming and shaming shoplifters? Or C, increasing the number of food banks? And it's C, increasing the number of food banks.
Social structures consider citizens' increased online presence too.
For example, structures are put in place to educate citizens about how to protect themselves online and reduce opportunities for online crime to take place.
So Izzy's given the example of media literacy on school curriculums. So young people can be taught about the potential dangers of being online and potential crimes that could be related to being online.
Laura has given the example of a government cyber crime strategy.
So that's something that happens at a national level where the government's seeing this is such an important topic, they're going to have a strategy about how to keep the public safe and to try and reduce online crime.
And Lucas has given the example of advice, reminders, and support on online banking apps.
Lots of people now use computers or their mobile phone to do their online banking, including paying for things.
This is something that I use myself, and therefore within those apps, they'll have popups and things to remind you about keeping yourself safe, which is really, really important.
So let's have a check.
Which is an example of a social structure that aims to tackle the increase in online crime? Is it A, increase in anti-virus software? Is it B, banning citizens with criminal records from owning computers? Or is it C, the Equality Act 2010? And it's A, increase in anti-virus software, which is just another level of protection when we're using online apps and software.
New laws are created for lots of different reasons.
When discoveries are made within technology and science, the law may need to change to reflect these.
So thinking about cigarettes.
In recent years, new legislation has been introduced to control how tobacco products are packaged.
For example, cigarette packets must now display graphic images that show the physical impact of smoking.
This new law was made to try and reduce the number of people smoking.
So this is an example of science and health data showing us how dangerous smoking is and the law changing to try and tackle that.
So that's a way of using the law to try and tackle a problem.
In 2015, the Nicotine Inhaling Products Regulations made it illegal to sell vapes for under-18s.
This new law made it harder for children to access nicotine products.
So again, this is an example of a product being introduced and going mainstream, in this case, vapes, and the law needing to change to keep up with that.
And this is again because science has educated us about the health risks associated with smoking.
And therefore, laws are put in place to try and reduce the uptake of smoking.
So in this case, trying to reduce children being easily able to access products with nicotine in them.
Another reason new laws are introduced is the advancement of technology.
For example.
As more people have access to camera and video phones, the law changed to ensure their appropriate usage, such as the introduction of the Voyeurism Act 2019, which we looked at before.
You might know this as the upskirting law, and that's absolutely fine.
Also, in 2003, the Road Vehicles Regulations made it a crime to hold a mobile phone whilst driving.
And again, this is because more and more people owned their own personal mobile phone.
And when they realised, Parliament realised that people might be using this while driving and that was really unsafe, a law was made to make sure that behaviour became illegal.
So prior to this, it wasn't perhaps needed and now it is.
So another example of new laws being needed due to changes.
These new laws protect people from crime related to new technology.
New laws are created for lots of other different reasons, and one of these is changes to societal views.
So for example, until 1986, it was legal for teachers to hit their pupils.
This was called corporal punishment.
And in 2004, the Children Act made it illegal for a parent to unreasonably hit their child.
So these are examples of societal views changing.
Years and years ago, it was seen as acceptable for children to be hit by a teacher as a way of sanctioning that child.
Our views towards how we sanction children, how things have changed in terms of children's rights mean that this is just not seen as acceptable now within our society and therefore the law changed to represent that.
So this is an example of when societal views towards child punishment change, the law needed to change too.
So for your final task, I want you to explain three ways in which social structures have changed to keep up with changing crime patterns.
And Izzy is reminding you to "think back to what we've learned about the cost of living, online crime and changes to how people view social structures." Pause while you complete this task.
So your answers may have included information about how shoplifting has increased and therefore surveillance is used in shops to reduce this and food banks have been created to support citizens.
You might have talked about how online crime has increased and more people have access to a mobile phone nowadays.
So therefore, new laws have been created to protect people from their misuse, such as the Voyeurism Act, or you might have called it the upskirting law.
You may have talked about how views towards how we should punish children have changed and therefore the law has too.
Teachers can no longer hit students.
So in summary of this lesson, "What is crime?" Laws are Acts of Parliament.
If a citizen breaks the law, this is illegal and they have therefore committed a crime.
Crime changes for many different reasons.
Crime rates may go up and down due to changes in technology, the cost of living, or due to the introduction of new laws.
It is important to monitor these changes, as this informs professionals involved in crime reduction.
Social structures organise societies.
It's the way different customs, relationships, and institutions work together to make up society.
Social structures change and adapt over time in response to changing crime.
Thank you so much for all your hard work this lesson! We hope you come back and enjoy another citizenship lesson soon.