abolitionism
A radical perspective in criminology, which sees crime as the same as other non‐criminalized social problems and advocates the abolition of prisons and punishment systems for dealing with crime.
accessory
N.1 One who aids and abets or counsels or procures someone else to commit a crime. A secondary party to an offence – i.e. one who participates in it but does not bring about the * actus reus directly ...
action plan order
A youth community order requiring a child or young person to comply with a three-month plan relating to his actions and whereabouts and with the directions of a responsible officer (Glossary to the ...
actual bodily harm
(ABH)Any hurt or injury calculated to interfere with the health or comfort of the victim. Assault causing actual bodily harm is a summary or indictable offence carrying a maximum punishment of five ...
adultery
The way in which religions have played so vital a role in the protection of what would now be recognized as gene-replication and the nurture of children has contributed to ...
Alexander Crombie
(1762–1840)Alexander Crombie was born in Aberdeen on 17 July 1762 and died at his estate at Phesdo, Kincardineshire in February 1840. He studied at Marischal College, Aberdeen, where he ...
Alexander Macbeath
(1888–1964)Alexander Macbeath was born on the Applecross peninsula, Wester Ross on 16 October 1888 and died in Aberfeldy on 15 December 1964. He attended Hutchesons' Boys Grammar School, Glasgow ...
amnesty
N.An act erasing from legal memory some aspect of criminal conduct by an offender. It is most frequently granted to groups of people in respect of political offences and is wider than a pardon, which ...
Amphitheaters and Arenas
In both form and function, the amphitheater is a unique structure. It evolved especially to house Rome's blood spectacles and was built around an elliptically shaped arena (often written as ...
applied ethics
The subject that applies ethics to actual practical problems, such as those of abortion, euthanasia, the treatment of animals, or other environmental, legal, political, and social problems. See also ...
attachment
N.A court order for the detention of a person and/or his property. Attachment can be used by the courts for the punishment of contempt of court.
attainder
The extinction of civil rights and powers when judgement of death or outlawry was recorded against a person convicted of treason or felony. It was the severest English common law penalty, for an ...
Basil Montagu
(1770–1851),a friend of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Godwin; his young son (also Basil) lived with the Wordsworths during their West Country period. He became a successful barrister and author; ...
Beating and Whipping in Chinese Law
The punishment of blows with the stick or leather whip was very common in traditional China, used in all dynasties for a wide variety of offenses, often coupled with another ...
Benjamin Hoadly
(1676–1761),bishop successively of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester, much in favour with the Whigs and Queen Caroline, whose famous sermon ‘The Nature of the Kingdom or Church of Christ’ ...
Bernard Arthur Owen Williams
(1929–2003)English philosopher. Born in Essex, Williams was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and held Fellowships at All Souls and New College. He was professor of philosophy at Cambridge from ...
Bernard Bosanquet
(1848–1923)English absolute idealist. Bosanquet was educated and taught at Oxford, left in order to involve himself in charity work in London, and finally held the chair of moral philosophy at St ...
Bernard Mandeville
(c.1670–1733)Dutch doctor and moral philosopher. Born in Rotterdam of a distinguished medical family, Mandeville settled in Britain shortly after taking his degree in 1691. He is known for The Fable ...
bifurcation
Dividing in two. In penology, the concept of classifying crimes into those serious offences for which imprisonment is absolutely necessary and all other offences which can be dealt with by ...
capital punishment
Was formerly of central importance in all European criminal justice systems. Although the history of capital punishment in Scotland has been little studied, it is clear that hanging was the standard ...
