SOC225 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Victimless Crime, Mesopotamia, Street Prostitution
2 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
April 11 (Wednesday)
Public Order Crimes
● Public Order Crimes: victimless crimes, acts that interfere with public order
○ Mala prohibitum: violate the prevailing moral rules
● Prohibit the sale and distribution of selected goods and services
○ Ie: sex and drugs
Morality and the Law
● Consensus Law
○ Criminal law expresses public morality
● Conflict View
○ Law reflects the consensus of the people and morality
○ Encoding mores and norms into criminal law based on power of the
lawmakers
● Interactionist View
○ Moral definitions change over time
○ Whose values will be incorporated into law
■ Moral entrepreneurs
■ Less about power relationship, more about the people who we
take our cues from
Criminal or Immoral
● Some immoral behaviour may be beneficial
○ Ie: use of marijuana or opioids for pain control
● Some criminal behaviour may be regarded as moral
○ Ie: euthanasia
● Some legal actions might be immoral
○ Ie: high student loans
● Some legal behaviour may be very harmful
○ Ie: tobacco, alcohol, guns
● Some criminal behaviour may not be very harmful
○ Ie: marijuana
● Some laws are difficult to enforce
○ Ie: assisted suicide
Illegal Sexuality: Prostitution
● Historical records reveal: the oldest profession
○ Ancient Mesopotamia
■ Temple priests used sex to encourage fertility
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
