3.2 Explaining Class & Crime

Question 1

How would marxists explain working class crime through selective law enforcement?

Answer 1

Powerless groups such as the working class are criminalised

Question 2

Marxists say working class being alienated leads to what?

Answer 2

Frustration and aggression

Then crime

Question 3

Marxists say capitalism is criminogenic what does this mean?

Answer 3

It creates crime

Question 4

Marxists say the working class are scapegoated what does this result in?

Answer 4

Being targeted and arrested

Question 5

How does cicourel (interactionist) explain working class crime?

Answer 5

Police have typifications of the typical offender which contain a class bias

Question 6

What did Becker say being labelled (arrested, prosecuted) was based upon? (Interactionism)

Answer 6

Partly your background and interactions with police

Question 7

Interactionists say that for the middle class justice is what?

Answer 7

Negotiable

Question 8

Interactionists - when moral entrepreneurs create new laws who are the ones quite often outsiders?

Answer 8

The working class

Question 9

How would Wilson (right realists) explain working class crime?

Answer 9

Men temperamentally aggressive 
Working class culture emphasises immediate gratification and no self control

Question 10

How would hirschi (right realist) explain working class crime?

Answer 10

The working class have weaker social bonds

Question 11

How would Murray (right realist) explain working class crime?

Answer 11

Benefits lead to single mothers raising boys without a male role model
They are inadequately socialised and lack a male role model leading to crime

Question 12

How would Murray (right realist) explain working class crime in relation to the absent fathers?

Answer 12

Lack of role within employment and family

Turn to crime to prove masculinity

Question 13

How would rational choice theory (Wilson - right realism) explain crime?

Answer 13

We chose to commit crime benefits vs risk
If the cost is low and living in a working class area where people are less likely to report it chances of being caught are low and people are more likely to commit crime

Question 14

How would left realists explain crime through bulimic society?

Answer 14

Binge on adverts promoting materialism and consumerism 
Working class have no way of obtaining brands and goods so they turn to crime to get them

Question 15

How would left realists explain working class crime through relative deprivation?

Answer 15

People view themself deprived in comparison to others this creates frustration and anger which they express with crime

Question 16

How would cohen (subculturalist) explain working class and crime using status frustration?

Answer 16

Status frustration among w/c leads to delinquent subcultures giving status & rewards for crime e.g attention

Question 17

How would miller (subculturalist) explain working class crimes?

Answer 17

Focal concerns amongst young working class males could lead to crime e.g toughness and autonomy

Question 18

How does working class crime link to the crisis of masculinity? (Subculturalists)

Answer 18

Lack of traditional w/c jobs
Young w/c boys lack the means to express masculinity
Turn to crime and violence to express masculinity

Question 19

How would Merton (functionalist) explain working class crime through means?

Answer 19

Working class don’t have access to good and higher education to get a good career and make money

Question 20

(Merton - functionalist) as the working class don’t have the means they are more likely to do what?

Answer 20

Innovate

Turn to utilitarian crime to achieve goals

Question 21

(Merton - functionalist)

Strain can lead to anomie how does this lead to crime?

Answer 21

Sense of normlessness
People don’t know how to behave
Resort to crime

Question 22

One criticism of explanations is they overpredict crime, what don’t they explain?

Answer 22

Why majority of working class don’t commit crime

Question 23

One issue of crime is that a large amount of crime remains unreported what does this mean?

Answer 23

We don’t know who the real offenders are they may not be overwhelmingly working class

Question 24

One final criticism is evidence of what?

Answer 24

Middle class crime which goes unrecorded or is dealt with outside of the CJS