4.1 - Assess the use of sociology theories in policy develpoment Flashcards
What are theories we use??
Merton Strain theory and Subcultures
Main social goal is to gain wealth.
However for the poor their opportunity to do some legitimately (through a good education) is blocked.
Many adapting to this ‘innovating’ – using illegal means such as theft.
Subcultural theorists also argue that crime is caused by blocked opportunities.
Different subcultures cope with this by becoming professional criminals, joining gangs, or dropping out.
What are the crime control and punishment policies??
Merton’s strain theory provides a basis of crime control and reduction policies. Society’s structure could be more equal if
- policies to tackle poverty
- equal oppertunites
- education in prison
Are these policies effective??
Evidence shows that anti – poverty policies have a positive effect.
Societies that spend more on welfare jail fewer people. Those with
greater inequality like the USA, have higher crime rates.
What is labelling theory??
Labelling theory argues that much crime is the result of a self – fulfilling prophecy. By labelling someone as criminal, we risk them living up to their label and committing further, more serious crimes. Labelling theory has influenced the development of several crime control policies.
What are the 3 points of the labelling theory??
1) Decriminalisation
2) Diversion policies
3) Reintegrative & Disintegrative shaming
What is decriminalisation??
Decriminalising minor offences such as, possession of cannabis would mean many fewer young people would be labelled criminals. A criminal record can prevent them getting a job and lead to secondary deviance (further offending).
What are diversion policies??
These aim to keep an offender out of the justice system so as to avoid labelling them as criminals. Informal - police use their discretion not to charge someone.
Formal - Requiring an offender to attend anger management programme to avoid prosecution.
What is Reintegrative & Disintegrative shaming??
Reintegrative - where both the crime and the criminal are labelled as bad and the offender is excluded from society. This can push them into secondary deviance.
Disintegrative - labels the act but not the actor. For instance, stating the he has done a bad thing, rather than he is a bad person. It avoids stigmatising the offender as evil , while still encouraging them to repent and encouraging others to admit them back into society.
Braithwaite (1988)
Are the policies effective??
Evidence shows crime control policies based on labelling theory can deal successfully with minor offences and young offenders. By avoiding labelling people as criminals and keeping them out of the justice system, they avoid pushing individuals into a deviant career.
What is right realism??
Right wing, conservative political outlook.
See street crime as a growing problem. Practical solutions to reduce crime. Best way to control crime is through control and punishment, rather than by rehabilitating offenders. Causes of crime = Biological differences between individuals, inadequate socialisation & seeing offending is a rational choice.
What are right realism policies?
Situational crime prevention (SCP)
Environmental crime prevention
Penal populism and imprisonment
What is situational crime prevention??
SCP is based on rational choice theory: the idea that offenders act rationally, weighing up the risks and rewards of a crime opportunity.
Includes ‘target hardening’ measures, such as locking cars, employing security guards and re-shaping the environment to ‘design crime out’ of an area.
One problem is displacement.
If criminals are rational actors, then when they find a target to hard to crack, they will simply look for a softer one.
They may commit crime at a different time or place, use a different method or choose a different target (victim).
This may results in more vulnerable targets old, poor, or disabled being victimised
What is ZTP and environmental improvment strategy??
Wilson & Kelling’s ‘broken windows’ theory argues that a disorderly neighbourhood sends out the message that nobody cares. This attracts offenders, who calculate that their activities there will not be investigated.
EIS - All signs of disorder must be tackled promptly - graffiti removed, broken windows repaired
ZTP - taking a tough, ‘zero tolerance’ stance towards all crime, even the most trivial. Police should concentrate on tackling ‘quality of life’ offences such as aggressive begging, prostitution and vandalism.
Is ZTP effective??
Crime fell after ZTP was introduced in New York in the 1990s, but this may have been due to other factors: US cities that had not adopted ZTP also saw crime fall.
ZTP can lead to targeting of ethnic minorities due to police racism, and to confrontations due to heavy-handed ‘military policing’.
ZTP and SCP fail to tackle structural causes of crime such as inequality. Also, they focus on low-level street crime, ignoring the crimes of the powerful: white collar and state crime.
What do you talk about for prisons and right realism??
Right realists argue that criminals make a rational choice to offend by weighing up the costs and benefits of offending. Higher costs such as tougher penalties should therefore deter criminals
Do right realists think prisons are effective?
1) Incapacitation – Prison might work temporarily as they are not able to commit crimes against the public, but they can commit crime against other inmates and staff.
2) Rehabilitation – Prison has the aim to rehabilitate offenders, by overcrowding and budget cuts mean many prisoners lack access to education, skills training, or treatment programmes that would help them becoming law – abiding citizens.
3) Recidivism – imprisonment is ineffective in preventing recidivism – 48% of adults are reconvicted within a year of release.
4) Deterrence – Jail is meant to deter would – be criminals, who make rational choices about offending. However, studies show that risk of imprisonment does not deter offenders enough to affect overall crime rates.
What is left realism??
Left wing, socialist political outlook.
Root cause of crime = inequality.
Main victims are = disadvantaged groups (working-class, ethnic minorities & women).
Crime rates are highest in working-class areas with high levels of unemployment and deprivation.
Left realists propose to reduce crime by making society fairer and more equal.
Causes of crime = Relative deprivation, Subculture & marginalisation.
What are left realists main polices??
Policies to reduce inequality
Democratic policing
A multi-agency approach
What is policies to reduce inequality and democratic policing??
Inequality - Left realists call for major structural changes to tackle discrimination, inequality of opportunity + unfairness of rewards + to provide good job and housing for all. This would reduce relative deprivation – the main cause of crime.
What is multi agency approach??
A multi – agency approach Left realists argue that crime control must involve many other agencies apart from police: schools, youth services, housing departments, social services, the probation service, and the NHS. Local councils can improve facilities for young people to provide alternatives to crime.
What is democratic policing??
Democratic policing -
The police are losing public support, especially in poorer areas, where they are widely distributed. Their flow of information dries up and they must rely on “military policing”, such as stop and searches. This creates further loss of cooperation, meaning they cannot tackle crime effectively. To win back public support, the police must involve local communities in deciding their priorities.
Are the left realist policies effective??
Democratic policing is evident with the use of PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) who were introduced to build better relationships between communities + law enforcement.
Campaigns for change + reducing crime are more likely to be effective if a multi-agency approach is taken. ‘No Knives, Better Lives’ is an example of a campaign that has been led by multiple agencies such as the NHS, police, councils and others.
Although these policies help communities + areas of deprivation to be heard, they do not always help with inequality of money, job opportunities or health. Therefore, left realist policies alone are not enough to control crime.
What are surveillance theories??
CCTV is a modern form of the Panopticon: a surveillance system in which prison guards can observe inmates without the prisoners knowing whether they were being watched. Foucault argues that this leads prisoners to monitor and regulate their own behaviour.
Are surveillance theories effective??
CCTV depends on criminals believing they are being watched and being deterred by this. Gill and Loveday (2003) found that very criminals were put off by CCTV. Norris (2012) found CCTV has little effect other than displacement.
CCTV has had some successes, such as the identification of David Copeland.
Critics suggest that CCTV’s real function may be to reassure the public, even though it makes little difference to their security.
Stereotyping. Norris and Armstrong (1999) found CCTV operators using racist stereotypes, singling out black youth.
