Ac2.3 - Sociological Theories Of Criminality Flashcards
1
Q
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIMINALITY
A
- functionalists
- interactionism
- Marxist theory
- realist theories
2
Q
- functionalism
What is functionalism
A
- it is a structural theory, they focus on the structure of society and how it is organised
- functionalist generally see everything in society as working together in a positive way
- they are accused of viewing society through ‘rose - tinted glasses’ in other words, never seeing the negative aspects of society
- they see the structure of society as being the cause of crime
3
Q
Emile Durkheim
A
- crime is inevitable
- Durkheim claimed that crime and deviance can be a functional part of society as they act as a yardstick against which to measure conformity and moral standards
4
Q
Emile Durkheim continued
Crime and deviance have a number of functions, they both promote
A
- social solidarity: they bring people together, talking about and condemning crime
- social integration: they clarify what is acceptable and non acceptable behaviour
- social order: society unites, rules are clarified and re enforced
5
Q
What did Emile Durkheim claim?
A
- claimed crime is like pain - it is not desirable but is normal and useful
- too much crime can lead to disintegration
- too little crime can lead to stagnation
- there needs to be a consistent amount in order for society to continue to grow and develop
6
Q
Why does crime occur?
A
- according to Durkheim , crime occurs due to an integration failure into society’s norms and values.
- non criminal
- criminal
- anomie
7
Q
Non criminal
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- socialised with norms (n) and values (v) in the family
- continues in education
- feels a greater sense of belonging
- does not commit crime
8
Q
Criminal
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- troubled family life - do not learn society’s Ns and Vs
- negative educational experience
- look after own interests - do not feel belonged to society
- may commit crime
9
Q
Anomie
A
- a term developed by Durkheim to explain why some people are dysfunctional members of society
- anomie refers to someone who has not been successfully integrated into society Ns and Vs - a culture of ‘normlessness’
- this means they will look after themselves rather than the community
10
Q
Positive aspects of crime according to Durkheim ( name them)
A
- Boundary maintenance
- Social change
- Social cohesion
11
Q
Boundary maintenance
A
Every time a person breaks the law and is taken to court, there is publicity in the newspapers, the public reaffirm the existing values.
This is particularly clear in societies which public punishments take place.
For example, where a murderer is taken out to be executed in public.
12
Q
Social change
A
On occasion, some individuals or groups deliberately set out to defy laws that they believe are wrong.
Sometimes, these people are ahead of their time and defy laws that will eventually be seen as outdated.
The groups are known as functional rebels because they help to change the collective conscience.
Anticipating and helping to produce changes that will help society to function more effectively and fairly.
13
Q
Social cohesion
A
Durkheim points out that when particularly horrific crimes have been committed, the community joins together in shared outrage and the sense of belonging to a community is strengthened.
This was noticed in the UK after the London Riots in 2011.
14
Q
Evaluation: Strengths of Functionalism To Crime - Durkheim
A
Strengths:
Looks at the positive consequences of crime & deviance
Acknowledges that crime and deviance can be learnt behaviour
Focuses on the impact on upbringing on future behaviour
15
Q
Evaluation: Weaknesses of Functionalism To Crime - Durkheim
A
Weaknesses:
Ignores free will and individual differences; not everyone who has a troubled upbringing will commit crime
Ignores white collar crime committed by those from ‘good’ families with good education
Ignores that people can drift in and out of criminal behaviour
While crime might be functional for some, it is not functional for victims
16
Q
Functionalism - Merton
Merton’s strain theory
A
- everyone has the same values. They all want the ‘American Dream’ (big house, fast cars, nice holidays etc)
- legitimate means of gaining this goal are through talent, ambition and effort
- but due to inequality of opportunity, this path is often blocked for those from poor grounds
- the result is a society where the ‘rules’ aren’t important and all the emphasis is on the end goals
- people when resort to crime/deviancy in order to achieve these goals
17
Q
For Merton, deviance is the result of a strain between two things:
A
-The goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
-What the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately
18
Q
Merton argues that an individual’s position in the social structure affects the way they adapt or respond to the strain of anomie. He suggests 5 different types of adaption
A
Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion
19
Q
Merton’s adaptions: conformity
A
We accept the goals of society. We have the means to attain these goals
20
Q
Merton’s adaptions: innovation
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We accept the goals. There is no way we can reach these goals. We can experiment with new behaviour
21
Q
Merton’s adaptions: ritualism
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- abandon society’s goals and concentrate only on the means
- gain pleasure from practicing rituals regardless of their purpose
- manners and customs of religious sects and fraternities
22
Q
Robert Merton
Modes of Adaption Continued (retreatism and rebellion)
A
- retreatism - individuals who give up on the goals and the means
- rebellion - individuals who reject the cultural goals and the cultural means and substitute new cultural goals and means
23
Q
Strengths of functionalism to crime - Merton
A
- Merton explains how crime and deviance can arise from the same goals
- Merton’s theory can be supported by official statistics such as police recorded crimes and crime survey England and Wales - highest crime is property crime
- draws attention to corporate and white collar crime, which causes massive social harm but is underrepresented in crime statistics and rarely leads to prosecution
24
Q
Weakness of functionalism to crime - Merton
A
- ignores crimes committed by the wealthy
- fails to explain crime from a group role and focuses on the individual role
- Merton focuses on utilitarian crime (theft) ignores crimes with no economic motive (vandalism)
25
- interactionism: labelling theory
Becker’s quote of deviancy
‘Deviancy is not a quality of the act a person commits but rather a consequence of the application by others of rule and sanctions to an ‘offender’. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label’ (Becker, 1963)
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Edwin Lemberg - two result of labelling
- the label may catch the attention of the labelling audience: this is primary deviance
- the label stigmatises as the label is internalised: this is secondary deviance
- one of the most important steps in the process of building a stable pattern of deviant behaviour is likely to be the experience of being caught and publicly labelled as a deviant
- this produces a self fulfilling prophecy - conspire to shape the person in the image people have of him
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Strengths of labelling theory
- explains the role of stereotyping of working class individuals who are most likely to be represented in crime statistics
- the theory can be used to explain theories such as moral panic and the role of the media and crime
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Weaknesses of labelling theory
- can be argued as a deterministic viewpoint
- fails to explain why labels are only applied to working class individuals and not others
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Structural theory - Marxism
A structural theory
- argue that capitalist society shapes people’s behaviour
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Marxists argue that society is divided into two classes - name them
The bourgeoisie
The proletariat
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Marxists argue that society is divided into two classes
The bourgeoisie (rich upper class)- They on all means of production such as factories, companies, land etc
The proletariat (working class) - They have to work for the bourgeoisie for a wage as they don’t own the means of production. Marxists suggest that capitalist society works to maintain this inequality to keep the rich, rich, and the poor, poor. It also impacts the law
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Link to crime?
Capitalism causes crime
For Marxists crime is inevitable in a capitalist society because capitalism is a crime causing system. This is due to several reasons:
The exploitation of the working class drives
many people into poverty, meaning crime may
be the only way to survive. Marxists argue that
the oppression of the working class often
leaves them with no choice but to turn to
crime.
• Capitalism continually pushes consumer
goods at people through advertising, resulting
in utilitarian crimes to obtain them.
• Inequality causes feelings of alienation and
frustration resulting in non utilitarian crimes
eg violence and vandalism.
• Capitalism causes crime among the capitalists
themselves. Capitalism is a dog-eat-dog
system, and the profit motive promotes greed.
This encourages capitalist to commit
corporate crimes (eg tax evasion breaking
health and safety laws) to gain an advantage.
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Capitalism encourages greed
People use whatever opportunities are available to them:
- poor individual = theft, prostitution
- rich individual = bribery, corruption, fraud
The only difference is, ‘crimes of the powerful’ (white collar crime) often does unnoticed and punished
34
Making and enforcing the law
Marxists see law making and law enforcement as serving the interest of the capitalist class
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Making and enforcing the law - law making
William chambliss argues that the law are made to protect the private property of the rich. For example there are laws against the homeless squatting in empty houses but no laws against the rich owning several houses. Very few laws challenge the unequal distribution of wealth
36
Making and enforcing the law - selective law enforcement
Marxists agree with interactionists that the law is enforced selectively against the working class but not the upper classes. White collars and corporate crimes of the rich are much less likely to be prosecuted than working class street crimes.
- out of 200 companies who had broken safety laws, Carson found the only three were prosecuted
- despite the large number of deaths at work caused by employer’s negligence, there was only one successful prosecution of a UK firm in 8 years for corporate homicide
- corporate crime is often punished less severely for example with fines rather than jail even though it often causes great harm
37
Ideological functions (of crime and the law)
Marxists argue that ideas about crime and the law are an ideology - a set of ideas that conceal the inequality of capitalist society. For example
- selective enforcement makes it look as if crime is the fault of the working class. This divides the working class encouraging workers to blame working class criminals for their problems rather than capitalism
- this also shifts attention away from much more serious ruling class crime
- some laws do benefit workers to a limited extent eg health and safety laws. However Pearce argues that these also benefit capitalism by giving it a caring face
- these ideas encouraged the working class to accept capitalism instead of replacing it with a more equal society
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EVALUATION
Strengths of Marxism
- acknowledges that people may be forced to commit crime due to poverty
- explains why all social classes commit crime
39
Weaknesses of Marxism
- is it not as useful when explaining non- profit related crime such as murder
- social classes are not as easy to identify as they use to be
- there is more help and support available now to the poor so they may not need to commit crime
40
REALIST THEORIES - realism
Realist approaches differ from other theories
They see crime as a real problem not simply a social construction
41
All realists:
1. Believe there has been a significant rise in the crime rate, especially in street crime, burglary and assault
2. Are concerned about the widespread fear of crime and the impact of crime on its victims
3. Argue that other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions to the problem
42
Two different branches of realist approaches - name them
Left realism
Right realism
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Left realists
Left realists are socialists and favour quite different policies for reducing crime
44
Right realists
Right realists share a conservative political outlook
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Left realism has 3 explanations of crime - Lea & Young - name them
Marginalisation
Relative deprivation
Subcultures
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Marginalisation
- marginalised groups lack both clear goals and institutions to represent their interests
- groups such as workers have clear goals (such as better pay and conditions) and often have organisations (such as trade unions) to put pressure on employers and politicians. As such, they have no need to resort to violence to achieve their goals
- by contrast, unemployed youth are marginalised. They have no organisation to represent them and no clear goals, just a sense of frustration. Being powerless to use political means to improve their position, they express their frustration through criminal means such as violence and rioting
47
Relative deprivation
- Relative deprivation is a key concept in left realism that explains how crime can arise from individuals feeling deprived compared to others in society.
- It suggests that crime is not simply caused by poverty but by the perception of inequality, where people compare themselves to others and feel frustrated by their lack of opportunities or resources.
- This sense of injustice can lead to criminal behavior as individuals attempt to obtain what they feel they are unfairly denied.
- Left realists argue that addressing relative deprivation requires social policies that reduce inequality and improve access to opportunities.
48
Subcultures
- according to left realists, a subculture is a group’s collective solution to relative deprivation. However, different groups may produce different subcultural solutions to this problem
- religious subcultures may encourage conformity. Within the African Caribbean community, Ken Pryce identified a variety of subcultures, including hustlers, ‘saints’ (Pentecostal Church goers) and working-class ‘respectables’.
- for left realists, criminal subcultures still subscribe to the values and goals of mainstream society, such as materialism and consumerism. For example, as Young notes, there are ghettos in the USA where there is ‘full immersion in the American Dream: a culture hooked on Gucci, BMW, Nikes.’ However, opportunities to achieve these goals legitimately are blocked, so they resort to street crime instead
49
Evaluation - left realism
Strengths
- draws attention to the importance of poverty, inequality and relative deprivation as the underlying structural cause of crime
- considers the reality of street crime and it’s effect on victims
50
Evaluation
Weaknesses
- over predicts the amount of working class crime - not everyone that is marginalised will turn to crime
- focus on high time inner city areas - give an unrepresentative view and makes crime appear greater problem than what it is
- Henry & Milovanovic argue that left realists accept the authorities’ definition of crime as just being street crimes of the poor - fails to explain white collar
51
Right realism
- the basic principles of right realism are the same as left realism
- crime is a real problem that is destroying communities and social cohesion
- right realists criticise other approaches for not offering any practical solutions to crime
- offer both explanations of crime and practical solutions to tackle it
52
Right realism - the causes of crime
Right realists reject the Marxist idea that economic or structural factors such as poverty and inequality are the root cause of crime
For right realists, crime is the product of three factors:
Biological differences
Inadequate socialisation
Rational choice to offend
RIB
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Biological Differences
- Wilson & Herrnstein put forward a bio-social theory about criminality arguing that crime is caused by a mixture of biological and social factors
- biological differences make some people more predisposed to committing crime than others. For example, certain hormones and personality traits can lead to increased aggression, impulsivity and risk taking
- they also argue that one of the main causes of crime is low intelligence levels
54
Inadequate socialisation
Effective socialisation reduces the risk of criminality, as it ensures transference of norms, values, right and wrong and self control
Children who are socialised inadequately as a child have more risk of becoming offenders. Murray argues that crime is increasing because of a growing underclass who are failing to socialise their children properly
According to Murray, the welfare system is one huge factor in creating more of an ‘underclass’, which encourages members to become reliant on the state. This is also responsible for increased family diversity such as lone parent families
Murray argued that lone parent families are not adequate socialises, especially if the man is absent from the child’s life - boys lack a role model and paternal discipline
55
Rational choice to offend
- the final element of crime is the rational choice to offend - a theory that states everyone has free will and power of reason.
- Clarke argues that decision to commit crime is due to a choice based on rational calculation of the consequences. If it is perceived the reward outweigh the costs, the someone may turn to crime
- right realists argue that at the moment in society, perceived costs of committing crime are low
56
Evaluation of right realism
Strengths
- addresses immediate causes for crime
- provides practical approaches to dealing with crime
- it recognises the importance of community control and community responses
- Feldman found that people made rational decisions, if the rewards were high and the risks low, they found that crimes were worth committing
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Weaknesses
- ignores wider structural causes such as poverty
- it overstates offenders rationality and how far they make cost-benefit calculations before committing a crime x
