Age and Crime - Crime

Question 1

What does the OCS suggest about age and crime?

Answer 1

Suggests crime is most likely to be committed by teenagers/young adults

Question 2

What is the peak age for offending?

Answer 2

15-18 - roughly half of all convicted criminals are aged 21 or under

Question 3

What did Roe and Ashe find?

Answer 3

22% of 10-25 year olds admitted to having committed at least once out of 20 core offences in the previous 12 months
BUT usually commit fair trivial, opportunistic, short lived crimes that are peer group related

Question 4

Why might the OCS show younger peoples crime more?

Answer 4

They largely ignore corporate crime committed by older people

Question 5

What is the strain theory explanation of crime and age?

Answer 5

• young people may be more likely to innovate, as they have low or no income = cannot achieve society’s goals through accepted means
• older people may have become ‘ritualistic’

Question 6

What is the subcultural theory explanation of crime and age?

Miller, Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 6

• Miller: focal concerns of young people may be different to older people
• Cloward + Ohlin: young people have greater access to the ‘illegitimate opportunity structure’
• AK Cohen: young people more likely to suffer from status frustration = gain status through C/D

Question 7

What is Matza criticism of the subcultural theory explanation?

Answer 7

• Many young people drift in and out of delinquency

- they may be less experienced or less able to control subterranean values

Question 8

What is the ecological theory explanation of crime and age?

Hobbs

Answer 8

• young people less likely to live in ‘gated communities’

- Hobbs: more likely to participate in the nocturnal economy

Question 9

What is the labelling theory explanation of crime and age?

Jock Young, Chambliss, Cicourel

Answer 9

• Jock Young: police stereotyping can lead to an increase in deviance as activities such as drug taking
• Chambliss: agents of social control are more likely to label young people as criminal/deviants
• Cicourel: age may influence the decision of police about whether to stop someone - less able to negotiate their way out of it

Question 10

What is the traditional marxism explanation of crime and age?

Answer 10

• crime occurs in all age groups + is a rational response to Capitalism
• corporate crime which tends to be committed by older people is less visible or not defined as criminal

Question 11

What is the new criminology explanation of crime and age?

Hall

Answer 11

Hall: young people from ethnic minorities may be targeted by police - ‘scapegoat’ to direct attention away from the crisis of capitalism

Question 12

What is the left realism explanation of crime and age?

Answer 12

• young people more likely to suffer relative deprivation and marginalisation = more crime and formation of subcultural responses

Question 13

What is the right realism explanation of crime and age?

Answer 13

• young people characterised by immediate gratification = inadequate socialisation + lack of role models
• less likely to be constrained because they have less to lose by committing crime - older people may loose their job etc