C&D Pt3: Stats With Patterns In Offending, Media, Globalisation & Green Crime Flashcards
Why do crime stats show a high level of minor ethnic groups (particularly young black males) ?
-Because of discriminatory practices from the CJS stopping, searching and arresting ethnic minorities more
-Left realists think that black & other minor ethnic groups are more likely to commit street crime compared to whites as they believe crime is a product of relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation.
How is the representation of black males in crime stats disproportionate to their population size in the UK?
According to the Ministry of Justice,about 3% of the population are black, yet blacks are over-represented in crime stats
What are the sort of discriminatory practices that could be enacted onto ethnic minorities?
-Abusive stop & search measures
-Being held in remand for longer than whites
What are the 3 ways of gathering crime stats?
1.) Official stats
2.) Victim surveys
3.) Self reports
What are the crime patterns in gender?
-In the UK, 73% of all convicted crimes consist of men
-Women have lower arrest rates than men generally across all countries (well, apart from prostitution of course)
-Men tend to commit more serious crimes (more violent and sexual crimes)
- 95% of the prison population in the UK accounts for men
What are explanations for the under-representation of females in crime stats?
1.) The chivalry thesis : how they’re treated more leniently by the CJS (as the police, magistrates & other law enforcers tend to be men who’ve been socialised to be chivalrous to women)
2.) Women commit less detectable crimes (as they commit more trivial crimes such as theft of small / cheap goods)
3.) Women dominate the “private sphere” (at home), meaning they have less chance to commit crimes
4.) Women tend to commit crimes alone, whereas men tend to do them in groups, which could explain why they’re more likely to be caught and prosecuted
What did Dobash & Dobash find about police officers around the topic of domestic violence?
Police officers are unlikely to make arrests when a male offender used violence against his wife
What did Sandra Walklate argue about rape trials?
That it’s mainly the female victim that’s on trial, not the accused male rapist - the male is mostly never found guilty or prosecuted
What is Heidensohn’s selective chivalry thesis?
-She develops from the chivalry thesis and claims that the CJS treat women more harshly if they deviate from traditional stereotypes of femininity;
however they’re more lenient & chivalrous on those who adhere more to femininity within their character
What is Heidensohn’s social control theory?
How the patriarchal society has imposed greater control over females, meaning there’s less opportunity for them to commit crimes
They’re controlled at:
1.) At home (private sphere)
2.) At work (“glass-ceiling” prevents them from rising to senior positions where there’s greater opportunity to commit corporate crime such as fraud)
3.) After dark (where they have to limit their mobility/travel & their encounters with people due to the fear of sexual/physical assault ; they may also avoid anti-social behaviours to maintain a good reputation, suggesting why they may commit less crime)
How may patriarchy cause more crime from women?
-They may revolt against patriarchal societal agencies by partaking in riots
-Women are likely to be poor in the patriarchal society (as there’s less opportunities for them to thrive), meaning they may turn to theft to secure a decent standard of living
What are the class deal and gender deal and how do they cause crime?
-Class deal: This promises women who engage in paid work will receive material rewards/enjoy a decent Living
-Gender deal: The patriarchal ideology that male breadwinners will provide security, protection and economic support as long as women conform to domesticity
With most women conforming to these deals, if they don’t receive these rewards, then they may turn to crime as an escape to poverty (as it’d be the only escape for some)
What is Adler’s liberation thesis?
How patriarchal control has reduced and traditional sex roles have been eroded:
-Women are entering crime fields that were formerly reserved for men and are no longer confining themselves to feminine crimes : e.g now they’re committing more serious crimes such as robberies, murder and are committing fraud in higher managerial positions
How does James Messerschmidt explain male crime?
When legitimate means of asserting masculinity (through educational success, being the breadwinner/having a stable family life) are blocked, some males will turn to “masculine-validating” resources in the form of crime, mainly the WC:
(this links to Albert Cohen’s status frustration concept)
What does Simon Winlow postulate male crime is down to?
He postulates it’s due to the deindustrialisation, where WC men lost their jobs and therefore turned to theft & drug dealing to achieve material status
What did the Crime Survey for England & Wales find about crime in rural areas compared to urban areas?
1.) Lower rates of crime (with there being more chance of being caught in rural areas and less chance in urban areas as they’re more impersonal)
2.) There’s less people who worry about crime
3.) Lower levels of anti-social/deviant behaviour
What do Cooper & Roe state on the topic of age & crime?
They estimate 10-17 yr olds account for 25% of all recorded crime
Why are the youth over-represented in crime stats?
-The youth are negatively stereotyped for crimes such as vandalism and violence (e.g in 2011 riots)
-The peak age for offending is between 15-20, where they’re found 5 times as guilty/cautioned than the average for all ages
-They commit more crime because they’re in a state of drift with no identity/direction (Matza), they seek status (Cohen) and thrill/buzz/excitement (Katz & Lyng)
How does Reiner think the media is criminogenic?
-They portray the police as incompetent compared to criminals (in shows like Money heist & prison break)
-They may create moral panics (e.g when they instigated Mods&Rockers situation)
-They’ve desensitised violence & crime (it’s become the norm in films and video games, e.g with James burger case where the two 10yr old boys were influenced by Chucky horror film “Child’s Play 2”)
What are the positive effects of the media on crime?
1.) Media coverage has helped raise awareness on crime such as fraudery & terrorism
2.) The media can help define moral boundaries (link to Durkheim’s boundary maintenance)
3.) The media can act as a deterrent to crime by highlighting severe punishments offenders face
What does Manuel Castells believe about global crime?
It’s supply side economics, where low income countries provide to areas where there’s high demand
(Things like drugs, arms, nuclear material, human trafficking and money laundering)
How has globalisation class more financial crimes?
-Tax fraud / tax evasion: Big companies move large sums of money into off shore bank accounts in tax haven countries
-Money laundering: Moving “dirty money” that was earned from drug dealing into stock exchange or offshore accounts (e.g Bernie Madoff made $65bn from this)
-Insider trading: Firms and individuals cooperate by sharing confidential info and manipulating market prices on the stock exchange
What is Hobbs & Dunningham’s term of “Glocal organisations”?
How local criminal organisations feed into global organisations through networks & connections:
(E.g Colombian drug cartels distribute their products through various chains such as London- Kray brothers)
What does Mishia Glenny believe was the cause of global crime?
1.) The collapse of the Soviet Union which led to a lack of structure & order/law:
2.) This meant that Eastern Europe had to turn to the McMafia (which comprised of those who previously worked in security, smuggling & violence) - these people protected the oligarchs from being targeted (as there was a lack of policing)
3.) Therefore this allowed the billionaires to continue pursuing their economic interests along with the criminals protecting their wealth
4.) Therefore the Russian Mafia expanded their influence into different trades & businesses eventually on a global scale
Criticisms of green criminology
-It’s very difficult to establish responsibility & to deviate from acts that intentionally harmed the environment and acts that didn’t have criminal intent
-Making green crimes a criminal offence won’t stop it (as firms will turn to criminal organisations to carry out deforestation or dumping of toxic waste - criminals can profit)
-Most people in the world can be held accountable for the damage to the environment (e,g vehicle drivers) ; critical Marxists can’t just solely blame capitalists
What is Stanley Cohen’s process of “spiral in denial” which explains how the state excuse their actions?
1.) Denial of victims (“they’re terrorists so it’s fine”)
2.) Denial of injury (“they started it first so it was in self-defence”)
3.) Denial of responsibility (“we were following orders”)
4.) Condemning the condemners (“they’re picking on us”)
5.) Appealing to higher loyalty (“For the greater good of society, sacrifices are inevitable”) - e.g when Tony Blair invaded Iraq in 2003
3 features that result in crime of obedience
1.) Figure of authority: where immoral acts are ordered by someone in charge (normal moral principles are overruled by the need to obey their authoritative leader)
2.) Routinisation: like desensitisation, the more these acts are performed, the more they can be done in a detached manner
3.) Dehumanisation: Making the enemy as non-human as possible (removing anything that makes the enemy relatable to you in order to make it easier to overrule your moral principles)
Evaluation of state crimes
-Cultural differences are ignored: Western countries impose standard of human rights onto developing countries without taking into consideration the cultural differences
-Sometimes violating human rights is necessary (e.g the US administration argue that the existence of Guantanamo Bay is necessary for world peace by holding Islamic extremists captive and torturing them
-The theory of obedience has been criticised (what if nazi soldiers weren’t following orders and were genuinely displaying anti-Semitic behaviour/racism onto the Jews?)
