C+D Theoretical Perspectives Flashcards
what is durkheims view of crime and deviance (func)
Value consensus – without it society
experiences normlessness ‘anomie’
Crime creates social cohesion
what did erikson say about public degradation (func)
Societies boundaries are shifting – shown
through changing standards of deviant
behaviour
Public degradation ceremonies help
society to progress by showing when a
new value consensus is emerging
what did davis say about prostitution (func)
Restriction of sexuality to promote
raising a family
Conflict for men who may lead to
promiscuity or rape
Prostitution is a safe outlet for sexual
tension that does not threaten the family
what is mertons strain theory (func)
Everyone aims for shared goals
Crime occurs where goals are
emphasising more than the means
Innovation, Retreatism, Conformists and
Ritualists
what did cloward and online say about criminal subcultures
Deviance is a reaction to problem in
mainstream values
Society has a legitimate opportunity
structure but there is also an alternative
opportunity structure available through
gang membership
Access to criminal subcultures allows
access to a gang hierarchy
In unstable areas youth turn to conflict
subcultures to defend territory
what did miller say about focal concerns
Lower-class have different norms and
values
Deviance subcultures are not due to inability to achieve success but
alternatives values or focal concerns
Toughness, smartness and excitement
what did cohen say about status frustration
Lower w-c boys want to achieve success
which is valued by mainstream culture
Education failure and dead-end jobs
mean they have limited opportunity for
legitimate success causing status
frustration
Turn to delinquent subcultures with
alternative values where high status is
given to criminal acts
what did katz say about selfish crime
Crime is an expression of identity with
selfish motivations
what did lyng say about ‘edgework’
Risk-taking behaviour refers to pushing
the edges of cultural boundaries
Leads to intense emotions and mastering
these can lead an individual to a sense of
control and accomplishment
Ultimately this helps them to cope in a
post-modern society
what did presdee say about carnival of crime
Carnvial is a constant need for the next
opportunity
People in power tolerate carnival as a
safety outlet to control transgressive
behaviour
Risk makes deviancy appealing
People in power criminalise expressions
of resistance or make them mainstream
to lose their appear such as the 1980’s
rave scene
what did young say about anomie
Vertigo of late modernity causes working
class rebellion
what did katz and jackson jacob’s say about gang language
‘Gangs make local attachments glorious’
Childhood friendships turn into pride and
sense of status
what did becker say about labelling and master status (interactionist)
Deviance is social construct which only
becomes deviant when labelled as such
Crime stats are a reflection of a result of
judgements made by agencies of social
control
what id lemert say about primary and secondary deviance (interactionist)
Primary deviance doesn’t have a label
and has no effect on society
Secondary deviance causes a societal
reaction and is where a master status
develops from
Secondary deviance is repetitive and
highly visible attracting severe social
reaction
what did matza say about subterranean values and techniques of neutralisation and drift (interactionist)
Youth drift out of deviance as they feel
moral obligation to obey the law
Subterranean values challenge morally
acceptable behaviour
When they commit a deviant act they
use techniques of neutralisation to justify
act and prevent the formation of deviant
identity
what did young say about the social construction of deviance (interactionist)
Young people face anomie and turned to
a bohemian subculture
Bohemian subcultures have no
sanctions, taboos and open values
Powerful groups in society see the
subculture as a threat and through mass
media and criminal justice system take
action
Reaction creates problems for the group
and deviance increases
what did cicourel say about public negotiations (interactionist)
Decisions about whether to arrest and
charge a suspect is based on interactions
with the police
Found in a city with more probation and
detailed records had higher rates of
juvenile delinquency
Other city fluctuated based on media
and public concern
Agencies of control and their policies
construct the official picture of juvenile
justice
what did marx say about alienation and crime (marxist)
RSA directly control the proletariat
through formal social control
ISA include informal mechanisms of
social control such as family, media and
education
ISA used to show who are deviant as a
warning and justify the use of the RSA
Sense of powerlessness by proletariat
created by exploitation at work
Alienation and competitive conditions drive people to criminality
what did box say about crime statistics (marxist)
Official crime statistics are socially
constructed to justify higher levels of
social control in the working class and
black
Illusion diverts attention away from
serious crimes
what did bonger say about crime and economic conditions (marxist)
Poor conditions and competition for
scarce resource drive people to
criminality
Capitalism creates a climate of
competition
what did gordon say about crime and location (marxist)
Focus of public fear and government
control urban or violent crime
1961 – 91% of Americans admit they
committed illegal acts
Crime is a rational response to the
situation you are in – competition
Ghetto crime – poor neighbour hoods
with low paid jobs
Corporate crime – capitalist economy
corporate criminality is an attempt to
maximise profits and beat competition
what did chambliss say about capitalism and crime (marxist)
Structure of capitalism creates desire to
consume and inability to meet these
desires
Crime located throughout social class
spectrum but enforcement is
concentrated in the lower classes
what did chambliss say about the saints and the roughnecks (neo marxist)
Saints were upper class boys who took
part in deviant behaviour but no one
arrested or sanctioned due to ‘good
reputation’ and ability to negotiate
punishment
Roughnecks were lower class boys
constantly in trouble with police and
community but a similar rate of
delinquency as the saints however, they
were perceived as gang member and
police arrested them
what did hall and jefferson say about spectacular youth subcultures (neo marxist)
Spectacular youth subcultures are
focused on identity but recognise the
socio-economic conditions of their
upbringing
Attitudes and styles of each subculture are expressions of resistance against
capitalism and inequalities affecting their
lives
