Chapter 10 Flashcards
the consensus perspective (functionalism) assumes that
the vast majority share similar values concerning right and wrong
societies have a tendency to maintain themselves in a state of relative equilibrium
the maintenance of society is in the common interest of all is members
in contrast, the conflict perspective assumes that
there are inherent divisions in society based on social inequalities
law reflects the interests of groups that create and enforce the laws
it is the most powerful, not the majority, whose values and concerns are represented in the justice system
central insight
people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals they cannot reach because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals
Durkheim: the Functions of Crime and Anomie
French Sociologist, wrote Division of Labour in Society, 1893.
concerned about the situation in France, saw it as worse than in the past.
most societies have social solidarity: agreed-upon goals that lead to a set of shared norms.
provides a sense of community and collective conscience.
Anomie
during times of rapid social change, social solidarity could breaks down; no clear societal norms or values.
individual desires or self-interests are no longer controlled by society.
greater individualism results in greater amounts of suicide and crime
Merton: the gap between aspirations and means
applied the idea of anomie to the American situation in 1938
crime was the result of the gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and the socially structured means of realizing the aspirations
Merton: the gap between aspirations and means
culturally prescribed aspirations are defined by culture and transmitted to members of the society. In America, material wealth and the accumulation of money and status were seen as universal goals.
the legitimate means of achieving these aspirations like schooling or good jobs, are social structured.
Merton: the gap between aspirations and means
access to legitimate means (education, good jobs) is difficult for poor and minority children, so they will have the highest rates of deviance. argument may also apply to upper-class crimes where executives feel pressure to attain great wealth
Microanomie
the individual is in a state of anomie, or places self-interest above collective values
Konty’s findings: Student who favoured self-enhancing values (e.g. social status, prestige, personal success) over self-transcending values (appreciation, tolerance, protection, the welfare of others) were more likely to have reported criminal acts, but only when self-transcending values were weak.
Mesner and Rosenfeld’s institutional anomie theory
American society emphasizes monetary success, but places weak restraints on the means
this directly encourages people to use illegal means to get money
it indirectly encourages crime by emphasizing the economy above all other institutions
Conrad Black
corporations separate production and finance – concern is largely with stock price, not production
for executives, a subculture of power abuse enables exploitation without effective punishment like Nortel, Conrad Black, the recent sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US
Reactions to crimes of the powerful
Canadian reactions to abuse of power by corporate elites is weak
few large fines compared to USA
independent federal watchdogs have done little to increase integrity in government
the economic institution remains dominant over others like the family, education, religion
Reactions to crimes of the powerful: Hagan and Hackler
Hagan:
in the age of Reagan (1974-2008) financial crimes are seen as minor
focus on street crimes vs. the age of Roosevelt (1933-73)
corporate abuse is ignored
Hackler:
white collar crime is a frequent occurrence and must be targeted.
this will help reduce all unethical behaviour
it is not the case that a few bad corporate apples are committing the majority of white collar crimes
Strain as a feature of individuals
useful to apply strain theory to individuals
many ways of coping with strain
Agnew:
look at the intervening role of anger in strain. If strain leads to anger that cannot be handled legitimately, the result is crime
there is some convergence of strain theory with differential association theory and control theory as ways of explaining how strain produces crime
Opportunity structures
Durkheim’s anomie theory
emphasized social cohesion and the social restraints that prevented crime
Merton shifted focus to opportunity structures
he felt crime was primarily lower-class, so less evenly distributed than Durkheim’s theory would have predicted
thus for Merton, anomie was shifted from normlessness to relative deprivation
the greater the gap between aspirations and expectations, the higher the probability of deviance
Cloward: illegitimate opportunity structures
from Delinquency and Opportunity, 1960
incorporated Sutherland’s differential association theory:
criminal behaviour is learned through association with others.
for those without legitimate opportunities, there are barriers to resolving the strain through illegitimate means
illegitimate opportunity structure - these vary by community and by individual
criminal - opportunities for crimes of financial gain such as organized crime
conflict - opportunities for gang violence
retreatist - for failures on other structures - turn to substance abuse
marginal opportunity structures:
it is not necessary to look only at illegal opportunity structures. Some opportunities are borderline leg–al - “tearoom” activity, street life, prostitution
Anderson: the Code of the Street
well-paying manufacturing jobs that provided a mobility route for lower-class workers have disappeared through globalization and employer preference for females and new immigrants
Anderson: the Code of the Street
mobility barriers face young black males
in response, they have developed a code of the street which involves toughness and a demand for respect
drug dealing, prostitution, etc. are a source of illicit income
in this environment, the weak will be victimized so great pressure to follow the code
Assessing strain theories
Durkheim changed the focus away from psychological and genetic variables to sociological ones, which are now dominant in theories of crime
Durkheim was wrong in viewing premodern societies as relatively crime free
Assessing strain theories
Merton’s theories help account for social class differences in crime, but not gender differences
strain theories point out criminogenic features of our society
strain theory ideas are still relevant
strain theory has been fruitfully combined with other theories
Uses or applications of strain theory
there are a large number of illegitimate opportunities for people to take advantage of in modern societies, but most do not
some societies appear to produce fewer opportunistic criminals than others
Uses or applications of strain theory: Braithwaite:
only when legitimate opportunities are low and illegitimate ones are high do we get much crime Implication: avoid having ghettoes or slums with high numbers of lower class individuals – i.e. have a greater class mix applies to property crime and also if there is a culture of violence rooted in racial and economic inequalities.
