Chapter 8 Flashcards
three major sociological approaches to crime causation
structure, process, conflict
most sociological perspectives on crime build upon these fundamental assumptions:
social groups/institutions/social roles/arrangements of society provide focus for criminological study, group dynamics/organization/subgroups form causal nexus out of which crime develops, structure of society and relative degree of organization are important factors contributing to prevalence of criminal behaviour
perspective that focuses on nature of power relationships between social groups and on the influences that various social phenomena bring to bear on types of behaviours that tend to characterize groups of ppl
sociological theory
pattern of social organization and interrelationships among institutions characteristic of society
social structure
interaction between and among social institutions, groups, and individuals
social process
ongoing structured interaction (including socialization and social behaviour in general) that occurs between ppl in a society
social life
social structure theory focuses on crime as result of:
individual’s location within structure of society (social and economic conditions, poverty, alienation, social disorganization, weak social control ,personal frustration, deprivation, differential opportunities, deviant subcultures); relationships among social institutions, dgroups of ppl rather than individuals
social process theory focuses on crime as result of:
inappropriate socialization, interpersonal relationships, strength of social bond, personal/group consequences of societal reactions to deviance
social conflict theory focuses on crime as result of :
class struggle; existing power relationships between groups, ownership of means of production, economic and social structures of society as they relate to social class and social control
three major types of social structure theories:
social disorganization theory (ecological approach), strain theory, culture-conflict theory
what is social disorganization theory
sees society as kind of organism and crime and deviance as kind of disease or social pathology
a condition that exists when group is faced with social change, uneven development of culture, maladaptiveness, disharmony, conflict, lack of consensus
social disorganization
approach to criminological theorizing that attempts to link structure and organization of human community to interactions with its localized enviro
social ecology
what is zone 1?
“loop”, central business zone, retail businesses and light manufacturing located
what is zone 2?
surrounding the city centre, home to recent immigrants and characterized by deteriorated housing, factories, abandoned bildings
what is zone 3?
mostly working class tenements
what is zone 4?
middle class citizens with single family homes
what is zone 5?
suburbs, commuter zone
type of sociological approach that emphasizes demographics (characteristics of population groups) and geographics, sees social disorganization that characterizes delinquency areas as a major cause of criminality and victimization
ecological theory
ecological approach to explaining crime that examines how social disorganization contributes to social pathology
Chicago school of criminology
Chicago School used these two sources of info:
population stats and official crime, ethnographic data (life stories)
what is criminology of place/enviro criminology?
emphasize importance of geo location and architectural features as they are associated with prevalence of criminal victimization
Stark developed theory of deviant neighbourhoods, including the following propositions
- to the extent that neighborhoods are dense and poor, homes will be crowded
- crowded homes have greater tendency to congregate outside home in places and circumstances that ^ lvl of temptation and opportunity to deviate
- where homes more crowded, lower lvls supervisions of children
- reduced lvls of child supervision result in poor school achievement, v conformity and ^ deviance
- poor dense neighbourhoods tend to be mixed-use neighbourhoods
- mixed-use increases familiarity with and easy access to places offering oppporunity for deviance
perspective on crime that holds that physical deterioration in an area leads to ^ concerns for personal safety among area residents and to higher crime rates in that area
broken window thesis
what is defensible space?
range of mechanisms that combine to bring an enviro under the control of its residents
what is CPTED?
crime prevention thru enviro design (premise that design and effective use of built enviro can lead to v in the incidence and fear of crime)
CPTED revolves around these 3 strategies
1) natural surveillance 2) natural access control 3) territorial reinforcement
sociological approach that posits a disjuncture between socially and subcultural sanctioned means and goals as the cause of criminal behaviour
strain theory
social condition in which norms are uncertain or lacking
anomie
5 goals/means adaptations:
conformity (+goals, +means), innovation (+goals, -means), ritualism (-goals, + means), retreats (-goals, -means), rebellion (+/- goals, +/- means)
examples of retreatists:
dropouts, drug abusers, homeless, communal living
actions of a person who wishes to replace socially approved goals and means with some other system
rebellion (political radicals, revolutionaries, anti-establishment agitators)
most common adaptation is ___ and the least common is ____
conformity; retreats
strain theory was reformulated into this theory (comprehensive perspective )
general strain theory
according to GST, strain occurs when:
1) prevent an individual from achieving positively valued goal 2) remove positively valued stimuli that a person possesses (like death of a loved one) 3) present someone with noxious or negatively valued stimuli (like abuse)
strains most likely cause crime include:
child abuse and neglect, negative secondary school experiences, abusive peers, chronic unemployment, marital probs, parental rejection, improper discipline, criminal victimization, homelessness, discrimination, failure to achieve goals
factors that ^ likelihood of criminal coping:
poor conventional coping skills and resources, availability of criminal skills and resources, low levels of conventional social support, routine association with criminals, personal beliefs favour crime, see costs of crime as low, low levels of social control, lack of bonds to conventional others
strategies for reducing exposure to strains:
eliminating strains conducive to crime, altering strains to make less conducive to crime, removing individuals from exposure to strain, equipping individuals with traits and skills needed to avoid strains conducive to crime
sociological perspective on crime that suggests that the root cause of criminality can be found in clash of values between variously socialized groups over what is acceptable or proper behaviour
culture conflict theory
shared expectations of a social group relative to personal conduct
conduct norms
primary vs secondary conflict?
fundamental clash (eg. immigrant father kills daughter’s lover to preserve family honour); smaller cultures within primary culture clash (ie. middle class vs. inner city)
collection of values and preferences that is communicated to subcultural participants thru a process of socialization
subculture
sociological perspective that emphasizes contribution made by variously socialized cultural groups to the phenomenon of crime
subcultural theory
key values of any culture, esp. delinquent subculture
focal concerns (trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, autonomy
subcultural pathway to success that is diapproved of by the wider society
illegitimate opportunity structure
3 types of delinquent subcultures:
criminal, conflict, retreatist
type ___ youth most at risk for crime
desire wealth but not entry to middle class
process by which a person openly rejects that which he or she wants or aspires to but cannot obtain or achieve
reaction formation
definition of criminal organization according to bill c24
3+ ppl with main purpose to facilitate/commission serious offences for material benefit; name, word, symbol, frequent association, repeated engagement in activities
gang homicide relates more to ___ while juvenile delinquency relates more to____
social disorganization and settlement of new immigrant groups ; poverty, social adaptation to chronic deprivation
Chicago area project attempted to reduce social disorganization in slum neighbourhoods through 3 broad objectives:
improve physical appearance of neighbourhood, provide rec opps for youth, involve project members directly in lives of trouble youth thru school and courtroom mediation
