Class 14 Flashcards
What is Neutralization Theory?
Neutralization Theory suggests that criminals hold conventional values and attitudes alongside a criminal status and are able to neutralize their behavior, drifting between offending and conventional behaviors.
What are subterranean values in Neutralization Theory?
Subterranean values refer to immorality that is embedded in the culture but is otherwise condemned by society.
What are the techniques of neutralization?
- Deny responsibility
- Deny injury
- Deny the victim
- Condemn the condemners
- Appeal to higher loyalties
- Necessity
- Ledger metaphor (balancing “good” and “bad” actions)
- Rejection of law
- “Everyone else does it”
- Entitlement to benefit
How does Neutralization Theory explain criminal behavior?
It explains that criminals rationalize their actions through techniques of neutralization, allowing them to drift between conventional and deviant behaviors without fully committing to a deviant identity.
What is the relationship between self-concept and crime in social control theories?
Low self-control comes from weak self-esteem. Self-rejection is linked to a higher likelihood of deviance.
What is Containment Theory?
Containment Theory suggests that positive self-esteem provides an insulating effect against deviance. Internal and external factors (containments) help insulate youths from deviance, while crime-producing forces like internal pushes, external pressures, and external pulls encourage deviance.
What is the dominant version of social control theory?
The dominant version of social control theory suggests that weak ties and bonds to society contribute to deviant behavior.
What are “crime-producing forces” in Containment Theory?
Crime-producing forces include internal pushes, external pressures, and external pulls that encourage deviance.
What are the four elements of social bonds in Social Control Theory?
- Attachment – Sensitivity and interest in others; social conscience and care for others, starting in the family.
- Commitment – Time, energy, and effort in pursuing a conventional life (education, saving money).
- Involvement – Engaging in conventional activities reduces time for criminality; boredom/idleness increases crime’s attractiveness.
- Belief – Faith in conventional norms and values.
How does attachment influence social bonds in Social Control Theory?
Attachment refers to an individual’s sensitivity and interest in others, fostering social conscience and care, which often begins in the family. Strong attachment discourages deviant behavior.
What role does commitment play in Social Control Theory?
Commitment represents the time, energy, and effort spent in conventional pursuits like education and financial stability. Higher commitment discourages deviant behavior.
How does involvement affect the likelihood of criminal behavior?
Engaging in conventional activities leaves less time for criminality. Boredom and idleness increase the attractiveness of crime.
What is the role of belief in Social Control Theory?
Belief refers to an individual’s faith in conventional norms and values. Strong belief in societal norms reduces the likelihood of deviance.
What is the core idea of Labelling Theory?
Labelling Theory suggests that people communicate meaning and interpret reality based on symbols (Symbolic Interaction Theory). It emphasizes how labels assigned by society influence identity and behavior.
What do labels imply in Labelling Theory?
Labels imply characteristics outside of an individual’s actual traits, influencing how they are perceived and treated by society.
How do positive and negative labels function in Labelling Theory?
Positive and negative labels require interpretation and adoption. Over time, individuals may internalize these labels, influencing their self-identity and behavior.
How can labelling contribute to deviance?
Labelling can lead to deeper commitment to a deviant career, increased social isolation, and ultimately lock individuals into deviant behavior.
What role do police, courts, and corrections play in Labelling Theory?
Police, courts, and corrections reinforce and produce stigma through their role in labelling individuals as deviant, potentially perpetuating criminal identities.
How are crime and deviance defined in Crime and Labelling Theory?
Crime and deviance are defined by others’ reactions to behavior, not by the moral content of the act itself.
Who is responsible for labelling individuals as criminals or deviants?
Crime control institutions (e.g., police, courts) and close social groups determine who gets labelled as deviant.
What are moral entrepreneurs in Crime and Labelling Theory?
Moral entrepreneurs are interest groups that control social life and legal order to promote their own set of moral values.
What is Differential Enforcement?
Differential Enforcement refers to how laws are not applied evenly or fairly, with factors like race, wealth, gender, and social standing affecting the likelihood of arrest and sanction.
How do laws reflect power relationships in society?
Laws and punishments are unevenly applied, often benefiting some groups over others, reinforcing existing power dynamics.
What historical example is given for Differential Enforcement?
NWMP (North-West Mounted Police) responded to the “threat” of Indigenous peoples, leading to more modern approaches to policing.
How does labelling theory connect to conflict theory in Differential Enforcement?
A micro-social approach of labelling theory (individual level) can be applied to a macro-social approach of conflict theory (systemic power struggles).
What is social distance in the context of labelling?
Social distance refers to how a person can be labelled as deviant due to differences in power between the labeller and the labelled individual.
How does sentencing and processing disparity relate to labelling?
Sentencing and processing disparities exist between marginalized individuals and privileged groups, affecting how people are labelled in the criminal justice system.
Do all labelled individuals engage in crime?
No, not all labelled individuals choose to engage in crime, but the label itself can have consequences on their identity and treatment by society.
What are the main effects of labelling on an individual?
Labelling creates stigma and can negatively affect self-image.
What is “master status” in labelling theory?
Master status is an identity that overrides all others, meaning the deviant label becomes the primary way an individual is perceived.
What is the dramatization of evil?
The dramatization of evil is when reactions to deviance create a feedback loop that is internalized, reinforcing the deviant identity.
What is primary deviance?
Primary deviance refers to deviant acts that go undetected or unsanctioned, meaning they do not result in a deviant label.
What is secondary deviance?
Secondary deviance occurs when deviant acts are sanctioned, leading to the deviant label becoming a basis for personal identity.
How does primary deviance differ from secondary deviance?
Primary deviance is when a deviant act goes unnoticed or without formal punishment, while secondary deviance happens when an individual is labelled as deviant, reinforcing their deviant identity.
Elle takes a jacket from the mall without paying for it and isn’t noticed or apprehended. This is an example of:
a. Primary deviance
b. Secondary deviance
c. Stigmatization
d. Commitment to conformity
Answer: a. Primary deviance
Primary deviance refers to deviant acts that go undetected or unsanctioned, meaning the individual does not face consequences or develop a deviant identity.
What is the General Theory of Deviance?
The General Theory of Deviance suggests that some people cannot conform to social group standards and, as a result, face negative sanctions.
How does deviant subculture membership relate to the General Theory of Deviance?
Deviant subculture membership involves conforming to new norms that conflict with the norms of society.
How does defying conventional values impact offenders?
Defying conventional values distances an offender from future criticism.
What effect do sanctions on adolescents have according to the General Theory of Deviance?
Imposing sanctions on adolescents can lead to self-rejection, deviant peer associations, and deviance amplification.
What does differential social control suggest about self-evaluations?
elf-evaluations reflect actual (or perceived) appraisals made by others.
How does the need for acceptance contribute to deviance according to differential social control?
People seek out acceptance, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy where youth aiming to avoid stigma and negative labels seek out groups that they believe will accept them.
What type of groups do individuals seeking acceptance often join, according to differential social control?
These groups are often already deviant.
Who is most likely to be labeled according to bias in labeling theory?
Those who are powerless.
How does discretion in law enforcement contribute to bias in labeling?
It leads to discrimination.
What effect does labeling have on identity and self-image?
Labeling has pervasive effects on identity and self-image, reinforcing deviant behavior.
How does labeling influence future behavior?
People who are labeled have a greater likelihood of being involved in deviance and continuing to offend.
What are some key issues with labeling theory?
Issues include explaining the onset of deviance, reintegration, and whether deviance is truly relative.
What role does labeling theory identify in crime causation?
It highlights the role played by social control agents in defining and enforcing crime.
Does labeling theory pathologize crime?
No, labeling theory does not pathologize crime but focuses on the effects of social reactions.
How does labeling theory distinguish different types of deviance?
It differentiates between primary deviance (criminal acts) and secondary deviance (criminal careers).
What is the main idea of Integrated Theory?
It is a practical and substantive approach that combines multiple factors to explain crime rather than relying on a single cause.
Why are multifactor theories important in explaining crime?
Crime cannot be explained by looking at just one factor; using multiple perspectives prevents social division.
What are latent traits in the context of crime?
Latent traits are stable characteristics or conditions present at birth that may make an individual more prone to crime over their life course.
What does Life Course Theory suggest about criminal behavior?
Criminal offending patterns change over a person’s life and are influenced by conditions or events occurring at various stages.
What factors influence criminal careers?
Structure, socialization, biology, psychology, and opportunity.
What does the Social Development Model (SDM) integrate?
It integrates social control, social learning, and structural models.
How do pre-existing risk factors influence behavior in SDM?
They are either reinforced or neutralized through socialization.
What role do pro-social bonds play in SDM?
Pro-social bonds, developed within early family life, provide opportunities for success throughout the life course (e.g., academic success, conventional beliefs).
How do commitment and attachment function in SDM?
Commitment and attachment to conventional institutions, activities, and beliefs help insulate youth from crime.
What theories does Elliott’s Integrated Theory combine?
It integrates strain, social learning, and control theories.
How does strain theory relate to Elliott’s Integrated Theory?
Strain theory falls under structural models, and Elliott focuses on how prosocial bonds break down.
What is the main focus of Elliott’s Integrated Theory?
It examines the breakdown of prosocial bonds and how it influences deviant behavior.
What does the Integrated Structural Marxist Theory combine?
It integrates conflict concepts with social structural and social process theories.
According to Integrated Structural Marxist Theory, what is the cause of crime?
Crime results from conflict in family relationships and is influenced by the quality of working experiences.
How is criminal behavior explained in social process theory?
Criminal behavior is considered part of our socialization process.
What factors contribute to disruptions in social institutions and processes?
Disruptions occur in family, school, peers, the criminal justice system (CJS), and the workplace.
What supports social process theories?
A strong research foundation supports social process theories.
What is growing in the study of social process theory?
There is a growing understanding of interconnected variables.
What key questions arise in evaluating social process theory?
How do we explain temporal differences, regional differences, desistance, and escalation?
What policy move in the 1950s was influenced by social process theory?
The idea that if people can learn attitudes that predispose them to criminality, they can also be socialized to follow conventional norms.
What is youth diversion in the context of social process theory?
Youth diversion is an alternative to formal sentencing that involves restitution, apology, and volunteer work to rebuild community bonds.
What are early interventions in crime prevention?
Early interventions involve encouraging youth to succeed in school and pushing them to attend university.
What is conditional sentencing?
Conditional sentencing allows offenders to serve their time in the community instead of in prison.
What does labeling theory argue about punishment?
Labeling theory suggests that “less is better,” advocating for diversion programs and rehabilitation instead of harsh punishments.
What question is raised about diversion programs and rehabilitation?
Do these programs reduce stigma for offenders?
