Contemporary Explanations Of Crime

Question 1

Susanne Karstedt and Gary Lafree on democracy and crime

Answer 1

Argue that the study of criminology is too local and should be made more global
As many countries become democracies, emphasis is placed upon law enforcement, the police, to control crime and create a string democracy, thus the perception of police behaviour is important to the success of a democracy
High crime reflective of a fear or distrust of democracy

Question 2

Robert King Merton on social theory and social structure, 1968

Answer 2

Some social situations place pressure on individuals and this can lead to biological responses such as violence or other forms of deviant behaviour
If a society is stable and secure then this will occur a natural response of conformity and vice versa

Question 3

John Lea and Jock Young on relative depravation

Answer 3

Argues that 'relative depravation' is a cause of crime e.g. Situations where wealth or class etc can be directly compared to reveal disparities
When looking at official crime statistics of western countries it can be noted that a working class citizen is 14 times more likely to go to prison than a middle class one