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Control, Punishment + Victims Flashcards

1
Q

Name the three crime prevention strategies

A

• situational crime prevention
• environmental crime prevention
• social + community crime prevention

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2
Q

Which perspectives approach does situational crime prevention take?

A

Right realist approach

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3
Q

Name the key theorists for situational crime prevention strategy

A

Clarke and Felson 1992

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4
Q

Explain situational crime prevention strategy

A

based on the idea that most crime is opportunistic. It relies on reducing opportunities to commit crime and aim to increase the effort/risk of committing a crime. This is based on rational choice theory and includes the idea of ‘designing crime out’

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5
Q

Given an example of situational crime prevention in practice

A

• locking windows/doors
• surveillance, CCTV
• keeping areas well - lit

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6
Q

Give an example/case study of where situational crime prevention proved to work

A

The Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC 1992: poorly designed + provided opportunities for deviance - particularly the toilets encouraged theft, rough sleeping, drug dealing etc. The physical environment was reshaped to ‘ design crime out’. More open plan was used, smaller sinks etc

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7
Q

Which perspectives approach does environmental crime prevention take?

A

Right realist approach

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8
Q

Who are the key theorists for environmental crime prevention strategy?

A

Wilson and Kelling 1982

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9
Q

Explain environmental crime prevention strategy

A

(AKA broken windows approach)
The idea that signs of disorder + lack of concern for others found in neighbourhoods encourages deviance. They argue that leave in broken windows unpaired sends out a signal that no one cares, + can tip the area into social disorder. Issues should be dealt with immediately.

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10
Q

Give an example of environmental crime prevention strategy in practice

A

More police presence, zero tolerance approach, repairing broken things immediately, litter picking

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11
Q

Give an example/case study of where environmental crime prevention strategy proved to work

A

‘Clean Car’ programme NYC 1984: graffiti subway train were taken out of service immediately + only returned to service when fully clean. Graffiti was all but removed from the subway because of this programme

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12
Q

Which perspectives approach does social + community crime prevention take?

A

Left realist approach

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13
Q

Which theorists are behind the social and community crime prevention strategy?

A

Lea and Young 1984

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14
Q

Explain social and community crime prevention strategy

A

This is a long-term preventative method aimed at tackling the root causes of crime, not just removing opportunities. It aims to address issues such as unemployment, poverty + poor housing.

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15
Q

Given an example of the social and community crime prevention strategy in practice

A

Social reform programmes - ‘employment for all’ or raising the education participation age

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16
Q

Give an example/case study of where social and community crime prevents and strategy proved to work

A

The Perry Pre School project Michigan 1962: a group of 3/4 yr olds undertook a 2 year intellectual enrichment program. By age of 40 the group had fewer arrests, higher graduation rates + higher rates of employment than those from the same social background. For every $1 spent on the program, it was estimated $17 was saved on welfare/prison costs.

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17
Q

Explain the different forms of displacement that situational crime prevention strategy can cause

A

• spatial displacement (area)
• temporal displacement (time)
• target displacement (victim)
• functional displacement (crime)
• tactical displacement (method)

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18
Q

What type of crime do the three crime prevention strategies fail to address in their methods?

A

Green crime, state crime and white collar crime

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19
Q

Define surveillance

A

The monitoring of public behaviour for the purposes of crime control

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20
Q

Which post-modernist sociologist argues that society has witnessed 2 distinct eras of punishment which have led to higher levels of surveillance?

A

FOUCAULT 1979

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21
Q

Name the two distinct errors of punishment that post-modernist Foucault identifies

A

1) sovereign punishment– before the 19th century
2) disciplinary punishment – after the 19th century

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22
Q

How does Foucault explain the era of sovereign punishment?

A

Where punishment was a public spectacle with hangings, used as a way of asserting the monarch’s power over its citizens

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23
Q

How does Foucault explain the era of disciplinary punishment?

A

Where punishment is not just about governance over the body but also the mind + soul. Unlike sovereign punishment which seeks to simply crush the offender, disciplinary punishment involves intensely monitoring individuals with a view to rehabilitating them - this is done through surveillance.

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24
Q

What is the Panopticon?

A

A prison designed by philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. It’s design includes cells being organised around a central watchtower so that prison guards can see all prisoners at all times.

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25
Explain the Panopticon concept of self surveillance
Inmates don’t know if they are being watched they only know that they might be being watched. The surveillance turns into self surveillance and inmates behave at all times.
26
Give an example of where else we can see Panopticon self surveillance in wider society
• exam halls with invigilators • undercover police in public • CCTV cameras, ring doorbells • dash cams, speed cameras
27
Name the three recent surveillance theories that built on top of Foucault’s panopticism
• Synoptic - Mathiesen • Surveillant Assemblages - Haggerty & Ericson • Actuarial justice and risk management - Feeley & Simon
28
Explain Mathiesen’s synoptic theory
Today the media also enables the money to see the few. Surveillance from below. Synopticon - where everybody watches everybody. Eg: powerful groups like politicians fear the medias surveillance of them may uncover damaging info about them + so this acts as a form of social control over their activities.
29
Explain Haggerty & Ericson’s surveillant assemblages theory
Surveillance technologies now manipulate virtual objects in cyberspace. Now an important trend in combining different technologies eg: CCTV footage can be analysed using facial recognition software. These combinations are surveillant assemblages. We are moving towards a world in which data from different technologies can be combined to create a ‘data double’ of the individual.
30
Explain Feeley & Simon’s Actuarial justice + risk management theory
A new ‘technology of power’ is emerging throughout the justice system. Prevents crimes rather than rehabilitates + uses calculations of risks, inspired by insurance industries. Eg: airport security screening checks are based on known offender risk factors. Using their info (age, sex, religion etc) they can be profiled + given a risk score. anyone scoring above a certain level is stopped, questioned etc. This surveillance seeks to predict and prevent future offending.
31
It is suggested that surveillance in society leads to selective enforcement of laws, with some groups being __________ for their actions, and others being _______.
Criminalised Ignored
32
What did Ditton et al find regarding CCTV operators and selective enforcement of laws?
In one major city centre, the CCTV was capable of zooming in on a vehicles tax disc from hundreds of metres away to see whether the tax had expired. However the CCTV operators thought this was not an appropriate use of the technology and therefore potential offences were left unchecked
33
In contrast, what did Norris and armstrong find regarding CCTV operators, surveillance and labelling?
Found that CCTV operators make discriminatory judgements about who to target/focus on out of the thousands of people that appear on their screen. argued that this led to young black males being disproportionately targeted. It is therefore suggested that CCTV operators are using typifications when targeting potential offenders - self fulfilling prophecy.
34
Name the three main types of punishment used in today’s society
1) reduction 2) retribution 3) restorative
35
Explain reduction as a type of punishment
The air is to reduce crime by: 1- deterring others 2- rehabilitating offenders 3- incapacitating them (cant reoffend)
36
What type of approach is reduction punishment?
This approach is instrumental as the punishment is a means to an end. It aims to reduce future crime rates.
37
Explain retribution as a type of punishment
Payback/revenge. Based on the idea that offenders deserve to be punished and societies entitled to take its revenge.
38
What type of approach is retribution punishment?
This approach is expressive as it expresses societies outrage
39
Explain restorative as a type of punishment
This approach tries to restore things back to how they were, by making offenders meet their victims to see the personal affect their crime has had on their lives.
40
Which country has the highest prison population compared with overall population currently?
USA
41
In 1993, the prison population of England and Wales was _____. Today it is _____ and it is expected to be over ______ by 2027.
44,000 84,000 100,000
42
Garland argues that the USA and the UK are moving into an error of mass-_________.
Mass incarceration
43
It is suggested we are now witnessing a move towards transcarceration. What is transcarceration?
When some body moves from institution, to institution, being repeatedly incarcerated. E.g. some individuals grow up in childrens homes, they move to a young offenders Institute, then prison etc.
44
How many prisoners on average commit further crimes on their release from prison?
2/3 of prisoners
45
Give at least two arguments for the effectiveness of prison
•changes prisoners from criminals to law abiding citizens. Prisons offer special courses such as anger management courses for rehabilitation. •deterrence. Crimes in Australia + New Zealand have escalated because of an ease on imprisonment. Even if crime is low, incarceration must be kept high for deterrence.
46
Give at least two arguments against the effectiveness of prison
•prison doesn’t alter criminal behaviour and there’s a very high likelihood that inmates will reoffend. •people having encountered brutality/unfairness in prisons. Prisons don’t alter criminal behaviour, they rather often promote criminal. Prisons are considered schools of crime. •increase in imprisonment doesn’t reduce crime
47
Name five alternatives to prison
• community service • probation • fines • restorative justice • ASBO / criminal behaviour order
48
Summarise Durkheim’s functionalist perspective on punishment
The function of punishment should be to uphold social solidarity and reinforce shared values. Also allows people to express their outrage. traditional close knit societies had a strong sense of right and wrong so had retributive justice as punishment was severe, cruel + public. Modern societies have restitutive justice.
49
Summarise Thompson’s Marxist perspective on punishment
Punishments serve the interest of the ruling class. Harsh punishments are part of the repressive state apparatuses, which keeps the working class in their players. Prison is similar to the slave labour of capitalism, especially similar to strict discipline of factories and houses in the 1900s.
50
The idea of a victim being a social construction can be seen by comparing what?
Comparing the image, the media constructs of a victim to that which we see in the official statistics
51
According to the media, what type of individuals are most at risk of being a victim?
Small children and elderly women
52
What characteristics do small children and elderly women share that the media use to frame them as victims?
Weak, blameless,vulnerable, innocent
53
List the characteristics of a most likely victim according to the official statistics
Working class, young, male, mixed race or other ethnic minority
54
What are the four areas of the impact of victimisation that sociologist identify?
• emotional harm • physical harm • indirect victims • waves of harm
55
Who tends to fear victimisation the most? Is this accurate?
Women tend to fear victimisation the most, even though it is men who are the most likely victims
56
What is primary victimisation?
The initial victimisation from the original offence for example physical harm from an assault
57
What is secondary victimisation?
Further victimisation at the hands of the criminal justice system for example reliving the event at a trial
58
What is victimology?
The study of victims
59
Name the two approaches to victimology we look at
• positivist victimology • critical victimology
60
What are the three key features of positivist victimology?
• aims to identify the factors that produce patterns of victimisation especially social characteristics • focuses on interpersonal crimes of violence • aims to identify victims who have contributed to their own victimisation
61
Summarise Hentig’s positivist victimology study
Hentig identified characteristics that make individuals more prone to being a victim. Suggested some individuals invite victimisation simply by being who they are. Characteristics include display of wealth and being mentally sub normal.
62
Summarise Wolfgang’s positivist victimology study
Study of murder in Philadelphia. Found that 26% involved victim precipitation. (the victim triggered the murder for example by being the first to use violence)
63
Give a strength of positivist victimology
• identifies patterns of interpersonal victimisation • shows importance of victim and offender relationship
64
Give a weakness of positivist victimology
• ignores wider structural factors • assumes that in many cases the victim ‘asked for it’ • ignore situations where the victim are unaware they are a victim
65
Critical victimology is based on what type of theories?
Conflict theories, e.g. Marxism, feminism
66
Name the two key elements that critical victimology focuses on
1) structural factors 2) the state’s power to apply or deny the label of victim
67
What is meant by the structural factors that critical victimology focuses on?
Factors like class inequality and patriarchy. Powerless groups such as the poor and females are at greater risk of victimisation.
68
Explain the critical victimology view that the state has power to apply or deny the label of victim
It is based on the idea that ‘victim’ is a social construction. The police and criminal justice system are extremely powerful and deciding who to press charges against and deciding whether or not there is a victim.
69
Name the sociologists who conducted a key critical victimology study
Tombs and Whyte 2007
70
Summarise Tombs and Whyte’s critical victimology study
In cases where employees have been the victims of crimes of flouting health & safety laws, the state denies the label of victim as they are simply labelled as ‘accident prone’. Power to apply the label victim also gives the state the power to conceal crimes of the powerful. The powerless are more likely to be a victim of crime, but less likely to be treated as such
71
Give a strength of critical victimology
• draws attention to the way in which the powerful can use labelling for their own benefit • draws attention to the way in which the labels of victims may simply be a social construction created by the powerful in society
72
Give a weakness of critical victimology
• are all victims blameless? • ignores the role that victims may have in their own victimisation

Sociology (33 decks)

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