Crime Flashcards
Interactionalist
BECKER- Labelling
Deviance is relative- depends on who/what/where
Society labels the act- crime is socially constructed
Only the powerless are penalised and punished
Can help promote policies to reduce crime
Interactionalist
CICOUREL- negotiation of justice
Not everyone who commits crime is punished
Depends on:
- police interaction
- appearance
- background
- history
Interactionalist
LEMERT- deviance
Primary= widespread, minor acts, eveyeone does
Secondary= societal reaction, caught and publically labelled, leads to master status
Interactionalist
COHEN- deviance amplification
Moral pannic= whole community paranoia where press distort reporting
Fold devil= threat becomes targeted and labelled
Deviance amplification spiral= crime- media exaggeration- public pannic- labelling- targeted my police- more arrests
Right Realism
3 theories, 4 names
- Biological differences (Wilson and hernstein)
- inadequately socialised (Murray and underclass)
- Rational Choice theory (Ron Clarke)
Right realism
Tacking crime
- practical measures to deter offenders
- Situational Crime Prevention (Ron Clarke)= alternating environment so crime less attractive
Target hardening= security and surveillance
Limitations= doesn’t stop crime, just displaces
Left Realism
3 names, 4 theories
Relative Deprivation (Lea & Young)
- individualism= persist of own interests in consumer life
- compare self to others
Marginalisation- frustration with low paid jobs
Subcultures- aim to reduce gap
Jack young- late modern society media is saturated and everyone is consumer market
Left realist
Tackling crime
2 names, 3 ideas
Intervention: taking action with at risk groups
Young & Matthews- improving houses, jobs, leisure’s- eg carneys community in east london
Improving police relationships
Right realism
Evaluation
Positives- holds criminals responsible, cost effective, evidence it works
Negatives- only displaces crime, target hardening only afford by wealthy, police with more power means more stereotyping
Left realist
Evaluation
Positives- government polices like community support officers, similar to Merton strain, supported by official stats
Negatives- not all w/c commit crime, neglects other factors eg gender, ignore white collar
Functionalist
Underclass- MURRAY
SUBCULTURAL
underclass= Long term unemployment, teen pregnancy, lone parent
Children not socialised and have counter subculture
20x more times criminal
EVAL: ignores white collar
Functionalist
Focal concerns- MILLER
SUBCULTURAL
- no value consensus
- lower working class have developed independent set of norms and gain status thru this
Focal concerns- excitement, toughness, smartness
Focal concerns
Eval
- functionalists disagree- is a value consensus
Feminists- focal concerns are masculinity based
Marxists- too deterministic
Matza- we all learn deviant values but chose not to
Functionalist
Strain theory- MERTON
- unable to achieve societies goals by legitimate means
- Conflict between goals promoted by society vs what is accessible
People adapt in 5 ways-
Conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, rebellion
Win the game rather than play the rules
Functionalist
Strain theory EVAL
:) supported by official stats BUT NOT ALL CRIMES REPORTED
:( not everyone aspires to societies goals/commits crime
:( crimes not always ulitarian
Functionalist
Status frustration theory
COHEN
SUBCULTURAL
- status frustration leads deviant subcultures with w/c as they cannot achieve society’s goals
- crime offers route to status
Functionalist
Subcultures
COWARD AND OHLIN
Conflict subculture- socially disorganised, battle to gain control
Criminal subculture - utilitarian crimes, established crime, criminal careers
Retreatist subcultures- lower class youth, double failures, retreat to drugs
Functionalist
Subcultural strain theories
CLOWARD AND OHLIN
- working class youth accept mainstream values through socialisation.
- working class youths face blocked opportunities
- working class youths suffer status frustration
Functionalist
Subculture EVAL
:) explains group response, not individual
Highlights different types of crime
\:(ignores middle class crime Criminals may overlap criminals Matza= people drift in and out of crime
Functionalist
Durkheim crime theory
Why is crime inevitable?
- different socialisation -different subcultures -anomie (social change)
4 positive functions of crime-
- warning to society
- boundary maintenance
- adaptation and change
- safety value
Functionalist
EVAL OF DURKHEIM
Not all crimes benefit
Does not always bring social solidarity
Doesn’t explain why crime happens in first place
Merton
Adaptation to strain
Conformity- accept culturally approved goals and strive to achieve
Ritualism- give up trying to achieve, happy with what have
Innovation- use illegitimate means
Retreatism- reject goals and means (dropout and drugs)
Rebellion- replace goals with new ones (rebellion)
Functionalist
Hirschi
Bonds of attachment
Weakened bonds to society= more crime
Attachment- relationships
Commitment- what to lose?
Involvement- what takes up time
Belief- moral code
EVAL: white collar?
