Crime Flashcards
(107 cards)
What is crime?
Behaviour which breaks the law and is punished by the legal system
What is deviance?
Behaviour which goes against the norms values and expectations of a social group or society
What changes deviance?
Time, place, values norms and social expectations
Situational deviance
Acts which can be defined as deviant or normal, depending on circumstances
Give an example of something situational deviance
Shooting someone ok in war not ok in any other situation
Societal deviance
Acts which are seen by most of society as deviant in most situations
Give an example of societal deviance
Swearing at an authority figure
What has different norms from mainstream society?
Subcultures
What creates a consensus of how to behave?
Social order and social control
What do functionalist think about crime
Crime and deviance is useful and necessary in society
Howβs does crime and deviance reinforce the consensus of values
Majority of society have the norms and values of non deviant behaviour people join together in outrage to deviant behaviour.
What happens when norms and values are reinforced by people joining together in outrage
Boundary maintenance
What does Durkheim say about deviance
Deviance allows for social change to occur. Society needs to change to remain healthy and stable
What does Durkheim say when the level of crime is too low and high?
When the level of crime is too high or low it becomes DYSFUNCTIONAL
Why is high levels of crime dysfunctional?
Too high it threatens social order
Why does low level of crime become dysfunctional?
Too low there is no social change
What were the two ways that deviance maintains social order that were identified by cohen
1) forms of deviance such as prostitution provides a safety value for releasing tension without threatening social stability
2) Deviant behaviour is used as a warning device by society to identify emerging social problems
What is cohen?
Functionalist
What is Merton?
Functionalist
What does Merton say?
Crime is a response to failing to achieve societyβs cultural goals
What is anomie?
A lack of values and feeling of normlessness
What did Merton find in his American study?
Majority had the same goals but not an equal access to achieve goals.
What happens when an individual is unable to achieve societyβs cultural goal?
It causes a strain which leads to deviant behaviour=strain theory
What is the main institutionalised means of achieving goals?
Through educational system