crime Flashcards
how have changing economic and political conditions affected crime?
it has created an increasing polarisation between the rich and poor, with wealth increasingly concentrated in the hands of smaller numbers of people
Although crime rates are _____, nearly ___ offences were committed in 2014
falling, 10
What percentage of offences go undetected and unpunished?
90%
What are the five causes of youth crime
- bad or troubled home life
- poor attainment levels at school, truancy, school exclusions
- drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness
- bad housing, homelessness
- peer group pressure
what is the marxist approach to crime
- crime is built-in to capitalist societies and the law reflects class interests and ideology, law enforcement is selective (90% of crimes overlooked, white collar crimes etc.) . Crimes of the powerful overlooked
- Laws are made to protect these laws designed for the ruling class from any threats
name two key marxist theorists
chambliss and gordon
what does howard becker claim about crime
he says no act is criminal until it is labelled criminal
what did a rowntree report find about factors affecting youth to commit crime?
- intelligence and performance at school because they were unable to manipulate abstract concepts and appreciate the victim’s feelings
- lack of or abusive parenting. those abuse likely to reciprocate these actions when offending in later life.
- disorganised inner city areas were more likely to commit crimes as there was more social mobility and therefore less attachment to the community and therefore feel less responsible to the community for their actions
What were the 4 social bonds Hirschi claims we have? and how does this link to committing crime?
- attachment to conventional people
- commitment to conventional social enterprises such as education and work
- involvement in legitimate law abiding activity
- belief in conventional values and validity of the law.
- If these bonds were weak with an individual they would engage in criminal behaviour
What is Cohen’s ‘social frustration’ theory?
youth crime linked to cultures which emphasise success, but success is withheld from working class children who fail in education, therefore working class youth join delinquent sub-cultures in order to achieve success
name an important neo-marxist theorist
Hall
What is neo-marxist’s (Halls) notion towards crime?
crime is a social construction
What is Hall’s ‘black mugging example and what does it show about crime
media reported lots about lots of muggings by black people. ‘Black mugging’ in 1970’s was an over-exaggerated phenomena to smokescreen the real problems of the time which were rapidly rising global oil prices which brought high unemployment and a fall in living standards. Hall’s point is the black mugger is someone to fear, it solidified a fractured UK society around the state. Subsequently black youths were stopped and searched legally. White collar crimes masked
how does young challenge inequality theory of crime?
high crime rates of white collar crimes related to high levels of employment and economic instability. Poor urban areas show most crime and most victims.
An example of poverty not linking to crime
the elderly are some of the poorest but are low in the crime statistics. Risk taking among highly educated
