Crime and Deviance Flashcards
What is deviance?
Deviance is behaviour that is disapproved of by most people in society
What is crime?
Crime is behaviour which breaks the law
Give examples of cultural specificity
Alcohol consumption, drug use, punishments
Give examples of historical specificity
Smoking, drink driving, decriminalisation of homosexuality
According to police recorded statistics has crime increased or decreased?
Decreased by 4%
According to police recorded statistics, what’s the general trend of crime?
Crime levels are relatively stable
According to police recorded statistics, which factor is given to explain the data?
Lockdown: increase in the time spent at home and so fewer opportunities for theft and the closure of the night time economy
According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have decreased?
Theft, criminal damage and arson, robbery
According to police recorded statistics, which crimes have increased?
Drug offences
According to the CSEW, has crime increased or decreased?
Decreased by 9%
According to the CSEW, what % of people were not victims of crime?
80.71%
According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people most likely to be a victim?
Fraud, vehicle related theft, criminal damage
According to the CSEW, for which crimes are people least likely to be a victim?
Robbery, theft from the person, violence, computer misuse
According to the CSEW, which social groups are more likely to be victims of crime?
LGBT, Asian and mixed ethnic background, 16-24 year olds, disabled
According to the CSEW, which social groups are less likely to be victims of crime?
Over 75’s, white ethnic background, heterosexual
What class is most revolved around crime?
Working class
What gender is most likely revolved around crime?
Men
What age is most likely revolved around crime?
30-36
What ethnicity is most likely involved around crime?
White people are most incarcerated, however BAME people are very over represented
According to CAGE, what % of prison population are female?
Less than 5%
According to CAGE, what is the length of sentence for majority of women prisoners?
Short sentences (73% less than 12 months)
According to CAGE, what type of offences are committed by women compared with men?
48% of women committed their offence to support someone else’s drug use, compared to 22% of men. 82% of women sentences to prison has committed a non-violent offence, compared to 67% of men. 28% of women’s crimes were financially motivated compared to 20% of men
Give evidence of overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the prison population
In the prison population, 27% identified as an ethnic minority, compared with 13% in the general population
What are the three sources from which crime statistics are collected?
- Official statistics (police recorded figures)
- Victim survey (the CSEW, the Islington crime survey)
- Self report studies
What are the police recorded statistics?
Statistics based on those crimes reported to the police by the public and those that the police decide to record. The police follow home office guidelines about how and when to record crime so this is open to some interpretation
Give strengths of police recorded statistics
- They are easy to access and have already been compiled
- They are up to date and standardised
- They cover the whole population and go back many years, so trends and patterns can be identified and compared
- The ethical problems of studying criminal behaviour in other ways are not an issue
- They provide whole counts rather than estimates that are subject to sampling variation - the whole country is included
- An important source of local crime statistics
Why are some sociologists critical of police recorded statistics?
Interpretivists, Marxists and feminists argue that these statistics are a social construction which tell us more about how they are collected (and by whom) than they tell us about crime and criminals.
How do the police affect the statistics?
- Act as filters
- Use of discretion
- Dispersal techniques
- Prioritise offences
How do the police act as filters?-
Police select which offences to record and how to record them
How do the police use discretion?
Discretion involves the police using their own judgement about which sort of person they think is likely to be a criminal and so shapes how they interact with the public.
What is ‘canteen culture’ about?
According to Reiner those who are stopped and searched, or questioned in the street, arrested, detained in the police station, charged and prosecuted, are disproportionately young men who are unemployed or casually employed, and from discriminated against minority ethnic groups.
How do the police prioritise?
The number and type of offences discovered by the police in the course of their operations will vary according to their priorities and this will affect the crime statistics.
What did Croall say about policing priorities?
According to Croal, the police are noticeably more concerned with ‘street crime’ than other forms of crime (white collar and corporate crime) partially through the police definition of ‘real policing’ which consists of dealing with street crime and antisocial behaviour. We will examine white collar and corporate crime later in the crime
What is the role of the public in reporting crime?
Some types of crime are more likely to be reported than others. For example, most thefts of vehicles are reported to the police.
According to the CSEW, why may crimes not be reported?
- There may be a lack of awareness that a crime has taken place
- The victim may be relatively powerless and frightened of the consequences of reporting (child abuse and domestic violence)
- The victim may not want to harm the offender - this is particularly important in intra family crime (theft of money by a brother)
- Victims may be too embarrassed to complain to the police. This seems particularly important in the case of sexual offences where the police are percieved as uncaring and the procedures for dealing with rape victims appear humiliating.
- The offence may seem too trivial (vandalism)
- There is no apparent victim (prostitution)
According to the CSEW, why may crimes not be reported?
What would functionalists say about police recorded statistics?
- Focus on the strengths because they trust the quantitative data produced by the police as they see it as reliable and representative
- There is a value consensus in society, so would see the police as representing all of us, and not question their motives. This means that they accept the ‘typical criminal’ presented in the crime figures, focusing on young white males in particular.
What would marxists say about police recorded statistics?
- Focus on the weaknesses because they see the recorded figures a tool used to control the working class and to justify the control and oppression
- Figures represent the power of capitalism to define what and who is criminal. The police crime figures reflect the criminalisation of the working class, ignoring the criminal behaviour of the ruling class
What would feminists say about police recorded statistics?
- Focus on the weaknesses, especially in terms of the under recording of crimes against women by men. However, they accept the official picture that women commit significantly less crime than males and that men commit higher rates of sexual violence. The figures represent the power of men in a patriarchal society, as referred in the rates of male violence against women.
Summarise the Islington crime survey
Focused on a specific geographical area and identified vulnerable groups in the community i.e. the poor
Which is more valid, police recorded crime figures or the CSEW?
CSEW
Which is more representative, police recorded crime figures or the CSEW?
CSEW
Which crimes might be in the CSEW but not in the police figures?
- Sexual offences
- Minor crime
Which crimes might be in the police figures but not in the CSEW?
Theft from business (shoplifting), white collar crimes, drug offences
Are there any crimes which may not be recorded by police recorded crime fiures and the CSEW?
Corporate crime
Give strengths of victim surveys
- They collect both quanitative and qualitative data
- Independent collection of crime figures
- Covers crime not reported to the police and is not affected by changes in police recording practice; therefore is a reliable measure of long term trends
- Large representatve sample survey that provies a good measure of long term crime trends for the offences and the population it covers
- Standardised procedures
Give weaknesses of victim surveys
- The accuracy of victim surveys recieves on the memory and honety of the victim. Some people may get the timescale wrong and people may not consider themsevles as victims whilst others may include thing which are not technically crimes.
- The CSEW only surveys a sample, so overall trends are an estimate which may not be representative
Summarise the Cambridge study
The study followed a group of 411 males from the age of 8 years (in 1961), up to the age of 48 years. The boys who took part in the study were interviewed and tested 9 times throughout the study. The interviews investigated issues such as living circumstances, employment, relationships, leisure activities and offending behaviour. They found that there were 6 characters/factors that indicated crime.
Give strengths of self report studies
- Findings can help to reveal the social profile of criminals, which might differ from that presented by the official crime statistics
- They can provide qualitative insighs into the behaviour of criminals, especially when longitudinal
- The quanitative data can help to challenge the picture of crime presented by the police
Give weaknesses of self report studies
Validity: Are the participants being thoughtful? They may conceal offending or make false claims about what they have done.
Attrition: This refers to participations and drop out rates in studies. This is an important issue because participants who are most difficult to find and interview tend to commit the most offences. So, a study with a high attrition rate is likely to miss out on a numbers of frequent offenders and to underestimate the true number of offences committed
What points are argued in reference to media representations of crime?
- Crime is more likely to be reported by the media if it is newsworthy
- Media reporting reinforces fallacies (mistaken beliefs) about crime
- The media portrayal of offenders and victims is often skewed
- Fictional representations contribute to the social construction of crime
- The media can contribute to both desensitisation and sensitisation of issues
- Reporting by the media can lead to moral panics
How would functionalists explain the coverage of crime in the media?
The media performs the positive and important functions of helping to set moral boundaries and of testing the values of society. It does this through publicising crime and the wrongdoer, enabling society to respond in a collective manner. For example, after a particularly horrific crime (child murder, terrorism)society responds in collective horror and anger, thereby supporting and strengthening the morals and values of society. This process creates and perpetuates social consensus and stability
How would Neo-Marxists explain the coverage of crime in the media?
The media is an agency of social control. Portraying crime and criminals in a selective way in order to serve the interest of capitalism. The media ignores corporate crime because it is important that the inherent criminality within the capitalist economic system is ignored. The crimes of the working class provide a useful distraction from the crimes committed by the rich and powerful. Focusing on working class crime, both black and white, serves to divide the working class and thus weaken the class struggle. The media acts as a powerful agent of ideological control - it is part of the ideological state apparatus
How would interactionists explain the coverage of crime in the media?
Coverage of crime and deviance reflects the actions and interactions of those individuals involved in selecting stories(editors, journalists and police). The media amplifies deviance, identifies folk devils and creates moral panics. Moral crusaders wage moral crusaders to persuade others that something is wrong in society that needs to be put right.
How would feminists explain the coverage of crime in the media?
We live in a patriarchal society so coverage of crime and deviance will reflect this
Provide evidence to support the point that crime is more likely to be reported by the media if its newsworthy
What the news focuses on: Violent and sexual crimes, such as murder, kidnap and rape because they are relatively rare
Reality: Ditton and Duffy 46% of media reports were about violent sexual crimes, although these types of crimes only made up 3% of crimes recorded by the police
Outline the age fallacy within crime
Media representation: All age groups are involved in crime
Reality: The age group to commit the most crimes is 30-39 year olds
Outline the class fallacy within crime
Media representation: Middle class are more likely to be victims of crime Reality: Islington crime survey showed that people in poverty were most likely to be victims of crime
Outline the ingenuity fallacy within crime
Media representations: Criminals are clever and plan their crimes
Reality: Most crime is opportunistic and done on the spur of the moment
Outline the police fallacy within crime
Media representation: Police solve most crimes
Reality: Charge rate 7.8% ONS, Home Office Stats
How is Cohen’s study of the mods and rockers linked to a skewed view of offenders and victims from the media?
The media created a moral panic about young people - the mods and rockers were presented as folk devils through the use of lurid headlines and dramatic images
Reality: CSEW - 8.4% of people aged 16-24 reported experiencing victimisation from violent crime but only 0.2% of those over 75
What percentage of people between 16-24 reported experiencing victimisation?
8.4%
What percentage of people aged over 75 reported experiencing victimisation?
0.2%
Who argued that the media can contribute to both desensitisation and sensitisation of issues?
Young
Who argued that media reporting reinforces fallacies about crime?
Richard Felson
According to functionalists, what are the positive roles of crime and deviance
- Crime and deviance reaffirm the boundaries of acceptable behaviour
- Crime and deviance act as a warning function and promote social change
- Crime and deviance act as a safety valve
Who argues that crime and deviance reaffirms the boundaries of acceptable behaviour
Durkheim
What does collective conscience mean?
Society consisting of common expectations on how to behave
Who argues that crime acts as a warning function and promotes social change?
Clinard and Durkheim
Who argues that crime acts as a safety valve?
Davis
According to functionalists, what are the negative roles of crime and deviance?
- Anomie
- Control theory
- Strain theory
- Status frustration
Who argued that crime and deviance leads to individuals experiencing anomie?
Durkheim
Who proposed the control theory?
Hirshi
Choose one social bond and explain how it may prevent someone from committing a crime
Attachment to others: We display conventional attitudes and behaviours towards those in our lives; we care about others
Who proposed strain theory?
Merton
Summarise Merton’s strain theory
Merton argued that when individuals are faced with a gap between their goals and their current status, strain occurs. When faced with strain, people have 5 ways to adapt
- Conformity
- Innovation
- Ritualism
- Retreatism
- Rebellion
Summarise Cohen’s status frustration
Cohen suggested that not all offending behaviour was economically motivated, but rather done for the thrill. The lower classes (especially boys) strive for middle class success, however being unable to achieve this, a sense of personal failure and inadequacy occurs; status frustration. Rejecting widely shared values and patterns of acceptance as they cannot be successful within them
Give a brief summary of how functionalists explain crime and deviance
A small amount of crime is functional for society. We have a shared agreement in society of what’s important and when we can’t achieve that, it leads to crime.
What are the 4 marxist explanations of crime and deviance?
- Capitalism causes crime
- Laws are created to benefit capitalism
- Capitalism is protected by law enforcement and its crimes are rarely punished
- Capitalism drives the poor to commit crime
Who argues that capitalism causes crime?
Chambliss
How could you use Grenfell to illustrate the criminogenic nature of capitalism?
Capitalist systems are all about maximising profit. They knowingly used lower quality products to maintain their own profit. The cladding led to the spread of the fire
Who argues that laws are created to benefit capitalism
Laureen Snider
What happened in Bhopal that links to crime and deviance?
Around 15,000 people died due to a harsh chemical being leaked
What is white collar crime?
Crime committed by the more affluent in society, who abused their positions within their middle class occupations for criminal activity for personal benefit
What is corporate crime?
Those crimes committed by or for corporations or businesses which act to further their interests and have a serious physical or economic impact on employees, consumers and the general public. The drive is usually to increase profits
Who defined white collar crime?
Sutherland
Who argues that capitalism is protected by law enforcement and its crimes are rarely punished?
Snider and Croall
Provide an example of a corporate crime
Ford Pinto - Advertised in the 1970s as the car that gave you a warm feeling was found to have a fault that meant the car tended to erupt into flames in rear-end collisions. 500-900 people died. It was cheaper to pay out the victims (£50 million) than fix the fault (£121 million)
Who argues that capitalism drives the poor to commit crime?
Bonger and Gordon
According to Bonger, what are the 2 reasons that capitalism drives the poor to commit crime?
- To meet their physical needs and wants
2. Out of sense of frustration and injustice
What are the 5 interactionist explanations of crime and deviance?
- The social construction of crime and deviance
- Labelling, power and social class
- Responding to (fulfilling) the label
- Law and rule creation
- The role of the media in creating moral panics
From what theory and person is the social construction of crime and deviance?
Interactionist Becker
From what theory and person is labelling, power and social class?
Interactionist Cicourel
From what theory and person is responding to (fulfilling) the label?
Interactionist Becker
From what theory and person is the law and rule creation?
Interactionist Becker
What are the 4 feminist explanations of crime and deviance?
- Women commit less crime than men: the social construction of gender roles
- Patriarchal society generates crimes against women
- Feminist criticisms of the chivalry thesis
- Increase in female criminality: changing gender roles
What percentage of the prison population is made up of women?
5%
Who argued that women commit less crime than men: the social construction of gender roles?
Heidensohn
What could evidence could be used to support the argument that patriarchal society generates crimes against women by men: domestic violence
- Walklate - victim surveys
- Dobash and Dobash
- Johnson - partiarchal terrorism
- Walklate - Women victims on trial
What is the chivalry thesis?
The argument that the male dominated criminal justice system has a paternalistic and indulgent attitude towards women, seeing them as vulnerable, child-like and not fully responsible for their actions.
Who criticises the chivalry thesis?
Heidensohn
Who studied doubly deviant, doubly damned?
Heidensohn
What is the double deviance theory?
It states that women are actually treated more harshly by the criminal justice system because they are punished for the crimes they have committed and for their deviance from gender expectations and norms
According to left realists, has crime increased or decreased?
Increased
According to right realists, has crime increased or decreased?
Increased
What are the 5 right realist explanations of crime and deviance?
- Underclass theory: the family and crime
- Underclass theory: welfare dependency
- Rational choice theory
- Broken windows theory
- Control theory
Who proposed the underclass theory: the family and crime?
Charles Murray
Who proposed the underclass theory: welfare dependency?
Marsland
Who proposed the rational choice theory?
Clarke
The Broken Windows theory is proposed by whom?
Wilson and Kelling
Who proposed the control theory?
Hirschi
Summarise Hirschi’s control theory
That if an individual has more to lose then they have to gain from crime, they will likely not commit the crime
What are the 4 left realism explanations of crime and deviance?
- Crime is a real problem
- Causes of crime: relative deprivation
- Causes of crime: Marginalisation
- Causes of crime: consumerism and materialism
Who argued that relative deprivation is a cause of crime?
Lea and Young
Who argues that marginalisation is a cause of crime?
Lea and Young
What are the 4 crime and age arguments?
- Official statistics show that young people are overrepresented in crime statistics, particularly for minor crimes (delinquency)
- Young people are more likely to be a victim of a crime
- Young, working class males are more likely to commit crime due to..
- Young people are more likely to commit crime for the thrill they get out of it
