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A LEVEL SOCIOLOGY > Crime and Deviance > Flashcards

Crime and Deviance Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Durkheim on crime?

functionalist

A

Crime is inevitable - certain amount needed to function (deterrent)
Too much crime and deviance in society leads to anomie (normlessness)
No crime in society = stagnation

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2
Q

Functionalism functions of crime?

functionalist

A
  1. Boundary maintenance - consequence seen - don’t want
    Social cohesion - brings people together
  2. Adaptation and change
  3. Safety valve - Davis - releases build up of tention
  4. Warning sign - Clinard/Cohen
    Motivation and addressing problems
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3
Q

4 types of deviance?

A
  • Situational (depends where u r)
  • Cultural (different culture)
  • Historical (death penalty changes)
  • Generational/Role
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4
Q

Why do people commit crime?

A
  • Material Deprivation (Bolwby)
  • Tripartite Personality - Freud - ego
  • Mental Abnormality - crazy

Biological:

  • Evolutionary (Lombroso)
  • Genetics
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5
Q

Merton strain theory?
5…

functionalist

A

People react in different ways to American dream.
Some accept socially approved goals and strive to achieve through legitimate and illegitimate means.
Deviant adapatations to strain:
• Conformity - accepted social goals and norms and pursued them through legitimate means (culturally approved)
• Innovation - accepted socially approved goals, but legitimate ways blocked. Adopted illegitimate ways to achieve
• Ritualism - rejected the goals. Still conform but knew that they aren’t going to be able to be successful.
• Retreatism - only live for addiction. Reject norms and values from seeing routes to achieve goals blocked. Completely given up
• Rebellion - rejected societies goals. Set own vision. Try to change norms and values of society. Protesting

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6
Q

> Status frustration Cohen?

Structuralist theory - focuses on explaining why young-w/c people commit crime (junvenile delinquency)

A

Argues Merton does not address junvenile delinquency which is collective rather than an individual response. W/C want status instead of material as never had any from parents. Failure at school, leads to a greater chance of bad qualifications - leading them to unemployment and bad jobs. Feels anomie. Status frustration. Form gangs and subcultures in order to have status from delinquent roles.

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7
Q

Left Realism?

A

See crime as a real problem for ordinary people especially disadvantaged groups who are the main victims.

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8
Q

Which sociologist is associated with criminogenic capitalism?
marxist

A

Marxist - Gordon

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9
Q

What term means that the law is applied differently to different groups in society?
marxist

A

Selective law enforcement

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10
Q

What is primary deviance?

A

Deviant acts not been publicly labelled

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11
Q

Three causes of crime according to left realists?

A
  • Relative deprivation
  • Marginalisation
  • Sub cultures
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12
Q

Give criticisms of Marxist theory of crime?

A

Outdated
Conflict theory - ignores benefits
Overly deterministic (Japan has low-crime rate)
Crime is criminogenic however communism (crime still exists)
Some laws don’t benefit ruling class - traffic laws

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13
Q

Three illegitimate opportunity structures identified by Cloward and Ohlin?

structuralist explanation - juvenile delinquency

A

> Criminal - clear hierarchy providing criminal role models - choose acquisitional crime (financial reward)
Retreatist - failure in both legitimate and illegitimate success
Conflict - highly masculinised territorial, respect-driven violence

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14
Q

Function of crime in society for Marxists?

reaction…

A

Maintain capitalism and prevent revolution

Rational reaction to greed, self-interest and hostility generated by capitalist system. (Chambliss-1976)

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15
Q

Identity two moral entrepreneur?

A

Media - control

Government - determine laws

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16
Q

Which theory does Otto Pollak offer for the difference in rates if offending shown in crime statistics?
feminism

A

Chivalry thesis

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17
Q

What does Albert Cohen suggest is the cause of male crime?

structuralist

A

Absense of male - role model

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18
Q

Which sociologist suggests that crime occurs due to subordinated masculinities?

A

James Messerschmidt

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19
Q

What’s right realism?

A

Right realism assumes it takes a more realistic view of the causes of crime and deviance. Right realists believe crime and deviance are a real social problem that requires practical solutions.

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20
Q

Evaluation of Merton Strain theory?

functionalist

A
  • Deterministic - can’t put people into categories
  • Ignores white collar crime - ignores people in goods jobs
  • Assumes a value consensus - agree with what’s deviant. People have different values and norms.
  • Ignores non-utilitarian crime - crime where you get no money. Dosent explain all types of crime.
  • Lacks explanation
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21
Q

What does Merton believe are the overriding common goals…
Occurs when s…
functionalist

A

Akin to the American dream, capitalism, materialism, celebrity, consumerism and monetary success.
Crime occurs when certain subcultures lack legitimate means of obtaining those goals - this is called Strain theory.

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22
Q

Albert Cohen evaluation?

functionalist

A
  • Willis criticises saying wrong to assume working and middle class have same goals.
  • Most W/C conform despite their educational failure.
  • Cohen ignores female delinquency.
23
Q

Cloward and Ohlin and their parallel illegitimate opportunity structure to the legitimate are leading to 3 different types of delinquent subcultures which are:

structuralist

A
  1. Some areas have established criminal careers. Venkatesh - gang leader. They belong to criminal subcultures with a clear hierarchy.
  2. Some inner city areas may be dominated by conflict subcultures - engage in highly masculinised, violent acts for respect.
  3. If young o
    people fail to gain access to either the criminal or conflict subcultures, they may form retreats drug use.
24
Q

What did Becker say about labelling?

interactionist

A

“social groups create deviance by creating the rules whose infraction (breaking) constitutes deviance and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders”

  • so a deviant is simply someone to whom the label has been successfully applied and deviant behaviour is simply behaviour that people so label
25
Q

What the control theory by Murray and Hirschi?

Right

A

Murray - the underclass is responsible for the majority of street crime. Hirschi suggests that the underclass are more likely to lack impulse control and bonds to the community which prevent them from committing crime.

26
Q

Left realism…
Relative deprivation?
Marginalisation?
Crime prevention?

A
  • refers to how deprived someone feels compared to others. Rates of criminality behaviour in the lower classes due to the pressure of being unsuccessful.
  • feel poorer than friends
  • young people feel margined and have no power to change their situation, they often feel isolated and rejected. - frustrated by negative treatments by police so further commit crime
  • root causes of crime aren’t being treated with treating symptoms than roots.
  • social issues need to be tackled
27
Q

Whats rational choice theory?

Right

A

Clarke - rational choice / calculation to commit crime - if rewards outweigh costs - perceived costs have declined - increased crime

28
Q

What did Reiman and Leighton say about selective law enforcement?
Marxist

A

Was that the US criminal justice system is biased against the poor

  • rich get richer
  • poor get prison
29
Q

What are the examples of corporate crime?

4 types…

A
  • Crime against consumers - dangerous goods
  • Crime against employees - violation of health and safety
  • Environmental offences - pollution
  • Financial fraud - bribery/corruption
30
Q

Snider say about corporate crime?

marxist

A

Despite the huge costs, chances of prosecution against those involved are small as are the penalties applied.

31
Q

Chambliss (1976) on what motivated crime?

marxist

A

argued that greed, self-interest and hostility generated by capitalist system motivated many crimes across all social strata.

32
Q

Snider on why capitalist states are reluctant to pass laws…
Marxist.

A

Capitalist states are reluctant these laws will regulate large capitalist concerns and which might threaten profitability.

33
Q

Who argues that the law is an ideological state apparatus?

Marxist

A

Louis Althusser - law is an ideological state apparatus, which functions in the interests of the capitalist class to maintain and legitimate class inequality.

34
Q

What did Lemert say about the two types of deviance?

interactionist

A

Primary deviance are criminal acts that do not lead to publicly labelled deviant.
Secondary deviance involves society labelling someone a criminal. Can mean that person is excluded from normal society and label becomes master status so outsider to society. - Lead to self-fulling prophecy (deviant career)

35
Q

What does Wilkins say about deviancy amplification?

interactionist

A

Where the attempts to control deviancy actually leads to increases in deviant act. Both media and CJS cause this.

36
Q

Negatives of interactionist theory?

3…

A
  • Fails to explain origins of deviance and why they commit them
  • Over-deterministic - assumption of label leading to deviant career. they don’t all do it
  • Left realists claim interactionists over romanticise deviant groups neglecting the impact on victims and just blaming the agents of social control for causing crime.
37
Q

Whats the underclass theory?
right realist?
who’s backs it.
EVAL…

A 
Murrays suggest that the subculture below the working class - an underclass - subscribe to deviant and criminal values rather than mainstream values.
Marshall - argues welfare state is responsible for the emergence of the underclass due to welfare dependency.
EVAL: Rotherham - largest underclass population - low crime rates
38
Q

Who mentioned control theories?

Right

A

Hirschi argues that people commit crimes if they do not have four controls inn their life: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

39
Q

What does Murray favour to prevent crime and control crime?

Right

A

Favours less social policy, as less spending on welfare benefits encourages the underclass to get jobs.

40
Q

Clarke and Hirschi say about crime prevention?

right

A

Favour situational crime prevention

  • target hardening - locks, alarms
  • increased surveillance
41
Q

Whats does Wilson (right realist) say…

A

Broken window theory - if criminal damage is left in communities - then it shows no one cares about that area and encourages more crime.

42
Q

What did Lea and Young say about street crime?

what did they complete…

A

Aim to explain why street crime committed by young people in urban areas.
Completed a survey of victims in islington.

43
Q

What was relative deprivation?

A

As living standards have risen, people feel more more deprived compared to others. Can lead to people going to crime to feel what they are entitled to.

44
Q

What is marginalisation?

A

Argue that young people often feel marginalised and have no power to change their situation, they often feel isolated and rejected. Frustrated from police and authorities may result in further hostility.

45
Q

What are subcultures in left realists terms?

A

some young working class and black people who experience these feelings may form deviant subcultures as a result of relative deprivation. They feel they aren’t part of society, and so react by committing crimes such as drug dealing, gang violence… Crime brings economic success and status

46
Q

What are left realists views on tackling crime?

A

Argue situational crime prevention and environmental crime prevention are doomed to fail because they are treating the symptoms of crime, not the root causes.
e.g. improve housing and reduce inequalities in wealth and income

47
Q

What does Pollack (feminist) suggest about women in courts.

and what did Hood find to back Pollacks point.

A

Women are treated far more leniently by the police and courts which he calls the ‘Chivalry factor’
- women were a third less likely to be sent to prison

48
Q

However point in feminism - Heidensohn - deviancy…

A

courts treat women more harshly than men for devianting from their gender role as its classed as ‘double deviancy’ because they are not only being deviant, but also not performing their expected motherly roles.

49
Q

Why different socialisation has led to women committing less crime?

A

> Smart & Oakley - males socialised to be aggressive, individualistic and more inclined to commit crime
Leonard - women socialised into being more compassionate and empathetic which deters them from committing crime

50
Q

Why differential controls has led to women committing less crime?

A

Heidonsohn - women more conformist because patriarchal society places more controls on their behaviour, and because of their roles as wives/mothers
Smart - females are more strictly supervised by parents

51
Q

What is the feminisation of poverty?

A

Women are more likely to commit theft/shoplifting/benefit fraud because they are more likely to experience low pay and benefits.
Walkgate - prostitution & shoplifting motivated by economic necessity

52
Q

Men to female statistic of offenders found guilty of commiting a crime?

A

80% to 90% of offenders - 5:1 men to female.

53
Q

What did Messerschmidt say why men commit crime?

A
  • Men socialised into hegemonic masculinity?
    > Need to acquire respect from other men.
    > Having power / control over others
    > Toughness expressed through aggression
    > Taking risks

A LEVEL SOCIOLOGY (8 decks)

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