Crime and deviance

Question 1

Victim surveys

Answer 1

• It measures the amount of crime in England and Wales by asking people about the crimes they have experienced in the last year

Question 2

Advantages of victim surveys

Answer 2

• May uncover the hidden figures of crime
• Give a more accurate figure of crime
• Include crime not reported to the police

Question 3

Disadvantages of victim surveys

Answer 3

• They tend not to survey all crime
• People may still not admit to being a victim of some crimes
• Victims memories of crime may be inaccurate
• People may not be aware they’re victims of crime

Question 4

Self report studies

Answer 4

These studies ask people to reveal crimes they have committed and how often they do so

Question 5

Official statistics

Answer 5

Statistics provided by the government and police

Question 6

Advantages of official statistics

Answer 6

• Cheap and easy to access
• Contain large amounts of information
• Provides a time scale of increasing and decreasing crime

Question 7

Disadvantages of official statistics

Answer 7

• Don’t show the hidden figure of crime
• Lots of crimes are unreported/recorded

Question 8

Advantages of self report studies

Answer 8

• May uncover some of the hidden figures
• It’s possible to find out additional data about hidden offenders (eg. gender, age)

Question 9

Disadvantages of self report studies

Answer 9

• People may lie or exaggerate
• Most studies are carried out on young people and students as they’re easy to study
• Majority of crimes uncovered tend to be trivial crimes

Question 10

Crime

Answer 10

An act that breaks the law

Question 11

Deviance

Answer 11

Actions that do not conform to the dominant norms and values of a specific society

Question 12

FUNCTIONALIST view on crime as a social construct

Answer 12

• Perspective disagrees that crime is a social construct
• Use official statistics at face value and as a reflection of acts of crime and the culprits

Question 13

MARXIST view on crime as a social construct

Answer 13

• Perspective criticises official statistics for concentrating on blue collar crime, neglecting the dark figure amongst white collared or wealthy
• Capitalism has created crime by driving economic competition
• Agrees that criminal behaviour is socially constructed

Question 14

INTERACTIONALIST view on crime as a social construct

Answer 14

• They argue that official statistics are made to reflect certain social stereotypes
• Agrees with the assumption that crime is socially constructed due to stereotypes that exist, and how some people are more likely to be labelled deviant or criminal

Question 15

FEMINIST view on crime as a social construct

Answer 15

• Official statistics seriously under represent certain types of crime
• This perspective criticises official statistics for under representing the dark figure of crime amongst women, particularly
• Agrees with the assumption that criminal behaviour is socially constructed

Question 16

Mass media

Answer 16

Forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people.

Question 17

Hypodermic needle theory

Answer 17

a theory that explains the effects of media as if their contents simply enter directly into the consumer, who is powerless to resist their influence. Consumer is passive

Question 18

Two examples of media amplification/ moral panics

Answer 18

Fawbert (2008) - Hoodies
Cohen - Mods and rockers

Question 19

News Value

Answer 19

Criteria that decides how newsworthy a story is, and how much attention it is given.

Question 20

Gatekeeper

Answer 20

Editors control access to information, particularly on whether to make this information available to others.

Question 21

Retribution

Answer 21

To punish a criminal for their wrong doing.

Question 22

Rehabilitation

Answer 22

To change and improve a criminal and ensure they turn away from crime.

Question 23

Violent crimes

Answer 23

crimes based on the use of force or the threat of force

Question 24

Case study for the treatment of young offenders

Answer 24

Jamie Bulger (victim)
Thompson and Venables (offenders)

Question 25

Social control

Answer 25

a group’s formal and informal means of enforcing its norms on society

Question 26

Bedroom culture

Answer 26

Girls less free to leave the home and tend to socialise in their bedrooms - also required to do more housework.

Question 27

Status frustration

Answer 27

a form of culture conflict experienced by lower-class youths because social conditions prevent them from achieving success as defined by the larger society

Question 28

Merton’s Strain Theory

Answer 28

Where people are put a title or label of sorts which may make them commit crime.

For example, Someone gets labelled a stealer and they steal the next day after.

However, the downsides of labelling theory is that it CANNOT explain why crimes happen when they aren’t labelled, nor does it explain people trying to shrug off their label

Question 29

Chivalry Thesis

Answer 29

The idea that a male-dominated police force and criminal justice system treats women offenders more leniently because of their gender.

Question 30

Glass Ceiling

Answer 30

An informal barrier that prevents women from achieving senior positions in their chosen career.

Question 31

Key study for gender and crime

Answer 31

Carlen (1988) Women. crime and poverty
Feminist

Question 32

White collar crime

Answer 32

committed predominantly by middle and upper class individuals, often in the course of their work.

Question 33

Occupational crime

Answer 33

crime carried out by individuals in work, for example theft and fraud.

Question 34

Professional crime

Answer 34

crime carried out as a lifetime career, for example drug running.

Question 35

Corporate crime

Answer 35

crime carried out by directors, for example in order to increase profits within their organisation.

Question 36

Computer Crime

Answer 36

crime carried out by using a computer, for example the illegal transfer of funds.

Question 37

Anomie

Answer 37

the breakdown of norms governing accepted social behaviour.

Question 38

Material deprivation

Answer 38

lacking the ability to purchase basic essentials necessary to live.

Question 39

Embezzlement

Answer 39

use of funds for a different purpose than they were intended for use, e.g. producing receipts or bills for activities that didn’t occur (for the purpose of hiding money).