crime and deviance Flashcards
What is deviant behaviour?
behaviour that is not always necessarily illegal, but goes against social norms
What is a crime?
the action of doing things that are against the law
How can crime be functional to the well-being of society?
it acts as a warning light and gives them a group consensus of what is right and wrong
Who makes the laws in Britain?
the government
whose interests do they reflect?
themselves and the morals of those who put them in power
Is the law fair?
it isn’t fair, as it can benefit some groups in society
Who breaks the law and why?
there is no one set group that breaks the law and there is no one set reason why people break the law
What is the relationship between the media and crime?
the media portrays and shows certain crimes in a certain way, at different rates, causing people to have different perceptions on different crimes
what is dominant ideology?
This is the mainstream set of beliefs that are held by society in which people set as the standard.
what is a social construction?
Norms are the products of social construction. Behaviour can vary in being normal or abnormal depending on the situation, time and place.
what is secret and private deviance?
Deviance conducted in private which is often concealed from the wider society.
what is Open and public deviance?
Deviance conducted in public which is not concealed from the wider society.
what does Ken Plummer (1979) say about Societal and situational deviance?
Societal deviance is what the ‘dominant ideology’ of society considers to be wrong. However situational deviance depends on the time and place. An act may be deviant in one setting and not in another.
What is strain theory?
Explanation of why deviance arises in the first place. Merton argued we live in an unequal society (class system) which puts a strain on people e.g. unemployment, low pay, racism
What did Cloward and Ohin (1960) argue regarding the working class?
Built on Merton’s work. People were groups by social structure rather than individuals e.g. working class, upper class
Who was Hirschi? What was his theory?
Control theory. Similar view to Durkheim. Social order is based on shared values and goals. He asked why people do NOT commit crime due to human’s suffering from weakness
What is Neo-Marxism?
Recent Marxist theorist who attempted a more sophisticated explanation to crime
What is self-fulfilling prophecy? How might this lead to crime?
The label that is attached to you is achieved e.g. “you are stupid”. If you are stereotyped as a criminal, you are more likely to be a criminal (Becker)
what does Newburn (2007) say about crime?
- suggests that crime is basically a label that is attached to certain forms of behaviour which are prohibited by state, and have some legal penalty against them
-an act only becomes a crime when the label of crime is put on it
consequences change as labels change - just because sometime is labelled as a crime, doesn’t mean that anything will be done about it
what things does deviance rely on?
the type of act
the time
the society or culture
the social group
the place or context
why are certain crimes covered more than others?
- bias media coverage means that the more uncommon crimes are reported more
- criminlalise the working class having a voice
what do marxists believe about crime?
- agree with labelling theorists that the law is disproportionately enforced against the working class and crime statistics cannot be taken at face value
-They do criticise labelling theory for not acknowledging the wider society of capitalism that affects law enforcement and law making.
their view of crime has 3 components:
- criminogenic capitalism
- the state and law making
- ideological functions of crime and law
what is criminogenic capitalism?
- within capitalism, crime is inevitable - by its nature it causes crime
- the system of capitalism is very damaging to the working class and therefore:
- poverty means that crime is the only way that they will survive
- crime may be the only way they can obtain the goods that are advertised by capitalism
- alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration - the “dog eat dog” nature of capitalism causes the bourgeoise to turn to white collar crime
what is the state and law making?
marxists
snider
chambliss
- marxists see law and law making as somethign that only benefits capitalism
- the upper class have the power to prevent laws that would go against their interest Snider (1993)
- Chambliss (1975) argues that laws to protect private economy are the corner stone of the economy
what is ideological functions of crime and law?
- laws are occasionally passed to look like they benefit the working class e.g health care
- Pearce (1976) argues that a lot of the time, these laws are passed to benefit the ruling class, and then to create false class conciousness but are not enforced as much and are selective and therefore divides the working class
what is the difference between marxists and neo marxists when it comes to crime
- they are sociologists who have been influenced by marxism but - - they combine these ideas with things from other theories
- they agree that:
- capitalist society is based off exploitation
- the state makes and enforces laws in the interest of capitalist class
- capitalism should be replaced by a classless society - the capitalist society has the ability to structure everything in society
strengths of marxists and neo marxists:
- good at explaining the relationship between crime and society
- gives a good wider, structural understanding of why crimes are set out in such a way
limitations of marxism:
- taylor et al argue that marxism is too deterministic - over predicts the amount of crime in the working class
- feminists criticise their theories for being “gender blind” - focusing on male criminality at the expense of female criminality
- the left criticise them by saying they romanticise the working class as “robin hoods” fighting back against capitalism
- neo marxists (taylor et al) do not take crime seriously as they ignore the effects on the working class
- marxism ignores the relationship between things like ethnicity and gender with crime
What are the benefits of crime according to Durkheim?
- boundary maintenance ( crime produces a reaction from society that unites its members to condemn the individual for breaking their commitment to society’s norms and values. This then explains the function of punishment which is to reaffirm society’s rules and social solidarity)
- adaptation and change (all change beings as an act of deviance and it allows for new ideas to be expressed. for Durkheim, too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart and too little crime means that society is repressing its members)
what are the criticisms of Durkheim’s theory around crime?
- just because crime exists as “ a way to strengthen social solidarity” does not mean that was its intention to beginwith
- ignores how crime might affect people on an individual level
- crime does not always promote social solidarity, it can often lead to high levels of loneliness especially in situations like domestic violence
Summary of Strain Theory (Merton) and anomie
- strain theory argues that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially acceptable goals by legitimate means.
- Merton based his theory of Durkheim’s to combine 2 elements:
- structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure
- cultural factors - the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them - strain occurs when a person is realistically not able to achieve things like the american dream
what is some evaluation of merton?
- it takes crime statistical at face value, which overrepresent working class individuals
- marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class and their ability to criminalise the working class, but not themselves
- assumes that we all have value consensus and have the same intentions around money
- only accounts for utiliatrian crime in which money is involved and not crimes that are violent etc
Summary of subcultural theory (Cohen)
- agrees with merton that deviance is largely a lower class phenomenon
- Cohen focuses on deviance among lower class boys and argues they face anomie because of a middle class school system causing them to have status frustration
-these subcultures offer the boys alternative status heirarchy
however he has 2 criticisms of Merton:
- merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain- ignoring the fact that a lot of deviance is committed in groups, especially by youth - merton focuses on utilitarian crime, committed for material gain e.g theft or fraud. he ignores crimes such as assault or vandalism which may have no economic motive
Summary of subcultural theory (Cloward and Ohin)
- agree with Merton that working class youth are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve “money success” and their deviance is a response ot this situation
- they note that not everyone will adapt ot this lifestyle - different subcultures respond in different ways
- they also say that unequal access to illegitimate opportunity stricutres hold them back
- criminal subcultures
what does Hirschi say about social bond theory?
it is a theory that states why people might not commit crime, rather than what may cause them to. What are the things that hold certain people back that cannot hold other people back?
what is the belief aspect of social bond theory?
people have moral beliefs such as respect for the rights of others and need for obedience to the law
what is the commitment aspect of social bond theory?
people are committed to conventional activities like working, raising a family and building for the future. they have a stake in conformity, and have no wish to risk this with crime and deviance
what is the involvement aspect of social bond theory ?
People are involved, and kept busy with sports teams, community projects etc and they have no opportunity or time for crime
what is the attachment aspect of social bond theory?
people are attached to those around them, like family, friends, and local communities. they are sensitive and interested in their needs and wishes
what are some evaluation points of social bond theory?
- it recognises the importance of socialisation and social control in maintaining a cohesive society
- the idea of social intergration through social bonds is well established in a functionalist society
- it assumes that those who commit crime and deviance have broken away from the bonds tying them to mainstream values, but Merton’s theory and Matza’s work suggest that criminals are committed to these values
- it doesn’t explain why some have weaker bonds than others, or why all those with weaker bonds don’t turn to crime
- it doesn’t explain the variety of forms of deviance and crime
- it doesn’t recognise that it is possible to be deviant and have social bonds
What is “malestream”?
a concept developed by feminist theorists to describe the situation when male social scientists, particularly sociologists, carry out research which focuses on a masculine perspective and then assumes that the findings can be applied to women as well
What did Heidensohn and Silvistri (2012) argue?
- girls are more likely to be under informal control and commit crime less
-females typically peak in their offending in their mid-teens
Why does Heidensohn (1996) refer to the invisibility of women?
sociological researchers had been male dominated, ignoring the role of women in crime.
Why is female criminality rising in society?
changes in social roles and technological progress have freed women from the home and reduced the marginal value of housekeeping. As for female employment and wages, their effect on female crime is ambiguous.
what is the post modernist thoery of crime?
views crime as a social construct arising from complex interactions between individuals to coproduce their environment that then reproduces individual behaviors and identities such as crime
what is crime and social harm?
- Harms of reduction - power is used to cause a victim to experience some immediate loss or injury.
- Harms of repression - power is used to restrict future human development.
This conception of harm brings a wider range of actions into the criminal net, which are not illegal or traditionally taken seriously as a crime problem. It could include harms threatening human dignity and respect, such as racism and prejudice.
what is the cause of crime according to post modenists?
society is fragmented, and is characterised by the fragmentation of social structure. The meta-narrative of social class, work and family, which formed peoples identity and gave people social roles to integrate into society have been replaced by uncertainty and individualism.
