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Sociology > Crime and Deviance > Flashcards

Crime and Deviance Flashcards

1
Q

what is deviance?

A

behaviour that does not conform to society’s norms

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2
Q

why is crime and deviance hard to define?

A

it varies by context: place, time and culture. the context of where an act takes place can make it seem deviant or criminal

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3
Q

what are official statistics on police-recorded crime?

A
  • police-recorded crime= number of crimes committed per 1,000 individuals in the population which is often broken into categories e.g. violent crime
  • official statistics are drawn from this data
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4
Q

what are the positives (2) and negatives (2) of official statistics on police-recorded?

A

+large scale
+easy to compare over time
-misses out the “dark figure of crime”
-only 60% of crimes are reported, only 40% of them recorded

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5
Q

why might official statistics miss out the “dark figure of crime”?

A
  • crimes may not be witnessed (e.g. drug taking, domestic violence)
  • crimes may not be reported (due to fear)
  • crimes may not be recorded by the police (seen as trivial, little value or importance, or time wasting)
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6
Q

explain one example of a victim survey

A

Crime survey for England and Wales (CSEW)- question people about their experiences of being victims or crime in the past 12 months

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7
Q

what are the positives (2) and negative (3) of victim surveys?

A

+can uncover crimes not reported/ recorded by the police
+can look at trends in who is likely to be a victim
-victims can have biases/ prejudices about offenders
-victims may misremember/ lie due to fear or exaggerate
-victims may not realise that they are victims of crime

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8
Q

what are self-report surveys?

A

ask people to report any crimes that they have comitted in the past 12 months

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9
Q

what are the positives (2) and negatives (2) of self-report surveys?

A

+can uncover crimes not reported/ recorded by the police
+can look at trends in who is likely to be a victim
-people may not be honest due to fear/ may exaggerate crimes
-therefore: statistics might not be accurate (invalid data)

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10
Q

what does Durkheim believe about crime and deviance?

A

functionalist- crime is vital and necessary and disapporved by the local society.
there are 4 functions of crime/ deviance:
* it reminds people about/ re-affirms society’s boundaries of acceptable/ unacceptable behaviour- (court action and publicity surrounding crimes reminds society what happens when boundaries are crossed)
* social cohesion- public come together over a reaction to a major crime
* changing values- sometimes when someone is charged with a crime e.g. attacking a burglar, sympathy can occur. public outcry signals a change in values which can lead to a change in law
* safety valve- deviant acts act as a form of pressure release for stresses in society that allow individuals to express themselves

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11
Q

4 criticisms of durkheim

A
  • interactionists- ignore how crime/ deviance is learned/ transmitted by the proximity of deviant people around
  • too much crime may not be functional
  • crime/ deviance is frequently enjoyable and there’s no rational reason behind crime
  • marcists- doesn’t focus on issues of capitalism
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12
Q

what perspective is cohen(s)?

A
  • albert cohen- functionalist
  • stanley cohen- interactionist
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13
Q

what does albert cohen belive about crime and deviance?

A
  • functionalist
  • cultural/ relative deprivation= inadequate socialisation= working class boys lack of educational success
  • criminality is an alternative route to success
  • boys join deviant subcultures and invert societal values
  • they’re not focused on money, they’re non-utalitarian (have no purpose), malicious (upset others), or negativistic (rebelling against society)
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14
Q

2 criticisms of albert cohen

A
  • merton- instead of adopting counter culture, young people actively embrace mainstream values so much they turn to crime to acquire consumer goods
  • classist
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15
Q

what is merton’s theory about crime and deviance?

A
  • functionalist
  • strain theory- crime is a result of strain created by inability to achieve societal goals
  • society tells us we should aim for wealth and success and we should do this by legitimate means
  • stress is created when people can’t use these means to achieve success and experience relative deprivation so they turn to crime (anomie) to gain these things
  • status frustration= a sense of frustration arising in individuals/ groups because they are denied status in society
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16
Q

3 criticisms of merton

A
  • albert cohen- much juvenile delinquency like gang violence/ vandalism isn’t motivated by money or consumer goods
  • unclear why some individuals faced with anomie break the rules while others conform
  • marxists/ feminists say society’s based off of conflict between the powerful and subordinate groups and there isn’t consensus about goals or values
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17
Q

define anomie

A

state of normlessness, disorder, or confusion in a society when the standard norms and values are weak or unclear

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18
Q

what is Becker’s theory about crime and deviance?

A
  • interactionist- labelling theory
  • interviewed 50 marijuana users and observed
  • “social groups create deviance” by defining which acts are deviant and by “applying those rules to particular people labelling them as outsiders”
  • wether the label of deviancy is applied depends on context (who/ when/ where), who observes the act and the negotiations between the actors and the interaction
  • self-fulfilling prophecy= labelled individual/ peer group turns to deviant career when they are shunned from family and unable to gain work so turn to other ‘outsiders’ for support, confirming deviant identity and a criminal subculture
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19
Q

3 criticisms of Becker

A
  • labelling theory ignores people who actively reject the labels they were given
  • It gives the offender a ‘victim status’ – this perspective actually ignores the actual victims of crime
  • fails to explain why acts of primary deviance exist, focussing mainly on secondary deviance
20
Q

what does stanley cohen think about crime and deviance?

A
  • interactionist
  • Mass Media & Deviancy Amplification
  • the media creates moral panics ; exaggerating the extent and significance of a social problem
  • a particular group is set as a folk devil: a threat to society’s values
  • folk devil= what public identify a group as due to media coverage
21
Q

what are the 2 types of social control?

A

formal and informal

22
Q

what is formal social control? give examples of formal agencies of social control

A

based on written rules and laws
* formal agencies of social control: parliament, police, judiciary, prison service

23
Q

what is informal social control? give examples of informal agencies of social control

A

based on unwritten rules and processes such as approval and disapproval
* informal agencies of social control: peers, family, teachers, colleagues

24
Q

what do functionalists think about social order?

A

social order is based on value consensus and is maintained by rules. social control encourages conformity

25
Q

what do marxists think about social order?

A

social order is maintained because of class conflict- the bourgeoisie have power to enforce order/ influence the law to benefit themselves

26
Q

what do feminists think about social order?

A

it is used by men to control women- women are under surveillance more than men

27
Q

what do marxists think about crime and deviance?

A
  • capitalistic society is unequal and based on values such as materialism, consumerism and competition
  • some people cannot earn enough to fit the norms & values of the consumer world, therefore they turn to committing illegal activities to get them due to relative deprivation
  • crime is negative and helps to maintain capitalism/ keep the class divide
  • the ruling class create laws which benefit/ protect them, reflect their interests and scapegoat the working class
  • the working class/ blue collar crimes are targeted by police and so are more likely to appear in crime statistics than white collar crimes
  • middle class/ white collar crimes e.g. fraud, tax evasion are less likely to be detected because they take place in private, there’s often no direct victim and they are not policed
28
Q

3 criticisms of marxist theory of crime and deviance

A
  • over-emphasise class inequality in relation to crime
  • ignore ethnicity and gender
  • not all people in poverty commit crimes
29
Q

what do feminists believe about crime and deviance?

A
  • women are treated and punished as double deviants- broken the law, broken gender norms
  • Chivalry Thesis- women are “protected” from the justice system and given lesser punishments because they are seem as vulnerable, sad and in need of help rather than bad and in need of punishment
  • more men offend because: of gender socialisation- men are taught to be tough and risk taking; and men have more opportunity for crime/ subcultures
30
Q

what does carlen believe about crime and deviance?

A
  • feminist- working class women have nothing to lose by committing crime
  • interviewed poor female offenders
  • found that most people conform to the rules because of the ‘deals’ that offer them rewards. women are offered two “deals” in society:
    -class deal: if you work to earn, you will be rewarded by a good living standard. if you cannot earn legitimately, you have more to gain than lose by committing crime
    -gender deal: if you play the “expressive role”, you will be financially and emotionally rewarded. women are often abused. they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by refusing this “deal” and committing crime
31
Q

what does heidensohn believe about crime and deviance?

A
  • feminist
  • women commit less crime because they are more socially controlled than men
  • through their socialisation they are more bonded to society
  • women are controlled in three spaces and therefore have less opportunity to commit crime/ more opportunity to be subject to crime:
    -the home: triple shift, motherhood (less ability to commit crime)
    -in public: unsafe at night, media reports on threats (fear controls women so they don’t go out at night)
    -in work: glass ceiling (less opportunity to commit white collar crime), harassment (controlled)
32
Q

3 criticisms of feminist perspectives

A
  • progress has been made- glass ceiling no longer has as big of an impact
  • (chivalry thesis) women aren’t treated more leniently, they just commit less crime
  • ignores effect of class and ethnicity on why people commit crimes
33
Q

why might official statistics represent ethnic minorities as committing more crime in official crime statistics?

A

they AREN’T true:
* institutional racism
* labelling- police/ courts more likely to target BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) individuals
* scapegoating
* media over represents crime in ethnic minorities- police are prejudiced so ethnic minorities trust them less/ more hostile towards them and commit more crime
they ARE true:
* strain theory and status frustration- blocked opportunities to good jobs
* ethnic minorities experience relative deprivation

34
Q

define institutional racism

A

policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society or organization that result in and support a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race or ethnic group

35
Q

explain an example of institutional racism

A
  • the Stephen Lawrence case
  • led to the macpherson report where macpherson investigated the actions of the police and found the MET police force to be institutionally racist
  • lawrence experienced an unprovoked racist knife attack. The Inquiry into his murder led by Sir William Macpherson uncovered major failings in the police investigation and in the way Stephen Lawrence’s family and his friend Duwayne Brooks were treated
  • officers adopted a casual approach to the investigation and despite witnesses being able to identify the boys responsible, no prosecutions took place.
36
Q

how much more likely are black people to be arrested, stopped and searched and why?

A
  • 3x as likely to be arrested than white people
  • 9x more likely to be stopped and searched
  • because they have a higher chance of deprivation, poorer family backgrounds (more lone parent), more chance of joining criminal subcultures
37
Q

what age group is most likely to appear in crime statistics and why?

A
  • young people age 15-24 because of:
  • socialisation
  • opportunity
  • subcultures, culture of risk taking
  • media
  • status frustration
    but, the statistics might over-represent them:
  • police might target young people
  • their crimes may be easier to detect
38
Q

4 reasons why young offenders should be punished for crimes

A
  • can access some rehabilitation programmes
  • protects the public: they are a danger to society
  • they should be held responsible so they can learn that it’s wrong/ adopt norms and values
  • act as a deterrent: it deters others from committing crime because they see the consequences
39
Q

7 reasons why young offenders shouldn’t be punished

A
  • prisions= universities of crime: around 40% of YOs reoffend compared to 30% of adults- sentencing is not effective because they’re likely to reoffend
  • may join prison gangs
  • costs too much money
  • they are too young to be fully aware of their actions and the consquences it will have on the rets of their life
  • young people are easily influenced by peer pressure and their morals aren’t fully formed
  • young people need to complete education/ have access to proper rehabilitation
  • the most prolific adult offenders often committed crimes as children which shows that their sentencing as children was not effective/ maybe education or rehabilitation would’ve worked better
40
Q

what factors make a story more likely to be reported/ have more news value?

A
  • children involved
  • violence involved
  • celebrities involved
  • right of appeal occurs
  • event occured locally
  • event easy to understand
  • graphic images involved
41
Q

does the media report crime accurately? perspectives for and against

A

+functionalist: the media shows a range of views, no one group dominates
-marxist: the media sets the agenda owned by the ruling class, scapegoats working class, exaggerates violent/ sexual crimes (more “newsworthy”/ news value)

42
Q

does the media cause/ amplify crime? 2 for 1 against

A

+can inspire children to commit crime (Jamie Bulger case, Daniel Bartlam case)
+deviancy amplification: the media creates moral panics, labelling and a self-fulfilling prophecy
-other factors cause crime: those who are already subject to other factors that cause crime are more likely to commit crime than just someone who sees it on the news

43
Q

is violent crime an issue in society? 1 for 2 against

A

+statistics may not show the tru extent of violent crime; gun crime/ knife crime are increasing; media promotes violence
-some statistics suggest violent crime has decreased since the 1990s
-anti-violence and anti-gang education

44
Q

2 criticisms of stanley cohen

A
  • moral panics are in some way engineered as part of the general process of control in capitalist society
  • other factors cause crime/ are more relevant: those who are already subject to other factors that cause crime are more likely to commit crime than just someone who sees it on the news
45
Q

is prison the best punishment? 3 for, 4 against

A

+criminals deserve to be shamed/ deprived of their liberty
+it is essential to keep others safe
+functionalists: prison is a deterrent and can help with rehabilitation
-prisons= universities of crime (75% reoffend within 9yrs) and there is limited rehabilitation (some just need help not punishment)
-may join gangs
-costs too much money
-unsuitable for mentally ill/ diabled individuals

46
Q

what are the 4 purposes of prsion sentencing?

A
  • rehabilitation- change offenders behaviour
  • retribution- punish offender
  • protection- keep public safe
  • deterrence- to reduce crime in others
47
Q

what does the dark digure of crime include?

A

unreported, unrecorded and unwitnessed crime

Sociology (5 decks)

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