crime and deviance Flashcards
what is crime
something that breaks the law
what is deviance
something that goes against societal norms and values that many disapprove of
what does durkheim argue
that crime is functional and serves a purpose
what are the 4 functions crime serves according to durkheim
boundary maintenance, safety valve, warning light and social change
what is boundary maintenance
when society comes together against the wrongdoer reinforcing societies norms and values
what is the safety valve of crime
crime is a relatively harmless way of expressing discontent
what is the warning light
shows that something within society isn’t working
what is social change
when individuals go against existing norms and values, will be seen as deviance first
what is an example of social change
LGBTQ+
durkheim evaluation (2)
doesnt specify how much crime is enough
crime has negatives, victims would not agree that crime is positive
what crime does Davis speak on
prostitution
how is prostitution a positive according to Davis
as men can release their sexual frustration on other women without threatening the nuclear family
evaluation of Davis (2)
- outdated
- prostitution has many negatives such as objectifying women, forcing women, women being sex trafficked etc.
how is pornography a positive according to Polsky
pornography safely ‘channels’ a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery
what is an evaluation of polsky (2)
- porn can be harmful to children
- get the wrong idea of sex, most sex on porn is violent
what does erikson argue
police are actually designed to create and maintain crime rather than stop it
what is an example of erikson’s point
stop and search and speeding
what is an evaluation of erikson (1)
many police would argue they do want to reduce crime, professionalism
what are some examples in which society encourages and accepts deviance
university- partying and doing drugs etc
festivals- drugs
football matches- rowdiness and yelling
who argues about strain theory
Robert Merton
what is strain theory
the belief that society is strained for the ‘American dream’ and how members of society will try and reach their goal
what are the five reactions to strain theory
conformists, innovators, ritualists, rebels and retreatists
what is a conformist
accepts both the goals and the legitimate means
what is an innovator
accepts the goals but rejects the means and turns to crime
what is a ritualist
rejects the goals but accepts the means (for example going sixth form just because you think its the right thing to do)
what is a retreatist
rejects both the goals and the means, dropping out of society (normally turning to drugs)
what is a rebel
wants to change and challenge both existing norms and goals
what is an evaluation of merton (2)
only explains utilitarian crime (crime with monetary gain)
ignores crime of the rich
who argues about status frustration
A.K Cohen
who did Cohen study
working class boys who failed in education due to a middle class environment
what is Cohen’s theory
failing w.c. join delinquent subcultures, they rise in the hierarchy of their subculture and suffer status frustration
whos theory is the three subcultures
Cloward and Ohlin
what do Cloward and Ohlin argue
some have unequal access to both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures, different areas bring different opportunities
what are the three subcultures according to Cloward and Ohlin
criminal, conflict and retreatist
what is a criminal subculture
organised crime which can socialise youths in to their own criminal career, might result in material success
what is a conflict subculture
gangs organised by youths themselves which result in turf wars
what is a retreatist subculture
those who cant access legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures and drop out of society all together turning to substance abuse
what is a negative evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin
Matza argues that young males will drift in and out of societal delinquency, subcultures are a phase
what is a positive evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin
provides explanations for a range of crimes and subcultures
(general) what do interactionalists argue about laws and statistics
laws and crime are social constructions, a consequence to labels
(general) how are things made illegal
something is only made criminal after being labelled by society, its not the nature of the act its societies reaction
what is a deviant according to Becker
someone who’s label has been successfully labelled
what do labels depend upon according to Becker
your class, gender, ethnicity, appearance and more
what is a case study of labels and laws being applied differently
Lavinia Woodward- a middle class medical oxford student who domestically abused her boyfriend however was spared by the judge as it would damage her career
who argues the negotiation of justice
Cicourel
what does Cicourel argue
m.c. have more control over the CJS, officers tend to stereotype criminals, patrol the area and arrest more e.g. working class
what is a case study of Cicourel
Brock Turner- found guilty for S.A girl at stanford uni, his m.c. parents argues his bright future shouldn’t be ruined for ‘20 minutes of action’ he got 6 months when the max was 14 years
what do official statistics actually show
the activity of the police and the CJS, leading to the dark figure of crime
what is Lemert’s theory
primary and secondary deviance
what is primary deviance
deviant act which is not yet labelled and is seen as trivial e.g. underage drinking
what is secondary deviance
labelled and becomes their master status, this may lead to a deviant career as they cant find employment
what is an evaluation of Lemert
Downes and Rock argue we cant predict deviant careers as free will exists
what is the term used for when a crackdown on deviance leads to more
deviance amplification spiral
what role can the media have on deviance
moral panics
who argues moral panics and identified folk devils
Cohen
what is an example of a moral panic- 1972
mods and rockers
who argues about disintegrative and reintegrative shaming
Braithewaite
what is disintegrative shaming
when the offender is a bad person and is excluded from society
what is reintegrative shaming
when the act is labelled but the person isnt
‘he has done a bad thing’ not ‘he is a bad person’
what are some positives of reintegrative shaming
it doesn’t isolate the individual, allows them to rejoin society, helps them understand the effect they have had on the victim and encourages the victim to forgive
what is used for reintegrative shaming
restorative justice
what are some negatives of reintegrative shaming
is it justice? is it sending the wrong message? does it deter?
what is the impact of labelling someone as mentally ill
it makes the illness worse or even creates it
what is Rosenhan’s experiment called
being sane in insane places
what happened in Rosenhan’s experiment
sane people claimed to have been hearing voices ‘hollow, empty, thud’ they were admitted for schizophrenia despite this not being enough to be diagnosed. when telling the doctors they were fine and acting normally they refused to believe them, some kept there for 2 months
what are some strengths of interactionalism
the law is not a fixed set of rules to be taken for granted, but a construction that needs to be explained
more control can backfire
the law is enforced in discriminatory ways
what are some negatives of interactionalism
too deterministic
doesn’t explain primary deviance
assumes offenders are passive victims of crime
what terms means capitalism causes crime
criminogenic capitlaism
what is selective law enforcement
police target the working class and they are more likely to be criminalised
who argues about selective law enforcement
snider
what does snider argue
capitalist states are reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of business or threaten their profitability
what is an evaluation of selective law enforcement
professionalism- the police and CJS are professional organisations and therefore should comply with regulations
who argues about ideological functions of law
Pearce
what is Pearce’s argument
laws give capitalism a ‘caring face’ and create false conscious. selective law enforcement make crime seem as a working class phenomenon, blaming other w.c. not capitalism
what does chambliss argue
laws only protect private property and capitalism meaning they can prevent the introduction of laws that threaten them
what is an example of pearce’s argument
corporate homicide (passed in 2007) in its first 8 years only had 1 prosecution
marxism evaluation
ignores other inequalities
why does crime occur in non communist societies?
japan has low crime rates
neo marxism cards to go here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sutherland’s definition of white collar crime
a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation
what is occupational crime
committed by employees for personal gain
what is cooperate crime
committed by employees for organisational gain
why is there an invisibility of corporate crime
lack of will to tackle it- politicians focus on street crime
lack of media coverage
underreporting- no clear victim
what explanation for coorperate crime does box give
uses strain theory to argue that if a company financially struggles through legal means they will turn to illegitimate means
who argues differential association
sutherland
what does sutherland argue (coorperate crime)
sees crime as behaviour learnt from others
the competitive culture of business may encourage others to deviate
what is techniques of neutralisation theory
individuals will deviate faster/ easier if they can justify their actions
who argues about labelling (coorperate crime)
nelken
what does nelken argue
businesses avoid labelling through using experts e.g. lawyers and accountants
what do marxists argue (coorperate crime)
due to capitalistic goals to maximise profits employees and consumers are inevitably harmed, dog eat dog world
harold shipman
a trustworthy doctor- ‘groomed the community’
convicted of 15 murders (believed to be over 200)
got away for 25+ years
convicted in 2000
how does harold shipman relate to coorperate crime
as he was assumed trustworthy, being a doctor, many could not fathom the fact he could be a murderer
coorperate crime, nestle baby milk (AO2)
crime against consumers
encouraged formula over breastfeeding however it targeted developing countries which couldn’t ensure sterilisation and sanitary water
many babies fell ill and died
who argues rational choice theory and what is it
Clarke (right realist) whether the risk of the punishment outweighs the potential reward if not caught
rational choice theory evaluation
doesnt explain impulsive crimes e.g. murder and violence
not all offenders rationalise
which right realists argue about biological factors
Hernstein and Wilson
what do hernstein and wilson argue
some biological factors make some more likely to commit crime e.g. low impulse control, low IQ and aggression
evaluation of hernstein and wilson, bio factors
doesnt explain how asians are high achievers as well as high in crime statistics
marxists argue that rr’s ignore social class inequality
who argues about inadequate socialisation
Murray
how does crime link to inadequate soc, according to murray
crime is increasing due to a rise in the underclass
single mothers can’t socialise their children leading to a dependency culture and increased welfare state
evaluation of murray and inadequate socialisation
deterministic
mysogynistic
ignores social factors
what right realists tackles are there to crime
zero tolerance policing, broken windows theory, target hardening
how are left realists similar to marxism
society is unequal
how are left realists different to marxism
they don’t believe in overthrowing capitalisms but gradual change
who argues about relat8ive deprivation
Lea and Young
what is relative deprivation
how deprived you feel compared t6o those around you
how can relative deprivation lead to crime
they may begin to resent others and resort to illegitimate means
the media and advertising makes this worse
what is a solution to relative deprivation
subcultures
criminal subcultures…
conform to the values and goals but the opportunities are blocked
how does marginalisation lead to crime
lack clear goals and organisation to represent them.
leading to resentment and frustration
relative derivation evaluation
many of those who are deprived don’t commit crime
wealthy committing crime
subculture evaluation
not all subcultures are criminal
marginalisation evaluation
no explanation as to why crime is the outlet of their frustration
how to tackle crime
policing and control and tackling structural causes
what do Kinsley, Lea and Young argue
90% crime is reported by the public
multi agency support would be beneficial
what does tackling structural causes mean
reduce inequalities and opportunities to discriminate as well as providing jobs for everyone
gender and crime statistics
4/5 convicted offenders in england and wales are male
3 women a week killed by current or ex partners
males are more likely to have longer criminal careers
what is thesis 1
unreported and unnoticed
what is a recent government change to protect women and children
making mysogyny is now treated as terrorism
explain thesis 1
typically female crimes such as shoplifting are less likely to be reported or noticed
evaluation of thesis 1
sexual crimes are also unreported due to shame, embarrassment etc
what is thesis 2
the chivalry thesis
explain thesis 2
Pollack, women are treated more leniently by police and the CJS as they are mainly male sectors socialised to be chivalrous
evidence which agrees with thesis 2
Flood page et all found 1 in 11 female self reported offenders are given cautions or prosecuted compared to 1 in 7 men
women are more likely to be released on bail and less likely to go prison
evidence which goes against thesis 2
Farrington and Morris studied 408 theft cases in a magistrates court, they were not treated differently
carol smart quotes judge, ‘women who say no, dont always mean no’
what is thesis 3
functionalist sex role
who argues thesis 3
Parsons
what does parsons argue about functionalist sex role
due to biology and socialisation women are nurturing by nature and therefore incapable of crime
evaluation of parsons
Walklate argues Parsons assume women have the biological capacity to bear children, they are best suited for the expressive role
gay parents?
what is thesis 4
patriarchal control
who argues thesis 4
Heidensohn
what does Heidensohn argue
women are more conformist because patriarchal society imposes greater control
where are the 3 areas in which women are controlled (Heidensohn)
home
work
public
how does the home control women
childcare and domesticity means women have no time to commit crimes and young girls are socialised to be quiet and good
how does work control women
male dominated, the glass ceiling, SA
how does public spaces control women
fear of travelling alone, 54% of women avoided going out alone compared to 14% of men
what is thesis 5
liberation
who argued about thesis 5
Addler
what does addler argue
women are now more equal in society meaning crime rates will also become more equal
what is an example of thesis 5
ladette to lady
evidence supporting thesis 5
female offending has rose
Denscombe has found females are as likely to engage in risk taking behaviour
evidence against thesis 5
ladler and hunt found female gang members in the US were expected to take on stereotypical female roles
what 2 sociologists argue about males and crimes
Messerschmidt and Winlow
what does Messerschmidt argue
masculinity status (hegemonic) is a constant accomplishment. crime and deviance is a way to accomplish this
who have subordinate masculinity
gay men, lower class and some ethnic minorities
how many ways are there to express masculinity according to messerschmidt
3
how do white middle class express masculinity
white m.c. youth- accommodating masculinity, behave in school but outside school their masculinity is oppositional (partying)
how do white working class express masculinity
oppositional masculinity in and out of school
how do black working class express their masculinity
violence and gang membership or turn to serious property crime to achieve material success
evaluation of messerschmidt
doesnt explain men committing non masculine crimes e.g. tax evasion
masculinity is now a lot more flexible
what does winlow argue
globalisation has led to a decline in traditional male industries leading to a rise in the night time leisure economy (legal and illegitimate)
what and where did winlow study
bouncers in sunderland where unemployment was high and found the job allowed them to express masculinity through violence as well as illegal business e.g. drugs
evaluation of winlow
some men have typically female jobs and don’t commit crimes
focusses too much on w.c. how do m.c. express their masculinity?
what did the feminist in cell block y show us
feel they cant talk about their feelings and therefore turn to violence
subordinate masculinities are bullied and turn to hegemonic masculinity
objectifying women to prove manhood
stop and search statistic
young black men are 7x more likely to be stopped and searched
ethnicity population statistic
black people make up 3% of the population but 13.1% of the prison population
why do EM’s get S+S more according to Bowling and Phillips
officers had negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities as criminals, leading to targeting
what are low discretion stops
police act on relevant information about a specific offence
what are high discretion stops
police act without specific intelligence (discrimination and stereotypes likely)
arrests of EM’s statistics
the arrest rate for black people was 2.2x higher than whites
asian and other backgrounds had lower arrest rates
2014/15 blacks and Asians are less likely to receive cautions (more likely to deny the charge)
what di Bowling and Phillips argue about prosecutions and trials
CPS are more likely to drop cases of ethnic minorities due to weak/ stereotypical evidence
convictions and sentencing statistics
black and asian defendants are less likely to be found guilty due to racism
black men are 5% more likely to be given a prison sentence
black and asians receive longer sentences
ethnic minority prison population statistic
if it matched the UK’s ethnic population, there would be 9000 less people in prison
why do Lea and Young think there are differences in offending
they accept the statistics
they have higher rates due to discrimination and marginalisation
util- material dep nonutil- angry at society
if the police were racist they would be against everyone
evaluation of lea and young
they argued this in 1993 soon after the 9/11 attack which led to an increase in islamophobia and asian crime rates
they may view asian and black people different
what does gilroy argue
statistics are a result of racist stereotyping
ethnic minority crime is due to political resistance rooting back to british imperialism
evaluation of gilroy
lea and young argue that the first wave of immigrants (wind rush) were law abiding and unlikely to pass down anti-colonial opinions
most crimes are intra-ethnic
what does hall argue
a moral panic on black men and mugging
this was due to capitilism being in crisis and needed a diversion/ scapegoat to divide the proletariat
werent more criminal just victims of capitilism
what did the moral panic (hall) lead to
black men facing discrimination and unemployment forcing them to crime
what is an evaluation of hall
Downes and Rock argue that hall is contradictory, black men are both criminal and not criminal
doesnt explain how the moral panic began
right realists argue the fear of mugging is real
what are the three reasons EM’s are more criminal (right realists)
family education and the media
EM and the family
ethnic minorities are more likely to be lone parent families and lone parent families can not adequately socialise (not taught crime is immoral)
what is an evaluation of EM’s and the family
racist and misogynistic assumptions
deterministic
many male headed families also turn to crime
EM and education
black caribbean ethnicities perform the worst in education and therefore may find it harder to access a legitimate job, crime or due to relative deprivation
what is an evaluation of EM’s and education
not all those who dont succeed in education will turn to crime
black african ethnicites and asians perform well in education yet are still hig in crime stats
EM and the media
stereotypes reinforce that black people are more criminal, SFP
evaluation of the media and EM’s
deterministic, not everyone conforms to their labels
doesnt account for asian minorities
stormzy
what is a ethnicity and victamisation
when an individual is a target due to their race/ ethnicity/ religion
what is an example of ethnicity and victamisation
stephen lawrence
what report was made in 1999 on the MET
the Macpherson report
what report followed the macpherson report
the casey review
what is the overall point of the casey report
there has been little change within the met from 1999 to now
what are the percentages of whites and males in the police (casey)
82% white and 71% male
what year will there be gender equality in the met (casey)
2053
what year will there be ethnc representation in the met (casey)
2061
casey review findings
discrimination is tolerated and accepted
sexism, racism and homophobia
ethnic minorities are over police and under protected
how many race hate crimes a year (2019-2020)
76,000 (reported) more like 104,000
how many religion hate crimes a year (19-20)
6,800 (reported) more like 42,000
what group are most at risk for becoming a victim
mixed ethnic (20%)
what do sampson and phillips argue (risk of victimisation)
racist victamisation tends to be ongoing with repeated minor offences
what is an example of a response to victimisation
self defence lessons, fireproof doors
why are people responding to victimisation
as they feel they can no longer trust the police due to ignoring or not investigating racist reports
what did Williams and Dickinson find about the news
British newspapers devote 30% of space to crme
what does felson argue
the age fallacy, victims are m.c. and older, offenders are working class
AO3 of Felson
Grenfell tower had huge media coverage despite victims being w.c.
how does the media exaggerate police success
tv shows, films e.g. police interceptors
AO2 of media success
the media are more likely to overrepresent violent crimes which are more likely to be solved
AO3 of media success
the media also report on bad policing e.g. stephen lawrence, george floyd
which groups are most likely to be victims according to the media
white, children, women, high status
AO2 of media victims
the #metoo movement was mainly high status women
sarah eveard
AO3 of media victims
BAME and young males are most likely to be victims
is it really the medias fault?
how is crime reported by the media
as a series of separate events
what does crime being reported as a series of separate events mean
the underlying structions and causes of crime arent explained
AO2 of crime being reported as separate event
rape offenders are dehumanised but they are normally previous victims themselves
evaluation of crime being reported as separate events
the media have started to consider causes (racism/ homophobia) e.g. brianna ghey
what does felson call the media exaggerating rare crimes
dramatic fallacy
how do the media exaggerate rare crimes
by making them see daring and clever
what is an example of the media exaggerating rare crimes
the hatton garden heist
14 million stolen, 9 million recovered
made into a film
AO3 of exaggeration of rare crimes
the film industry not the news
what does cohen and jock young argue about media and crime
news is not discovered its manufactured, crimes can be rejected while others are selected
what are some news values
dramatisation
status
unexpected
simplification
what ways can media increase crime
materialism, desensitisation, imitation, arousel, knowledge
materialism and crime
the media presents everyone with the perfect life which can lead to material deprivation
materialism evaluation
not everyone will turn to crime
example of materialism and crime
kim kardashian getting robbed
desensitisation and crime
the media exposes people to violent crimes regularly making them less sensitive and more likely to commit crime
example of desensitisation and crime
grand theft auto and horror movies
james bulger- watershed
evaluation of desensitisation
many still find violent crimes horrific and dont get ‘less sensitive’
imitation and crime
viewers of media may attempt to recreate crimes they see, ‘copy cat crimes’
example of imitation and crime
the ripper copy cat- derek brown
researched multiple serial killers and disposed of bodies with frightening efficiency
arousal and crime
violence and sexual imagery may stimulate potential criminals and may become a factor in turning to crime
knowledge and crime
can learn criminal techniques for example, using media to research or watching tv shows etc
example of knowledge and crime
tv show, breaking bad, how to make crystal meth
what do most studies show on media and crime
media has a small to no effect on audiences
what does livingstone argue
people are too worried on the affects of social media on children as it should be a time of innocence and protection
what does cumberbatch argue
the Videos Standards Council found that crime caused by tv is weak
Schlesinger and Tumbler’s study found that
a heavy use of tv equals a greater fear of becoming a victim
those who are fearful are more likely to watch more tv, increasing the fears
whats stage one of a moral panic
a minor act of deviance (little to no harm on society)
stage two of a moral panic
media exaggerate the deviance, folk devils created with stereotypical and negative symbolisation, moral entrepreneurs disapprove of the behaviour
stage three of a moral panic
disproportionate public fear
stage four of a moral panic
disproportionate police response
police and government target and harsh punishments given
evaluation of cohen and moral panics
how and why do the media amplify some problems and not others
are audiences passive recipients to the media?
marxists would argue moral panics distract from capitilism
what is globalisation
growing interconnectedness
TECH TRAVEL TRADE
what are some examples of crimes which have developed due to globalisation
arms trafficking
drugs trafficking
trafficking women and children
cyber crime and globalisation
child pornography and revenge porn
the anonymity of internet and computers make it difficult to detect by police and law enforcement
paedophiles and the dark web
transnational organised crime
Held et al
criminal groups are now spreading across the globe set up enclaves in various parts of the world
Castells has estimated the annual worth of the global criminal economy to exceed $1 trillion
the use of crypto currencies
drug trafficking
demand by western, supply be developing countries
20% of Columbian population depends in cocaine production
sex trafficking of women and children
trafficked for sex, modern slavery etc
2016, ILO statistics:
around 24.9 million victims of human trafficking a year
4.8 million- sex trafficking (99% female)
20.1 million- labour trafficking
