Crime and Deviance Flashcards
What is crime and deviance?
CRIME: an act that breaks the criminal law
DEVIANCE: behaviour that breaks the norms and values of a society
What is a real-life example showing the issues of reporting crime and what is evaluation for this?
-December 2020- news headlines highlighted that ‘Greater Manchester Police’ had failed to record 80,000 crimes in a year.
-reporting crime has become a lot easier in society over time and often allows people to report it without speaking to the police at all (FB sites, tweets)
What are three problems with official crime statistics?
-it is difficult to compare statistics over time because laws change. Some activities become criminal, while some are no longer criminal. In 2012, for example stalking became an official criminal offense. This led to an artificial increase in crime.
-A lot of crimes go unreported for being ‘too trivial’ or other unacceptable. This contributes to the dark/hidden figure of crime.
-The police may have to decide what category a crime falls into, e.g. was this an assault with intent to rob, or just assault?
What is the crime survey and what are two evaluations about this?
-completed every year , it asks people whether they have been the victim of a crime during the previous year, whether they reported it and whether the police recorded it.
-however, it does not include theft from businesses and shoplifting in its statistics.
-people are required to remember events . They might not accurately remember what happened when they fell victim to crime. This is known as ‘telescoping’
What are two statistics on crime and gender?
-80% of criminals in society are men.
-men have higher rates of recidivism (repeat offending).
What are two explanations to men committing more crime than women?
-men have higher levels of testosterone, more extraverted and impulsive.
-early socialisation: boys often play with toys that involve violence and girls play with non-violent toys.
What is Heidensohn’s theory on social control?
-according to the feminist, Heidensohn, patriarchal society enforces an ideology of separate spheres in society which can ‘brutally confine’ women.
-women do still continue to take the main domestic responsibilities.
-they are controlled in homes, work and public.
What are three evaluation points for Heidensohn’s study?
-changing family and household trends contradict this particular argument. The number of house-husbands has tripled in Britain and involves complete role-reversal between men and women in relationships.
-Harvey Weinstein was found guilty in March 2020 of one count of rape and sexual assault. Shows victimisation of women at work.
-rise of the nocturnal economy and ‘ladette culture’ including women who drink, drugs, THE VIEWS APPEAR DATED.
What does Pollak suggest?
-Pollak claims in his study of ‘masked female offenders’, women are expert at telling lies.
-they have perfected the ability to cover up the pain of their monthly menstrual cycle.
-Pollak lacks sufficient data to support his views however.
What is the chivalry factor?
-treating others with respect, courtesy and kindness.
-In 2009, 11% of women, yet 30% of men convicted of violent crime are given a custodial sentence.
What does Tara Young suggest?
-conducted a qualitive study of 25 girls involved in female gangs.
-noticed that most girls had few experiences of getting a good deal out of life.
-supports arguments on gender-quake and ladette culture.
What does Walklate suggest?
-her observations suggest that a number of rape trials highlights how women who are brave enough to give evidence in Court are made to feel as though they themselves are on trial. Only around 5% of rape trials end in conviction.
-this dismisses the chivalry factor.
What does Messerschmidt suggest?
-he identifies two types of masculinity.
-hegemonic masculinity: dominant and highly valued
-subordinate masculinity: less powerful, under-valued
-in British society, there is a normative, hegemonic masculinity that is shaped and designed by particular behaviours.
