Crime And Deviance C3 Flashcards
Whats a defenition of a crime?
Is an act that goes against the law
What is a defintion of Deviance?
An act that goes against social norms , sometimes it is an illegal act
What is a formal sanction?
A punishment given by a court
What is a definition of an informal sanction?
A punishment given from outside a court
What did Hirschi (1969) highight in his study ‘causes of delinquency’ ?
He higlighted the importance of social bonds on criminal offences and states that people as less likely to commit crimes if they had strong social bonds
What are Hirschi’s 4 types of social bonds highlighted in his study ‘causes of delinquency ‘ (1969)
Belief
Attachment
Commitment
Involvement
What did Hirschi and Gottfredson (1990) later add to Hirschi orginal hypothesis?
They said that social bonds were not solely enough to explain why crimes take place and that opportunity to offend was also important
What does control theory explain in regards to crime?
It explains the reasons why people don’t commit crimes
Which Sociological perspective view on crime did Hirschu’s 1964 study ‘causes of delinquency’ support?
Durkheim and Funtionalism
Which Sociological perspectives view on crime was suppported by Hirschi and Gottfredson’s 1990 work ‘general theory of crime’ ?
The New Right
What percentage of prisioners reoffend in there first year accourding to gov.uk?
26.5%
What is Recidivism?
The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend
What did Pearson (1983) Claim in his book ‘Hooligans’
He claimed that all generations look back at ‘the golden age’ with nostalgia
He also claimed that middle-aged to older people are fascinated with crime and this fasination is fed by the media
What did Miller and Riley (1994) (Marxist view) claim about Moral Panics?
They claimed Moral Panics are used to soften up public opinion and act as a form of social control (linked to Hall et al)
What did Kidd-Hewit and Osborn (1995) (Post-modern view) claim about Crime as a spectacle?
They saw media-reported crimes were increasingly driven by the need for ‘spectacle’
What did Kooistra and Mahoney (1999) say about Media coverage of crime?
That it is increasingly a mixture of sensationalism and entertainment (Postman called this Infotainment)
What did Furedi (1994) say about the societys development and the media
He said that society has failed to adapt , as a result it has lost control of young people due to older generations being over concerned about loosing values , a problem which is sensationalised via the media
What would Feminists say about the media?
They would criticise the media for innacurate and often times glamorous views on crime
Sexism in media (e.g portrayal of women in porn)
(E.g. Movies)
What are the three fallacies usually in the media?
Police effeciency fallacy- police being effective
Dramatic fallacy - murder and rape being portrayed over others
Ingenuity fallacy - intelligent criminals on tv, when most criminals are oppertunistic
Who wrote about the Police efficiency fallacy?
Smith , Taylor and Elkin (2013)
What did Althuser (Neo-Marxist) claim about the media?
He claimed that the media was part of the ideological state apparatus
What would Neo-Marxists claim about the purpose of Moral Panics?
They would argue that moral panics are political and that they are used as a defence of moral order for the ruling class and are used to keep everyone on board with the ruling class beliefs
What did Stuart Hall et al (1978) find in his study ‘Race, Gender And Class’ about the timings of moral panics? (Neo-Marxist)
He found that Moral panics occur at times of economic, political and ideological crises in capitalist society
What did Stuart Hall et al (1978) find in his study ‘Race, Gender And Class’ about the purpose of Moral panics in a capitalist society?
They are used to distract the proletariat from real-life crises by the creation of scapegoats to blame , who are usually powerless
What is an example of a powerful group in society being targeted and how was it dealt with?
The 2011 UK media hacking scandal - Newspapers were exposed for hacking celebrities’ phones
It was dealt with by creating a scapegoat of a few individuals, these individuals were prosecuted and the powerful companies were left relatively blameless
How do funtionalists view the media?
They view it as a window of the world , which reflects the true image or picture of crime
What did Cohen write about?
The deviancy amplification spiral
Describe the stages deviancy amplification spiral
Identify the problem
Simplify the issue
Stigimatise the individuals
Media campaign for action
Authorities respond
Repeat
What is Control theory (Hirschi)
People are less likely to commit crimes if they have strong social bonds
What are the 4 areas Hirschi claimed form social bonds? (control theory)
Belief
Attachment
Commitment
Involvment
