Crime and Deviance Deck checklist.

Question 1

What is the social construct of crime? (the definition of crime)

Answer 1

Crime involves ILLEGAL actions. For example, identity theft, murder etc.. Breaks a formal law and can lead to prosecution.

Question 2

What is meant by a formal method of social control?

Answer 2

How the state controls peoples’ behaviour.

Question 3

What is an agency of formal social control?

Answer 3

Bodies that make the laws enforce them, or punish law breakers.

Question 4

Give 6 examples of agencies of formal social control?

Answer 4

Legislate, the police, the judiciary, magistrates, prison service and probation service.

Question 5

What do people have the right to do?

Answer 5

The right to appeal.

Question 6

What are the two main sources of statistical data on crime?

Answer 6

Official statistics of crime recorded by the police and surveys such as victim surveys and self-report surveys.

Question 7

What are some disadvantages with police recorded crime statistics?

Answer 7

Inaccurate: undiscovered, unreported (embarrassment), crime in the workplace ignored, police do not report all recorded crime.

Question 8

Advantages of police-recorded crime?

Answer 8

Can compare trends, shows police where to concentrate resources.

Question 9

What do interactionalists think about police-recorded crime?

Answer 9

They are a social construct and are an outcome of various decisions.

Question 10

What do Marxists say about police-recorded crime?

Answer 10

Reflect the nature of a capitalist system. Corporate crime is underrepresented.

Question 11

What do Feminists say about police-recorded statistics?

Answer 11

Underrepresents violence against women especially sexual violence.

Question 12

What are victim surveys?

Answer 12

People are asked about their experiences of crime in the last 12 months. Mostly the CSEW.

Question 13

Advantages of the CSEW?

Answer 13

Counts data that is not recorded on the police statistics, trends in crime can be identified, can help police officers devise tactic’s.

Question 14

Disadvantages of the CSEW?

Answer 14

Doesn’t include murder and victimless crimes, respondents forgetting trivial crime, does not question the homeless.

Question 15

What is a self- report survey?

Answer 15

Asking people about their offending particularly with young people.

Question 16

Disadvantages of a self- report survey?

Answer 16

Does not question homeless people.

Question 17

What is Albert Cohens study?

Answer 17

The subcultural theory and delinquent subcultures.

Question 18

What perspective is Albert Cohen?

Answer 18

Functionalist.

Question 19

What is Albert Cohens subcultural theory?

Answer 19

Juvenile delinquency happens in groups. Schools are based on middle class rules and expectations. They cannot compete and fail to get the qualifications. They experience status frustration so they join delinquent subcultures in order to gain status illegitimately to hit back at the school that branded them as failures.

Question 20

What are some criticisms of Albert Cohens subcultural theory?

Answer 20

Middle class bias, only focused on boys.

Question 21

What does the media help to create?

Answer 21

A moral panic.

Question 22

What is meant by a folk devil?

Answer 22

A threat to societies values and portrayed in stereotypical ways to the media.

Question 23

What is an example of moral panic?

Answer 23

Mods and Rockers. Rockers cast as folk devil and the newspapers covered in sensationalist headlines.

Question 24

What is deviancy amplification?

Answer 24

The media portrayal encourages other people to behave in such a way. Evident with the mods and rockers.

Question 25

How do the police respond to deviancy amplification?

Answer 25

Respond to public outcry and act more harshly.

Question 26

What are some of the factors that can lead to crime?

Answer 26

Social Class, age, gender and ethnicity.

Question 27

Why do the crime statistics have an upper/middle class bias?

Answer 27

Because corporate crimes often go undetected and middle class crimes are easier to ‘shake off’ in a way. Powerful groups go unrecorded.

Question 28

What does Marx say about white-collar crime?

Answer 28

It is crimes committed by people in relatively high positions. These crimes often happen in the workplace so can go undetected.

Question 29

What does Marx say about corporate crimes?

Answer 29

Committed by employees on behalf of the company that they work for. For example, environmental factors.

Question 30

What does Heidensohn say the reason for women having a low rate of crime is?

Answer 30

Control theory. Women are controlled in two aspects, the public and private sphere. Patriarchal society makes it harder for women to break the law. There is also a fear of violence or sexual harassment.

Question 31

Criticisms of the Marxist approach to crime?

Answer 31

• ignores the patriarchy.
• functionalists say the society is based on consensus not conflict.
• not every criminal law supports the ‘ruling classes’.

Question 32

What does Merton think about crime?

Answer 32

Functionalist. The working class experience strain and anomie. Strain when they cannot reach middle class values. Anomie happens (a breakdown of norms). This can lead to delinquency.

Question 33

What does Becker think about crime?

Answer 33

Interactionalist. Labelling theory –> master status –> delinquency.

Question 34

Criticisms of Becker?

Answer 34

• Ignores why people deviate in the first place.

- ignores that the choose to commit crime.

Question 35

What about Carlen?

Answer 35

Feminist. Class & gender deal. Class deal is material and gender is emotional rewards. When these become unavailable they turn to crime.