crime and deviance essay topics

Question 1

evaluate the relationship between globalisation and crime (4)

Answer 1

1. cyber crime is glocal, ISIS using social media in 2015 to conduct a high tech jihad to create a global network of militants, and identity fraud cost uk 27 billion per year
2. globalisation capitalism and crime - mnc’s exploitation- 651,000 workers die in the devloping world from exposure to hazardous materials.
3. green crime: primary and secondary- 6 billion tons of carbon released yearly double in deaths from air pollution than 20 yrs ago
4. **Held et al **globalisation of crime.the global crime economy - tnco- human trafficking of women and children into slavery. in 2014, 13,000 people were victims of modern slavery in the uk
5. Beck: globalisation creates a global risk conciousness. e.g migration = close the borders from terrorists. we are now at risk of crime that originates across the world not just the local area

Question 2

evaluate the contributions of realist explanations of crime

Answer 2

1.rational choice theory - RR, crime has increased due to lenient punishments- cornish and clark
A03: some crimes are spontaneous

2.hirschi control theory - attachment commitment involvement and belief -RR underclass and youth lack controls
A03: ignores structural causes e.g poverty

3. Leah and young relative deprivation-m/c (white collar crime)and w/c (street crime) -LR
   individalism encourages self interest
   A03: deterministic, not all relatively deprived commit crime
4. marginalisation - unemployed youth lack orgs like trade unions to represent them,powerless and frustrated they commit violent crimes- LR
   A03: cant explain white collar crime
5. biological differences- bio + social factors = crime. Brunner et al- brunners syndrome.wilson and hernstein identified a genetic predisposition to offending

Question 3

evaluate sociological contributions to our understanding of crime prevention and control

Answer 3

1.surveillance- explain in CCTV context: Foucault theory of panopticons. self surveillance and self discipline
A03: exaggerates extent of contol. goffman shows some are resistant to control

2. Clarke: situational crime prevention - reduce the opportunity through:target hardening, greater surveillance e.g MET facial recognition
   A03: doesn’t stop crime, displaces it (temporal or spatial)
3. environmental crime prevention - based on broken window theory. Wilson and Kelling advocate for zero tolerance policy. A03: Impacts BAME more- police are less tolerant
4. punishment - deterrance or retribution.
5. social and community crime prevention - perry preschool project. Targeted intervention: pre school, parenting classes, intervention - tackle root cause
   A03: w/c parents too busy + proud

Question 4

evaluate the contribution of functionalist theory to our understanding of crime and deviance

Answer 4

1. Durkheim explanation: complex modern societies have diverse subcultures + inadequate socialisation - anomie exists
   A03: crime existed before mixing
2. positive functions of crime.
   A02: Nelson Mandela, Manchester bombing, truancy in school
   A03: crimes like rape = no benefit
3. Cohen: status frustration - w/c boys turn to alternative status heirarchy. excluded 12 y/o are 4x likely to be jailed as adults
   A03: too deterministic
4. cloward and ohlin 3 subcultures- criminal, conflict and retreatist = rise in grooming+ county line gangs
   A03: Highlighting ‘illegitimate opportunity structures’ highlights complexity of W/c situation
5. mertons strain theory- e.g failure to achieve American dream by working hard = innovation (DA)
   A03: can’t explain violent crimes

Question 5

evaluate the usefulness of labelling theory as an approach to crime and deviance

Answer 5

1. Becker, the social construction of crime - moral entrepreneurs. This creates a group of outsiders and social control agency
2. Lemert, primary and secondary deviance - master status. label creates a self concept crisis = seek comfort of other deviants and begin a deviant career
3. re integrative vs disintergrative shaming - braitwaithe - no permanent negative label = decrease in sfp = less recidivism
4. deviance amplification spiral - notting hill hippies jock young created a self fulfilling prophecy
5. reporting of crime - stats are only reported crimes- the dark figure of crime- reasons for a lack of reporting

Question 6

evaluate the contributions of Marxism to understanding of crime and deviance

Answer 6

1.** Bonger’s **criminogenic capitalism - both classes. w/c: means of survival and m/c: dog eat dogg

2. state and law making / Chambliss- selective enforcement: 3/200 companies that broke saftery laws are prosecuted
3. ideological functions of crime and law. pearce: caring face of capitalism e.g health and saftey

4.crimes of the powerful - corporate crime - crimes against cosnumer e.g burger king horse meat 🥩

5. invisibility of corporate crime due to the media, crimes are complex and a lack of political will

Question 7

evaluate the media and crime

Answer 7

1.the media representation of crime, shapes peoples ideas- missing ww syndrome. exaggerates black criminality - 2x likely to be victims, demonise rapists as stranger psychos

2. news value and crime coverage- news = social construction - news values include: dramatisation, celebrities, simplification
3. fictional representations of crime - surette law of opposites: opposite of OS and similar to news coverage
   e.g property crime is neglected, violent isn’t(Reiner), fictional cops get their man
   A03: More shows are highlighting the police as corrupt .eg money heist
4. the media relative deprivation and crime. ads are everywhere. black criminality is lined to innovation, socialised by mtv and want the bling
   e.g told a new chain will bring them happiness so they steal it A03: deterministic
5. violent media content and crime. video games e.g call of duty + horror movies = imitation of these role models = copy act killers e.g James Patrick bulger and Chucky
   A03: does media CAUSE crime or reflect existing crime

Question 8

evaluate gender and crime

Answer 8

1. gender patterns of criminality - prison pop: 82.6k men vs 3.2k women(petty + dont eanna be doubly deviant)
   A03:Heidenson women commit less crime as they are ideologically controlled by the patriarchy
2. gender bias in criminal justice - pollark chivalry thesis, men dominate high positions in the js
   A03: eileen leonard bad women are treaed more harsh than some men as they’re doubly deviant e.g bad mothers
3. gender gap in criminality - functionalist sex role theory- boys have compensatory compulsory masculinity. cohen- street gangs
   A03: Walklate criticises its biological assumptions
4. carlen class and gender deals
   Lower class women miss out on both as they have a lack of opportunity
   A03: carlens sample is small and not representative
5. feminists liberation thesis - gender crime equality, adopt male roles legitimately and illegitimately
   A03: poor women are most likely to be criminals but least impacted by female liberation

Question 9

evaluate ethnicity and crime

Answer 9

1.neo marxism: hall et al - the policing crisis. Moral panic over mugging, young blacks (scapegoat able due to powerless)= folk devil
A03: Downes and rock: hall is inconsistent : street crime wasn’t rising but also was DT unemployment

2.left realism: EM commit more crime as they’re marginalisation and relative deprivation + exposed to deviant subcultures. Pryce: young blacks hustling subculture e.g drugs
A03: Sewell’s triple quandary theory supports

3. institutional racism: reiner;canteen culture encourages racist stereotyping of EM. 0.3% judges are EM - underepresentation in high positions= only see a future in crime
   A03: since asians are arrested less than whites police must be discriminating in favour of them?
4. stop and search: Blk are 7x likely, Asians 2x to be searched . Phillips and bowling- high robbery amongst blacks could be SFP from stop search
   A03: ethnic differences jus reflect some groups DO commit more crime
5. ethnic patterns of criminality: Blk are 5x likely to be in jail, harsher sentence and overrepresentation
   A03: evidence: white victims over identify blacks in testimonies

Question 10

evaluate green crime

Answer 10

1. War crimes: illegal wars. kramer and michelowski- iraqi weapons of mass destruction. contemporary - SARS abuse
2. authoritarian personality adorno e.g germans had AP due to dissiplinarian socialisation at the time which led to the war and holocaust
3. global risk society and the environment. Gc is linked to more interconnectedness and effects the whole ecosystem (world)e.g atmospheric pollution in 1 country =acidic rain in the next
4. Nigel south types of green crime: primary(deforestation) and secondary(violence against enviromental groups)
5. White green criminology vs traditional criminology. e.g gas leak in bhopal india killed almost 3k