crime and Deviance- paper 3 Flashcards
crime
Usually associated with behaviour that breaks the formal, written laws of a given society. The punishment of crime is more likely to be more serious than the punishment of deviance in general but, obviously, different crimes and different laws are treated in varying ways.
Deviance
Deviance refers to rule breaking behaviour of some kind, which fails to conform to the norms and expectations of a particular society or social group. It is often not controlled legally.
Social Construction of Crime Newburn (2007)
Crime covers a wide range of behaviours. Crime is a label attached to a behaviour which is not allowed.
Committing a crime will lead to a legal
punishment. An act only becomes a
crime once it has had a label attached to it. What constitutes crime changes over time and from country to country
It is socially constructed
Social Construction of Deviance: Downes and Rock 2007
-Rule breaking is ambiguous
-hard to know what deviance is and what actions are deviant. What is seendeviance depend on the context in which the act occurs, who the person is, what their motive is. What is defined as deviant will depend on the social expectations about what constitute “normal” behaviour
Defining Deviance: Plummer (1979)
-Identified two key concepts we need to consider when defining deviance:
-Societal deviance – acts which are seen by most members of society (the dominant ideology) as deviant: Murder, Rape, Child Abuse etc.
-Situational Deviance – acts which are only defined as deviant in particular contexts
Cesare Lambroso
In the nineteenth century he said that biology and crime linked as he believed that criminality was inheritable and that criminals could be identified by physical defects that conformed then as being atavistic or savage
Eysenck
He said our personality types including criminal personality types have an innate biological baise andcome about through the type of nervous system we inherit.
Extravers- have an underachieve nervous system which means they constantly seek exitment, likely to participate in risk taking behaviours and do not learn from there mistakes.
Neurotic- high levels of reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system responding quickly to stimulation. Tend to be nervous, jumpy and overreactive. There instincts mean there behaviour is hard to predict.
Psychotic- have high levels of testosterone are unemotional prone to get agressive.
Durkhim 2 positive functions of crime
2 positive functions of crime - crime produces a reaction from society bring members together against the wrongdoer reinforces there shared norms and values. In Durkheim view the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity.
Adaptation and change- Durkheim said all change starts with deviance individuals with new ideas cannot be totally stiffed by the weight of society. They must be allowed to challenge and change existing norms and values. At first they may be seen as deviant but without this society will stagnate and be unstable to make nessacery adaptive changes.
other positive functions of crime
-Safe value Polsky (1967). Minor crimes act as a safety valve preventing more major crimes from occurring (Pornography prevents more serious sexual
offences) Deviance can release stress in society. For example mass violent protests demonstrations might be seen as an outlet for expression of discontent avoiding wider and more serious challenges to social order.
-also acts as a warning device that society is not working properly. for example high levels of suicide, drug addiction, divorce, crime point to an underlying social problem that needs to be solved before serous threats upon society develop.
-licensed deviance- being given permission to do something deviant.
-social cohesion – when crimes are horrific communities are drawn together
Durkheim
Saw crime as a particular problem of modernity (the transformation into an industrialised society) crime and deviance was essential in order to understand how society functioned. Functionalism provides a normative definition of crime and deviance. Durkheim claims that society shares ‘core values’ collective consensus. More behaviour deviates from these core values the more likely such behaviour is seen as ‘deviant’.
He developed the term anomie to explain why some people became dysfunctional and turned to crime. Anomie causes society to become less integrated and more individualistic, causes individuals to look out for themselves rather than the community.
Crime as an Industrial Problem
Crime and deviance associated with decline of mechanical solidarity. In pre-industrial societies, there was some crime, but having similar roles, status and close values in the community promoted conformity.
With social change individuals may become unsure of prevailing norms and rules. More at risk of breaking them. There is a weaker collective agreement of shared values instead people look after their own interests rather than those of others
Crime and Deviance Can Be
Negative- Durkhime
High levels of crime and deviance is very negative for society causing uncertainty and disruption. Crime could be the result of two problems with the collective conscience: Anomie and Egoism (self-interest as
the foundation of morality)
Crime is inevitable Functionalist
Even in a society of saints a distinction would be made between what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Because there are differences between people, there will always be those who step over the boundary of acceptable behaviour. It is impossible for
everyone to be equally committed to the norms and values to society.
Functionalism Evaluation: Strengths
Demonstrates the useful purpose served by crime
Offers an explanation that emphasizes a social dimension to crime and
Avoids biological/psychological theories which refer to ‘sick’ individuals.
Explains the reason for unhealthy levels of crime which could be altered by social change (introducing new laws, governmental policies)
Functionalism Evaluation: Weaknesses
Does not explain individual motivations and why only some people commit crime.
May result in a pessimistic approach regarding the control of crime (more laws, stricter policing, harsher sentencing)
Over emphasis on the degree of consensus in society.
Merton strain theory
-Social order is based around these shared goals and desires that are socially produced
-not everyone could get rich through the American dream due to inequality in opportunity in the social structure
-strain/ conflict between “cultural goals” of American society and the “opportunities” or “means” to achieve these goals in the social structure
5 modes of adaptation Merton
Comformists- work hard and try to achieve success by legitimate means conformists
Ritualism- members os society typically the LMC gave up on the goals and just went through the ritual of following means of achieving. not likely to committee crime
Innovation- crimes such are robbery and gang streams where they conformed to the goal but used illegal methods of achieving them. innovators want material success but are not prepared to achieve it through legitimate means
Retreatists- give up on goals and the legitimate means of achieving them and they are more likely to become drop outs, down and out, alcoholics, drug addicts
rebellion where people rejected the goals of society and the means of achieving those goals and aimed to replace them with different gaols and different means of achieving those different goals. Could lead to illegal protesting or political violence
Evaluation of Merton theory
See how inequality leads to crime and shows the lack of opportunities available to some groups
Shows that capitalist social structure causes crime- Summer (2004) and young (2007) say that the emphasis on material success is capitalist society is the main cause of crime
strain relises on people wanting to achieve socially approved goals (out dated)
offers an explanation of utilitarian crime but not crimes of passion or why some choose to victims others
dosent recognise social pattern to crime focuses on individuals
albert Cohen
-Merton theory limited cannot explain non-economic crimes
-middle class measuring rod (WC males can’t measure up to the standards of middle class youths. Behaviour of MC (ambition, achievemen, culture capitalism)
-those who do not achieve the cultural goals as failures. Creates young people to have a looking glass self they internalize feelings of inferiority failure this repression leads to a reaction formation
all people seek status in theres and others eyes. if dined through official status channels, Cohen said they will make sub cultures where they can achieve status through alternative status channels. status frustration.
The delinquent gang have alternative status channel. What is good in the teachers eyes is bad in their eyes. This is a “reactive” subculture which overturns middle class values of the school and wider society.
Evaluation of Alber cohen theory
pros- Offers as explanation of non utilitarian crime. Helps to explain working class delinquency in particular gang crime/ culture.
Paul Willis – Is educational failure really a rejection of status or do WC boys may see failure as a success.
Ignores female delinquency
Assumes that all working class boys want to achieve material middle class success but do they and do all WC delinquents reject mainstream goals?
Deviant Subcultures- Cloward and Ohlin (1960)
Chicago schools
Young working class people turn to
deviant subcultures or illegitimate opportunity structures when they are not able to access legitimate opportunities (jobs/education). Their work draws on the ideas of the Chicago school.
-Cultural transmission theory (Shaw and McKay) Criminal behaviour passed from generation to generation.
-Differential association theory (Sutherland) People learn deviant behaviours through interacting with others Social disorganisation theory (Park and Burgess) -Changes in population/migration leads to instability and lack of social control.
Cloward and Ohlin 3 subcultures:
Criminal subcultures are characterized by utilitarian crime based around money. Happens in stable working class areas pattern of adult crime. Gives learning opportunities for young criminals. Alternative to paid work.
Conflict subcultures happens in socially disorganised areas with a high rate of population turnover and lack of social cohesion. (Link to social
disorganisation theory – Park and Burgess)
Retreatist Subcultures emerge – lower class youths are double failures. Failed in mainstream culture and in the
crime and gang culture. Resort to drug addiction, alcoholism, petti theft, drug dealing, shoplifting, prostitution
Evaluation Cloward and Ohlin
pros- Gives insight into why working class delinquency may take different forms
cons- They exaggerate the differences between the subcultures when there is an overlap between them.
They fail to account for white collar crime.
Miller: The Independent Subculture and the
Focal Concerns of Working Class Life
Working class subculture has existed for centuries. looks at the focal concern of wc culture. Males dominated culture, emphasis on toughness and masculinity, smartness (look good and be witty), autonomy and freedom (don’t allow yourself to be pushed around by others), trouble (life involves trouble and fights don’t go looking for trouble but), search for excitement and thrills. Fate has a massive part to play in the outcomes which await you.
These values become over exaggerated and young people seek to fulfil them to looking for acceptance and peer group status. Conformity to lower working class subculture leads them to delinquency.
Miller’s Criticisms of subcultural
theories
Subcultural theories assume that deviant behaviour is the result of failing to achieve mainstream goals. Miller says that these youths never actually share these goals
They have their own set of focal concerns (toughness, smartness and excitement) They gain status in their peer group by showing these behaviours in delinquent behaviour (fighting in school shows toughness)
Matza criticises subcultural theories
He says that most delinquents aren’t seriously committed to delinquent. And they have similar values to those in mainstream society. He observed delinquents are often outraged by crime, often express remorse and regret when caught offending. Used neutralisation to ‘normalise’ their behaviour as acceptable or justify it as social norm. He said only a minority of wc youth get in trouble or join gangs. youth go in and out of delinquent behaviour but often grow out of it by adult hood. Many members of society have deviant/ subterranean values like craving thrill, exitment, agression, risk-taking but express them through socially accepted ways. some youth express them in the wrong place and time and consequently labeled as delinquents by teachers, media and the police
Social control
The way in which society tries to ensure that its members conform to laws, rules and norms. To make sure they do not commit acts of crime & deviance. 2 sorts:
Formal (Based on written rules and laws. Houses of Parliament – make laws which regulate our behaviour. Police force – enforce the law, maintain order, investigate crime. Courts – deal with offenders & sentence those found guilty. Prison service – confine prisoners, punishes and deters other people from
committing crime)
Informal (Based on unwritten laws & processes such as the approval/disapproval of others, Enforced by social pressure, Positive or negative sanctions: praise/give a gift/Negative – punish, ignore them discerning looks, comments. Family, Education system, Peer groups, Work place, Mass media, Religion).
Travis Hirschi
Influenced by Emile Durkheim and the concept of anomie. Asks the question: why don’t more people commit crime than they do? He believes that we need to understand what helps to maintain conformity for most people in society. Rather than the factors that drive a minority into deviant behaviour.
When people don’t feel attached to society or believe society doesn’t accept them, leads them to rebel and turn to crime.
People who feel liked and feel close to society and that people need them, they choose to be a good citizen and conform.
Hirschi’s ‘Bonds of Attachment’
He identified four bonds of attachment that help bind
society together:
Attachment: the extent to which we care about other people’s opinions and desires.
Commitment: the personal investment we put into our lives; in other words, what we have to lose if we turn to crime and get caught.
Involvement: how integrated are we so that we neither have the time nor inclination to behave in a deviant/ criminal way.
Belief: how committed are individuals to upholding society’s rules and laws?
Hirschi’s Evaluation
it assumes those who comit crime are broken away from the bonds trying them to mainstream values. dosent explain why some have weaker bonds than others of all those with weak bonds dont comit crime. dont explain the variants of crime and deviance. It suggests everyone could me a criminal and behaviours should be monitored
The theory can be used to support functionalism as it assumes that society is based on values consensus & social solidarity
Labelling theorists are interested in
interested in how and why certain acts come to be defined or labelled as criminal. They argue that no act
is inherently criminal or deviant in itself- in all situations and at all times. Instead, it only come to be so when others label it as such. It is not the nature of the act that makes it deviant, but the nature of society’s reaction to the act.
people become ‘deviant’ because certain labels are attached to their behaviour by political authorities and others”
evaluation of becker
+focuses on the ‘underdogs’ gave sociologist greater understanding of how criminals were stigmatised
-did little to explore why initial acts of crime occurred
-often with the criminals rather than the real victimes of crime
Becker- The labelling process and defining deviance –The Outsiders
Society create the rules, Deviance is created by society, Definitions of right and wrong are built around:
Social Context, Historical Context, Culture, Subculture
Self fulfilling prophecy refer to those whos labels have lead them to be rejected from social groups they become ‘outsider’ continue to act the way they have been labelled. Institution like prison helps labels stick. leads to future device as closes off legitimate opportunities. devient career begin when they joing and identify with a devent group who provide support and undersigning for deviant identify. Say labeling creates more deviance than prevents it.
Cicourel – who the Police apply deviant labels to
Subjective perception & stereotypes can affect weather criminals labels are attached. Studied police and juvenile (probation) officers in California Deviant police held typifications- broken home, bad attitude towards authority, poor school performance, ethnic group, low income family. More likely to be arrested and charged (working class)
Middle class minority who were arrested were typically
‘counselled, cautioned and released’
