Crime And Deviance - Social Class And Crime Flashcards
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Newburn say about social class & crime?
sociology tends to focus on crimes of powerless then powerful -> official stats show the w class are main offenders
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Sutherland do to show crime isnt a w class phenomenon?
introduced ideas of white-collar & corporate crime (crimes committed by rich) & suggested many remain undetedcted in official stats -> stats invalid
What are some examples for w class crime?
Strain & anomie (Merton)
Subcultural theories (Cohen, Cloward & Ohlin, Miller, Matza)
Left realism (Lea & Young)
EVALUATION: What are some limitations of these explanations of w class crime?
Dont give a reason why all those in same circumstances in w class dont commit crime
Widespread evidence of crime committed by members of other social classes -> suggestion crime committed by w class is over exaggerated
What is white collar crime?
crime committed by m class individuals who commit crimes against company for personal gain
SOCIOLOGIST: How do Slapper & Tombs define corporate crime as?
offences committed by companies/individuals acting on their behalf which directly benefit the company -> increases £££
AO2: What is an example of white-collar crime, identified by Croall?
Crimes committed against NHS -> doctors writing fake prescriptions & claim money on it
What are the six types of corporate crime, identified by Slapper & Tombs?
paperwork & non-compliance
green crime
manufacturing offences e.g. producing counterfeit goods
labour law violations
unfair trade practice e.g. false advertising
financial offences e.g. tax evasion
What are the reasons why white collar & corporate crime are underrepresented in official stats?
hidden from view & hard to detect
often without personal/individual victims
benefit both parties involved
hard to investigate
lack of awareness
often not prosecuted & dealt with (if detected)
have a better chance of being found not guilty (if reported & prosecuted)
How does Strain theory & relative deprivation explain white collar & corporate crime?
m class unlikely to have legit means to achieving social goals blocked but they may have a sense of relative deprivation -> want more so innovate & turn to crime
How does control theory explain white collar & corporate crime?
business competes with others -> can involve taking illegal shortcuts (reduces moral controls)
What does Nelken say about white collar & corporate crime?
suggests strain & control theories converge to explain some white collar offenders -> some successful ppl have material goods associated with success but struggle financially but are strongly tied to societal expectations that they turn to crime to resolve financial difficulties
How does Sutherland’s differential association theory explain white collar & corporate crime?
if people associate themselves with others who commonly support illegal activities they’re more likely to commit crime themselves (white collar or corporate)& aggressive management cultures in businesses produce favourable climate for crime
How does Marxism explain white collar & corporate crime?
Box, Slapper & Tombs -> corporate crime driven by criminogenic capitatlism & need to maintain profit in increasly global market means illegal means used if legal means cannot be -> leads to crimes e.g. misleading ads, concealing profit etc
How does labelling theory explain white collar & corporate crime?
not had much to say but Nelken: offences more likely to escape criminal label because they’re similar to normal business practices, powerful individuals develop techniques of neutralisation to redefine crimes as mistakes/errors rather than deliberate attempts to break the law & avoidance of the criminal label encourages further crime by reducing risks of offending
croall -> corporate crime often not done with intent to harm
How does the seduction of crime & edgework explain white collar & corporate crime?
Katz & Lyng (postmodernists) -> crime can be seductive & thrill-seeking experience & risk-taking can be motivation for crime
nelken: (evidence from world of high finance) subculture where excitement of young men living life in fast lane & making hard choices in high risk situations is important -> the £££ benefits themselves
EVALUATION: what is a strength of the seduction of crime & edgework explanation?
plausible explanation for white collar crime (especially among the already rich)
EVALUATION: What is a strength of explanations of white collar & corporate crime?
studying it is important as it contributes to understanding of social construction of crime stats & overrepresentation of w class crime
EVALUATION: What are some limitations of explanations of white collar & corporate crime?
explanations fail to explain why not all individuals/corps. turn to crime/prepared to take the role
marxism -> dont explain why in countries where theres no pressure for profitability e.g. former communist russia, corporate crimes & corruption still found
