Crime and deviance: theories Flashcards

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1
Q

Durkheim’s idea of crime

A

Durkheim believes that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of life

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2
Q

Anomie

A

State of normlessness

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3
Q

Durkheim’s positive functions of crime

A

Boundary maintenance and social change

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4
Q

boundary maintenance (outline and example)

A

social reaction to crime and deviance by media and courts reaffirm societies shared values
E.g. Lucy Letby

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5
Q

Social change

A

Deviance brings out social change - new ideas or institutions always initially appear as deviance.
E.g. Rosa Parks, led to bus boycott, segregation ended

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6
Q

Kingsley Davis

A

Minor deviance acts as a safety valve.
- diverts potentially dangerous motivations into less harmful channels.
E.g. Polsky argues accessing pornography and prostitution is better than rape.

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7
Q

Albert Clinard and Cohen

A

Acts as a warning - high level of deviance indicates an institution is not functioning properly and needs to reform
E.g. truancy

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8
Q

Ignores the victims (evaluation)

A

Ignores the impacts of crime on a victim. for the victim crime is unlikely to be a positive experience.
E.g. Manchester attack

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9
Q

How much crime is beneficial (evaluation)

A

Durkheim nor any other sociologists have quanitified how much crime is needed in society. they all state crime is necessary but also say that too much crime leads to anomie.

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10
Q

Marxists disagree (evaluation)

A

Argues crime is only positive for the ruling class as they determine the norms and values

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11
Q

does all crime lead to social solidarity? (evaluation)

A

Crime doesn’t always lead to social cohesion. in fact, it may lead to isolation for both the victim and the criminal

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12
Q

Merton Strain theory

A

Concluded that Americans were socialised into believing in the American dream. However equal access to these goals did not exist

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13
Q

What affects peoples ability to achieve the American dream?

A

Social class and ethnicity can affect someone’s ability to achieve it. some people have more opportunities than others to achieve it

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14
Q

Utilitarian crimes

A

Crimes that give us material gain

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15
Q

non - utilitarian crimes

A

crimes that don’t aim to gain profit

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16
Q

Conformity

A

Pursuing cultural goals through socially approved means
E.g. middle class jobs

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17
Q

Innovation

A

Using socially unapproved or unconventional means to obtain culturally approved goals.
E.g. theft, fraud

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18
Q

Ritualism

A

Using the same socially approved means to achieve less elusive goals (more modest and humble)
E.g. dead end jobs, routine e.g. working in a factory

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19
Q

Retreatism

A

To reject both the cultural and the means to obtain it
E.g. drug addicts, alcoholics

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20
Q

Rebellion

A

To reject the cultural goals and means, then work to replace them
E.g. political radicals, hippies

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21
Q

Criticism of Merton (deterministic)

A

The theory is deterministic as it suggests that it is not individual choice that leads to criminal behaviour but external factors which leads to criminal and deviant behaviour

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22
Q

Criticism of Merton (ignores white collar crime)

A

The theory fails to explain the existence of white collar crime and corporate crime. white collar crime is usually committed by upper middle class or higher. therefore strain theory does not explain why these people go on to commit crime

23
Q

Criticism of Merton (ignores non - utilitarian crime)

A

the theory solely focuses on utilitarian crime. however, there are crimes that are committed where the criminal gains no financial benefits from the act.

24
Q

Criticism of Merton (lacks explanation of strain)

A

Merton doesnt explain why or how individuals choose their response to strain.

25
Q

Situational Deviance

A

where the act takes place/context of the act
E.g. nakedness okay in shower, not public

26
Q

Historical deviance

A

when the act takes place
E.g. homosexuality okay now vs 100 years ago

27
Q

cross cultural deviance

A

the society in which the act takes place
E.g. women clothing

28
Q

the position or role of the person

A

who commits the act and societies attitude towards them
E.g. murder is okay in the army but not outside

29
Q

Albert Cohen

A

Status frustration

30
Q

Cohens argument

A

He argued that working class boys failed in school resulting in low status. a response of this is through the formation of subcultures or gangs.

31
Q

Alternative status hierarchy

A

the idea that the function of a subculture offers boys an alternative status hierarchy in which they can achieve. the boys create their own illegitimate opportunity structures in which they win status from their peers through deviant acts

32
Q

Cloward and Ohlin

A

They explained the different types of subcultures that could be formed. they argued that young people had access to different types of youth subcultures that wanted to obtain societies successful goals.

33
Q

Cloward and Ohlin three types of delinquent subculture

A

criminal subcultures
conflict subcultures
retreatist subcultures

34
Q

criminal subcultures

A

developed in stable working class areas. provides a learning opportunity and career structure to aspiring young criminals.
E.g. Mafia

35
Q

Conflict subculture

A

Emerge in socially disorganised areas, constant turnover and lack of social cohesion. both approved and illegal means of achieving mainstream goals are blocked or limited and young people express their frustration through violence or street crime

36
Q

focal concerns (outline and example)

A

Excitement - E.g. drug taking
Toughness - E.g. macho attitude
Smartness - E.g. conning people
Trouble - E.g. fighting
Autonomy - E.g. disobeying authority
Fate - E.g. poor school achievement

37
Q

Millers focal concerns
(explanation)

A

He believes that the W/c dont value societies mainstream values, so they dont express status frustration but are more likely than others to engage in delinquent or deviant behaviours.

38
Q

Nightingale

A

He develops subcultural theorists by applying ideas to ethnicity and not just class

39
Q

Retreatist subculture

A

Emerge around those who are seen as ‘double failures’ - they have failed to succeed both in mainstream society and in the crime and gang cultures.
E.g. petty theft

40
Q

Black American youths (Nightingale) findings

A

He identified that they are excluded from obtaining the American dream legitimately, due to being excluded economically, politically and racially

41
Q

Hebdige

A

Argues that w/c subcultures are cultures of resistance. They take objects from other cultures and give them secret meanings and use them as a way of resisting mainstream society

42
Q

What subcultures use clothing to show resistance to society?

A

Teddy boys
Punks
Skinheads

43
Q

Brake

A

He says that subcultures form due to experiences that happen within a group. For example, w/c youth use language to demonstrate their disdain of capitalism. He states that it forms an ilusion in which the youth believes it solves their problems but in fact it doesnt

44
Q

Matza - Drift theory (evaluation of subcultural theories)

A

Matza argues that many people drift in and out of delinquent subcultures and only few stick to it. Matza believes that we use techniques of neutralisation to justify our behaviour. Fo example:
denial of responsibility - “it wasnt me”
denial of injury - “it didnt hurt”/ “they have insurance”
condemnation of condemners - “youre just as bad”/”youre only blaming me because…”

45
Q

Are subcultural theories deterministic?

A

Yes. Not all w/c people join a subculture, instead they may succeed in school and attend a high status job, thus proving that they have free will

46
Q

what crimes do subcultural theorists ignore?

A

white collar crime
corporate crime
green crime

47
Q

are official statistics on crime accurate?

A

No. Crime statistics are considered a social construct in which many crimes go unreported so crime statistics arent as valid as theyre have been more crimes than said.

48
Q

Gordon (Marxist)

A

Gordon believes that crime is found in every social class as a response to capitalism. the poor commit crime because they are being exploited by the capitalist society and cant achieve mainstream goals whereas the rich commit crime for more profit.

49
Q

Law creation

A

The law is created by capitalist society to work in their favour.

50
Q

William Chambliss (belief and example)

A

He believes that third world countries have more laws that protect the ruling class that are quite bizzare. e.g. trade unionsare more loosley implemented than laws that govern property ownership rights

51
Q

Laureen Snider

A

=She argues that the laws state that they are created in the interests of the working class however she believes it creates a smokescreen to hide the exploitation that they are actually victims of.

52
Q

selective law enforcement (give an example too)

A

Marxist argue that the law is selective depending on class. if corporate crime has been committed, then there is a rare chance that they will actually be prosecuted whereas if a financial crime has been committed by a poor person they will immediately be persecuted and punished.

An example of selective law enforcement woul be ‘partygate’ in which Boris Johnson had a party during covid and when it was revealed, law enforcement didnt bat an eye but when parties were had from people not from the ruling class, the law was strictly enforced in which they were fined 10k in which they couldnt afford.

53
Q

What are the three ways Gordon believes selective law enforcement benefits the capitalsit system?

A

punishing individuals and making them accountable for their actions, labelling them as ‘social failures’