Crime And Deviance- Topic 1 (Paper3) Flashcards
Denfine value consensus.
Sharing a common culture.
What are the 2 key mechanisms that society uses to achieve solidarity?
-Socialisation.
-Social control.
What is socialisation?
Internalise norms and values.
What is social control?
Rewards for conformity, punishments for deviance
Explain 2 reasons why crime is found in all societies.
Not everyone is effectively socialised.
Cultural diversity leads to anoimie- a weakening or loss of norms.
According to Durkheim, why are modern societies likely to experience crime?
Rules in modern society are weaker and less-clear cute-due to complex division labour- not just workers and owners.
What are the two important positive functions of crime according to Durkheim?
Boundary maintenance.
Adaptation and change.
Explain what is menat by boundary maintenance.
Reaction from society.
Function of punishment:
-Reinforce solidarity.
-Publically stigmatise.
-Reaffirm law.
What is menat by adaption and change according to Durkheim?
They can challenge norms and values, new values may lead to changes, too much crime- can tear society apart and too little- can lead to too much control.
Briefly outline the function of crime according to the following sociologists. Davis, Polsky, A.K. Cohen and Erikson.
Davis- The functions of prostitution.
Polsky- The functions of ponography.
A.K. Cohen- The function of ‘warning’.
Erikson- ‘Does society promote deviance?’
Outline 3 criticisms of functionalist theory of crime and deviance.
-He cannot explain why some people are more deviant than others.
- Crime may be functional for some by reinforcing norms, but not functional for the victim. For example, murder.
-Crime doesn’t always promote solidarity, it may lead to isolation. For example, through fear of crime.
According to strain theories, why do people engage in deviant behaviour?
They do this when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.
What are the two elements that Morton’s explaination combines?
Structural Factors.
Cultural Factors.
Briefly outline the two elements that Merton’s explanation combines:
-Structural factors
-Cultural factors
Structural factors- Society’s unequal opportunity structure.
Cultural factors- The strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them.
According to Merton, what two factors cause strain for individuals?
-The goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve.
-What the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately.
How are Americans menat to pursue their goals?
Goals should be pursed by: self discipline, study, educational qualifications and hard work in a career.
What might prevent some groups from achieving their goals l?
Disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities: poverty, inadequate schools and discrimination.
Explain the strain to anomie.
Being blocked from success leads to deviance as innovates they adopt illegitimate means to achieve the goals they cannot achieve legitimately- the strain to anomie.
Why is there pressure to deviate in American culture?
American culture focuses on achieving success- this puts greater strain to achieve at any cost.
What are Merton’s five adaptations to strain?
Conformity.
Innovation.
Ritualism.
Retreatism.
Rebellion.
Briefly outline Merton’s five adaptations to strain.
Conformity- Accept socially approved goals and strive to achieve using legitimate means.
Innovation- Achoet socially approved goals and use crime to achieve them.
Ritualism- Give up on achieving the goals but continue to follow the legitimate rules.
Retreatism- Give up on achieving the goals and drop out of society.
Rebellion- Reject society’d goals and replace them with ‘new’ goals which defy the status quo.
Briefly outline two patterns of crime that Merton explains.
-Most crime is property crime, because American society values material wealth so highly.
-Lower-class crime rates are higher, because they have least opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately.
Briefly outline give criticisms of Merton’s theory.
-Merton assumes crime statistics are accurate, ignoring the possible dark figure of crime.
-He fails to explain why most poor people don’t deviate, or why people choose different responses to strain.
-He fails to acknowledge that law enforcement tends to criminalise working class people more often.
-He ignores that not everyone is motivated by materialism.
-He fails to explain non-utilifarian crime.
Define subculture.
Assumes that those who deviate hold different values to mainstream society.
What do subcultures offer their members?
They offer an alternative opportunity structure.
In what sense are subcultures functional for their members?
It’s central around the idea of crime and deviance is a reaction by a group who reject the majority view and/or feel excluded. It offers opportunities denied by legitimate structures.
According to Cohen, why is crime a lower-class phenomenon?
As those from deprived background are denied access to society’s goals.
What two criticisms does Cohen make of Merton?
-Merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain, ignoring the fact that much deviance is committed in or by groups, especially among the young.
-Merton focuses on utilitarian crime committed for material gain, such as theft or fraud. He largely ignores crime such as assault and vandalism, which may have no economic motive.
According to Cohen, why do working class boys face anomie?
They’re not valued by the middle class education system. They suffer cultural deprivation due to inadequate socialisation at home.
What are the values of the subcultures that Cohen describes and how do they compare with society’s values?
Spite, hostillity, mallis and consents.
How does the subculture offer an alternative status hierarchy?
Anger the mainstream society has pushed them to the bottom of the social hierarchy so they create their own status within a deviant subculture.
Give one criticism of Cohen’s view.
He assumes that working class boys share middles class values and only reject them when they fail.
What do Cloward and Ohlin attempt to explain?
Different types of subcultures.
According to Cloward and Ohlin, What are 3 types of deviant subculture?
Criminal subcultures- provides the opportunity for a career in crime.
Conflict subcultures- Exists if the criminal subculture is absent.
Retreatist subcultures- Is the one that takes the double failures, those who don’t make it in crime or violence.
Briefly outline the work of the Chicago School.
Cultural transmission theory- Passing on criminal traditions through generations.
Differential association theory- Learning criminal skills from peers.
Social disorganisation theory- High population turnover reduces social control in area.
What types of crime are not covered by Cloward and Ohlin”a theory?
They over-focus on working class crime and ignore crimes of wealthy.
Along with Merton and Cohen, What do Cloward and Ohlin fail to consider?
They ignore that the law tends to criminalise working class people more often, which could mean that crimes are under-reported.
What problem does South identity with Cloward and Ohlin’s types of subculture?
Some criminal groups contain characteristics of more than one of Cloward and Ohlin’s categories.
Why are strain theories criticised for being reactive?
They assume crime is a reaction to failure to achieve society’s goals; not everyone is motivated by these goals in the first place.
Briefly outline what Miller means by independent subcultures.
Miller argues that the working class in itself is a subculture which holds deviant values that makes them prone to crime.
According to Matza, how do members get f subcultures behave?
Matza argues that membership to deviant subcultures is less well organised than Cloward and Ohlin make it out to be.
What other goals might young people pursue?
-Popularity
-Autonomy
-‘Real men’
Why might middle-class youths be delinquent?
They may have trouble achieving goals.
Briefly explain Messner and Rosenfeld’s institutional anomie. In what way is it similar to Merton’s theory?
Messner and Rosefeld (2001) like Merton- American dream. Anything goes in pursuit of wealth. Economic goals most important. School prepares for work. Inadequate welfare- high crime
What evidence do Downes and Hansen offer in supporting of Messner and Rosefeld?
Greater welfare spending- lower imprisonment.
According to Savelsberg, why was there a rise in crime in post-communist societies in Eastern Europe?
Increased crime from loss of communism’s collective.
