Crime & Deviance Flashcards

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1
Q

Dark figure of crime

A

Crimes that are not recorded or reported

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2
Q

Functionalist theory of crime

A
  1. Structural - people are forced into crime by society
  2. Consensus - crime/deviance contribute to creating agreement in society
  3. Macro - crime/deviance as a whole
  4. Crime statistics are accurate and social facts
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3
Q

Why do Functionalists believe crime/deviance is a positive for society?

A
  1. The collective conscience is reinforced when someone is punished for their behaviour as it reminds us that it’s not acceptable
  2. Media reminds everyone not to break the boundaries of acceptable behaviour
  3. Law reflects society’s beliefs at the time
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4
Q

Criticism for why Functionalists believe crime/deviance is a positive for society?

A

Marxists believe the ruling class create the law
Feminists believe men create the law

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5
Q

How could the law change according to Functionalists?

A

if criminals perform a constant test of the boundaries or if the public express a dissatisfaction with a law then it will change e.g homosexuality

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6
Q

Criticism of Functionalists view of how laws don’t change

A

The public have expressed a dissatisfaction in USA with gun crime but guns are still legal to buy

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7
Q

How do certain crimes create social solidarity according to Functionalists?

A

Bind people together to share the same beliefs/values e.g 9/11, Manchester Bombing

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8
Q

Criticism of how certain crimes create social solidarity according to Functionalists?

A

Crimes don’t always bind people together e.g hate crimes, islamophobia Manchester Bombing

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9
Q

Durkheim’s reasoning why too much crime is harmful for society

A

When the law/rules of society are not in place it stops the collective conscience and creates anomie (normlessness) which is harmful for society e.g London riots

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10
Q

Merton’s Theory of Anomie (Strain Theory)

A

Anomie = strain between goals/means

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