crime + deviance Flashcards
Functionalists and crime
Crime is inevitable in society; poor socialisation + inequality means norms and values were not taught to everyone.
Could be a positive for society, allows for change and adaption.
Durkhiem = ‘Boundary maintenance’ is the concept that crime is functional in society when there is the right amount, teaches the rest of society not to go against norms and values, in turn strengthening boundaries and preventing further crime.
Merton ‘strain theory’
= Crime is caused by the failure to achieve the goals of the American dream through legitimate means.
- Conformism - accepting the goals and and legitimate means to achieve them.
- Innovation - subscribe to the goals of the American dream but use illegitimate means to achieve them.
- Ritualism - reject the goals but conform to the means.
- Retreatism - reject both the goals of the American dream and subscribe to illegitimate means.
- Rebellion - replace the goals and means with their own.
Cohen (Functionism + crime) status frustration theory
Status frustration theory - working class boys who schools fail turn to delinquency subcultures that go against middle class values.
Cloward and Ohlin (Functionism + crime) 3 subcultures
Develop Cohen’s status frustration theory by suggesting there are 3 types of subcultures:
Criminal subcultures provide ‘apprenticeships’ for utilitarian crime. They exist in areas with stable criminal cultures, with hierarchies of professional criminals (e.g. drug dealers).
Conflict subcultures exist in areas of high population turnover. There is social disorganisation and only loosely organised gangs (e.g. postcode/turf wars).
Retreatist subcultures are formed of people who fail in both legitimate AND illegitimate means and may turn to illegal drug use (e.g. ‘junkies’).
Interactionism theory in a nutshell
Interactionists focus on the ‘social construct’ of crime, this means an act only becomes deviant when labelled as such by society. However, not every deviant act is labelled and labelling theory is more harsh on certain groups.
Becker - A deviant = someone who has successfully been labelled and deviant behaviour is simply behaviour that people so label. Labelling is influenced based on gender, class and ethnicity.
Class, power + crime (Marxists)
Crime is inevitable in a capitalist society due to poverty, competition and greed. Although all classes commit crime, the working class are largely criminalised for their actions because the ruling class control the state and can make and enforce laws in their own interests.
WHITE COLLAR CRIME AND CORPORATE CRIME
Criminogenic capitalism - capitalism causes crime. Crime is the only way the working class can survive and get consumer goods. Alienation and lack of control may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.
Selective enforcement - all classes commit crime, powerless and ethnic minorities are criminalised unlike the powerfull which can make laws to avoid being held accountable.
Laws give capitalism a ‘caring face’ and create false consciousness among workers.
Neo-Marxism and crime
Taylor et al criticises Marxists, crime is a meaningful action and a conscious choice by the person. Criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism.
Taylor et al produced ‘social theory of deviance’ it takes into account the origins of the act, the act and societal reaction and then the effect of labelling.
White collar + Corporate crime
Crime is likely to be committed by high class people and is more likely to be treated as less of an offence.
Higher rate of street crimes being prosecuted that poor people commit compared to higher class crimes like tax evasion.
The media - give very limited coverage to corporate. Crimes are complex - law enforcers are often understaffed.
Explanations for corporate crime
Box argues that if a company cannot achieve its goal of maximising profit by legal means, it may employ illegal ones instead.
Realist approaches to crime (Right and left realism)
Right realism = Biological factors - some people are predisposed to crime due to personality traits and aggression, they are more likely to be a greater risk of offending + low intelligence.
Tackling crime - Zero tolerance policing.
Left realism = Relative deprivation leads to crime because people who are deprived may resent those who have more, resulting to crime to have the same level of materials.
Tackling crime - Tackling structural causes of crime.
Gender and crime (Female)
Stats = men commit more crime than women however sociologists disagree on reasons why. Some people would argue that female crime offending rates go unnoticed as women get ‘treated more easy’ compared to men. Steffensmeier would say that women are treated more leniently due to being mothers, are less dangerous etc.
However some would say that this may be due to the socialisation women go through, they don’t think they have the same opportunities to commit crime. Women are socialised into more nurturing roles, these feminine values may mean that women may be more hesitant to commit crimes than men due to maybe harming others.
Why men commit more crime than women
that masculinity is an accomplishment that men constantly work at constructing and presenting to others. Crime might be a way to show their masculinity. Males are socialised into being tough, aggressive and risk takers.
80% of those convicted of serious crimes are men. By the age of 40, 9% of women have criminal records to the 32% of men who do.
Ethnicity and crime
Black Caribbean people (statistically do worse in education) and might not get high paying joes, going to illegal means of employment.
Family - lone parent family in the black community leads to low socialisation, therefore children are not taught the correct norms and could turn to crime.
Media - reinforce the stereotype that black people are more criminal.
Media and crime
People may imitate what they see in the media.
Desensitisation - Repeated viewing of violence.
Overrepresentation of sexual and violent crime
Fictional representation of crime - Fictional representations of crime follow the ‘law of opposites’, meaning they are opposite to official statistics:-
Property crime is underrepresented, while violence, sex and drug crimes are over-represented.
Globalisation
Has allowed crime to flourish, trafficking, drugs etc
Castells = trafficking of arms, women, children, body parts, cultural artefacts, nuclear materials and endangered species
Smuggling illegal immigrants
