Crime + Deviance Flashcards
kewyword
crime
- The breaking of the written laws e.g.murder
keyword
deviance
- breaking the social norms and values e.g. teenage pregnancy
formal social control
- is based on written rules and laws.
- it is usually associated with the ways in which the state requires and control peoples actions and behaviour
- e.g. police
Informal social control
- Is based on unwritten rules and processes such as the approval of other people.
- it is enforced via social pressure.
- This may be through family, freinds religion etc
functionalist theorist of crime
- durkeim
- merton
- cohen
- cloward
Durkhiem
He argues that crime is healthy for societies, too much crime leads anomie
he identifies 4 functions to crime
- reaffririmg boundaries
- social cohesion
- safety vale
- changing values
- Durkheim has helped us understand how anomie occurs. He discusses the dangers of weakening the collective conscience
4 functions
reaffirming boundaries
public shaming is a way of showing society what will happen if laws are broken, therefore reminding poeple that they must be law abiding
e.g. shamima begum = left the UK at 15 to join ISIS, resulting in her never being able to join the UK
suggests that we must conform to the socially approve ways of society so that we dont get sanctioned
Changing values
- Every so often when people are taken to court, important questions are raised about the justice system reflecting the changes in time, values and ideas.
E.G. Aluwahila, was charged with murder and imprisoned for life on the ground of ‘provocation’ (After she set her husband on fire after suffering abuse and brutality for 10 years). But government replace this law with a new defence of ‘killing in response to a fear of serious violence’
Social cohesion
- crime also strengthens social cohesion, while office crimes are committed, the community comes together
- George Floyd = made an impact around the world of the deep systemic realities underlying black life. It brought a call for actions, bringing communities of all races. - hoping to stop police brutaility
Evaluation of Durkheim: weakness
- Lea and Young- Durkheim looks at how crime is useful for society but does not look at the harm is causes the victim. e.g. George Floyd
- Durkheim does not specify how much crime is functional. Negative backlash of BLM = Resulted in ALM
- Ignores the inequality between powerful groups. Marxist and Feminist analysis of crime demonstrates that not all criminal are punished equally and this crime and punishment benefit the powerful rather than the powerless
Merton’s Strain Theory
- strain (associated with struggle and or the inability to retain something)
- Individuals turn to criminal/deviant acts as a means of achieving goals (anomie)
Meetings 5 responses to strain:
- Rebellion
- Conformity
- Innovation
- Ritualism
- Retreatism
Rebellion
- Individuals creates new methods of achieving the same goals in society = doesn’t always have to be criminal e.g. business ventures
- E.g. London Riots = they were denied to opportunities to apply for jobs and rejected the societal norms. Made it difficult to live in conformity (material deprived). So they resulted in stealing to help their situations
- This could be due to institutional racism within school/labelling within school.
Conformity
Individuals conforms to the norms and values and continues with the same goals
Ritualism
Indivisible gives up on goals and norms and values of society e.g. homeless
Retreatism
Individuals abandon the goals but still conforms to societies norms and values
Evaluation of mertons strain theory weakness
1) Merton assumes that there is a value consensus and that people only deviate because of structural strain but in reality, people have different values. ⬇️
- For example, Westernised countries hold the point of view of material wealth being important (ethnocentric) but what about other party’s if the world
2) Mertons theory only accounts for utilitarian crime. What about crimes such as vandalism and violence
3) ignores the reason why people cannot gain material wealth e.g. alleviate opportunists and subcultures e.g drug dealing theft
Utilitarian crimes
Crimes committed for the acquisition of material reward e.g. theft
Non- Utilitarian crime
Crime that does not have a financial/ material reward (Murder, rape)
Status Frustration: Cohen
- describe how working-class men feel frustrated by the inability to achieve the same status as members of the m/c.
- Cohen argued that working-class boys often failed at school resulting in a low status.
- Therefore denied the opportunities/access for a job
- A response to this was the formation of subcultures or gangs where status is gained by breaking mainstream values = they express their resentment illegitmately e.g. stealing to attain the things like m/c ppl have
- developed a self-fulfilling prophecy = resulting of element of alienation = feel inferior
- links to Lacey’s study of polarisation and differentiation l.
- when teachers treat pupils differently & polarised them into different categories students act upon it.
- Students level of status will be threatened and they won’t be seen as worthy so they push alternative ways to gain status and perform non-utilitarian.
Evaluation: Cohen theory
- Middle class have abscribed status (given to them). Cohens theory is flawed because it only discuss about blue collar crime (performed by w/c delinquency) disregards white collar crimes such as corporate crime, (typically performed by the middle class)
- He assumes that all working class boys have the same aspirations as middle class boys. They have been raised with different values.
- Dahl found that working class boys generally just want a job where they can support their family , and aspirations of status are less of a focus
Functionalism: Cloward & Ohlin
(Used to support a paragraphs of cohen + Merton)
- They take Mertons ideas but say that not everyone turns to ‘money success’ as not all individuals have equal access to the illegitimate opportunity structure.
- they have 3 structures
Clowards & ohlin 3 structures (subcultures)
CRIMINAL SUBCULTURES
- creates a career in utilitarian crime. (deviant career) = this links to Mertons responses to strain more specifically rebellion = creates new goals
CONFLICT SUBCULTURES:
- Gangs organised by young people themselves, often based on claiming territory from other gangs in so called “turf-wars”
- Prevents a stable professional criminal organisation to emerge and instead forms a gang for releasing young men’s frustration. = aligns with cohens status frustration
RETREATIST SUBCULTURES
- Double failures that fail in legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structure. Usually turn to drug
Evaluation of Cloward & Ohlin
- As with other functionalist subcultural theories, Cloward and Ohlin write about working-class crime and predominantly about males, yet do not tackle broader issues relating to social class or gender. = They do not question why, in the meritocratic society (described by most functionalists), working-class youths are generally denied access to legitimate opportunity structures.
- they are more than 3 types of subcultures that w/c people can conform to.
Marxism & crime
- Marxism is a structural theory so it will always see the structures of society as an exploration for behaviour
- The economic base determines the superstructure (crime) and the superstructure maintains & legitimates the base.
Three elements in which it does this:
1. Criminogenic capitalism
2. The state & law making
3. Ideological functions of crime & law
Keyword:
White collar crime
Refers to the finically motivated nonviolent crime coming by business and government professionals
Keyword: state crime (Bourgeriose crime)
Comes committed by the government e.g. terrorism, torture, genocide etc
Gordon
Capitalism is Crimogenic
capitalism causes crime
- This means that the Capitalist system encourages criminal behaviour. Due to the emphais on the value of commodity fetishism (romanticisng products) where utilitiarian crime are the only way in which w/c ppl can obtain what the media advertises making them aspire to an unrealistic/unattainable lifestyle.
- alienation leads to frustraion/aggression. = which creates an immense competitive pressure to make more money, to be more successful
- Gordon says that Capitalist societies are ‘dog eat dog societies’ in which individuals are encouraged to look out for their own interests before the interests of others.
three elements of crime
- the state and law making
- Marxits see law making reflecting the intrests of the capitalist class: not the value consensus of societys
- The bourgioises have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten thems. = keeps the state of false consciousness
- THALIDOMIDE SCANDAL: were drugs taken by mothers for morning sickness - had extreme side effects and serve birth defects on babies. They used their economic and social capital escape criminalisation as the police and courts tend to ignore crimes committed by the m/c such as fraud.
Three elements of crime
- ideological functions of crime and law
ask denise what example can this be
- laws that are passed down act as a form of ideology as they appear to be for the benefit of the working classes rather than capitalism e.g. health and safety
- PEARCE: Argues that laws benefit the ruling class by giving capitalism a ‘caring face’ such laws create false class consciousness across workers they believed that they are being looked after by such laws, but marxsists argues it is a way of keeping them ‘fit for work’
Evaluation of traditional marxists
STRENGTHS;
- offers a useful explanation of the relationship between crime and capitalism
WEAKNESS:
- ignores crime and non-class inequalities i.e. gender, ethnicty
- Too determinitic and over predicts amounts of working class crime..
- Not all capitalistists societies have high crime e,g, Japan have a less murder rate than USA.
NEO-MARXISTS THEORY OF CRIME
CRITICAL CRIMINOLOGY
- mixed bewteen traditional marxists and other perspective like the labelling theory.
- Neo-marxists take a more voluntaristic view that people choose to commit crime to express their frustration
neo marxists
Taylor et al
fully social theory of deviance
- Aim to create ‘fully social theory of deviance’
There is 6 aspects to be considered one of them is:
1. The wider origins of the deviant act = refers to the power structures in society and social inequallity. - motivation for deviant behaviour e.g. the underclass has no power or status so they deviate
2. immediate origins of the deviant act - particular circumstances that have caused person to commit crime - e.g. the loss of a job, or being excluded from having a lower status. This will be an individuals motivation to deviate.
Critism of Taylor et al
- idealisitc - it suggest that crime is motivated by a desire to get revenge againts inequalities on society - romantices
- feminist would also argue that it is ‘gender blind’ focusing excessively in male crimination and at the expense of female criminality.
application to Taylor et al
Staurt Hall - Policing the crisis
- He used this to explain moral panic over the muggins in the 1970’s
- During the 70’s there was a pericieved rapid increase in the amount of muggins committed by black Afro-caribbean men
- moral panic developed because capitalism was in crisis
- As a result of capitalism was under threat the ruling class used black muggers as a scapegoat to distract the public from the real problems happening at the time.
- Afro-carribbean turned to crime because of unemployment/out of frustration with doing ‘white mans shit work’
keyword = staurt hall
Moral panic
Public anxiety around a particular issue that has been spread over the media
labelling theory
Interactionist and crime
- interactionists are intresetd in how and why certain acts come to be labelled as criminal
- An act only becomes deviant when a person labels it as such
- therefore deviance is socially constructed. (dependent on the time, place etc)
- This is why there are variations accross different cultures and different parts of the world = cross cultural evidence
labelling and crime
Becker
- A deviant is someone who the label has been succesfully applied to
He identified these stages;
1. Negative label: moral entrepenuer (the media, police CJS) has the power to label someone based on appearence
2. Self concept; self-fufilling prophecy
3. Label reinforcement
4. master status: the criminal is identified
5. devaint career: its a life choice
Becker Evaluation
- Becker assumes that devaince starts with labelling: He fails to investigate the reasons why the indiviual committed the act in the first place. Why did Wanye Cousin (police) rape sarah everad
- Akers stated that his theory is deterministic:we have the choice to fufil or deny the label (self-denying)
can apply him alot
Lermert
- He identifies two different types of deviance:
1. PRIMARY DEVIANCE: is when an act is not publicly labelled e.g. child porno = done at home (privately)
-
SECONDARY DEVIANCE: when an act is exposed, leads to hostile reaction and discrimantion. = result of societal reaction
- individuals then iternalies the label, leading to aself-fufilling prophecy. Lermert argues this the creates a master status.
analysis of Lemert
Jack Young
Marijuana Users Notting Hill
- Jock’s study found that in the initially, drugs were not a main part of their lifestyle (primary deviance).
- a false label reality
- However, labelling by the police led the hippies to increasingly see themeselves as outsider
- this led to group forming a deviant subculture where drug taking became central activity
- The work of both lermert and Young illustraes that the idea that it is not the act an individual commits but rather the hostile societal reaction.
Cooley ‘the looking glass self’
- Cooley said that we shape ourselves in the way others percieve us
- This in turn reinforces and confirms other people opinion of us
Effects of labelling:
- A single act can result in being labelled. This can have negative consequences for the person being labelled
- when an indivual is labelled, others may only see that label. This label becomes the person’s master status overriding all identities e.g. a man who steals a car is no lonegr a dad/neighbour but a theif
Braithwaite
Identifies a positive role for the labelling process
He distinguishes between two types of shaming:
1.Disintegrative shaming: the crime and criminal behaiour is labelled as bad and offender is excluded from society. Common in westernised societies
2. Reintegrative shaming: labels the act but not the actor. Reintegrative shamingavoids stigmatinsing the offender as evil, while att the same time making them aware of the negative impact of their actions upon others
Evaluation Braithwaite
- Fails to explain why people commit crime before they before are negatively labelled.
- Marxisit - focus too much on w/c crime, white about white collar crime
Counter-evaluation of Brainwraite
- Lermert says crime and deviance is so common it doesnt need explaining
Why a person is arrested and charged depends on certain factors:
- Their interactions with agencies of social control such as the police and courts
- Their appearence background and personal biography
The Dark Figure of Crime
- Characteristics of all the crime that is not reported/recorded
- interactionists believe official statistic are socially constructed
- this is because agents of social control, such as the police, make decisions about whether or not to proceed with a charge.
- O.S. are just figures which tell us about the activities of police and prosecutors rather the actual rate of crime
Cirocurel
- Found that officer’s descion to attrest are influence by their stereotypes about ofendeers
- This led them to concentrate on certain ‘types’ led to law enforcement showing a class bias in the w/c people fitted the police stereotype must closely
cohen
Moral Panic
- is an exaggerated media reaction to behaviour that deviates from social concerns, caused by moral entrepreneurs, - questions whether society is falling apart
- involves the creation of a folk devil
- cohen believes that the media created this because values were changing, and wanted to reassert boundaries.
- functionalists believe this reduces anomie to raise the collective consciousness (boundary crisis/maintence)
- neo-marxists believes that this serves as a distraction to avoid any rising of a revolution
keyword
Moral Entrepenuers
This is a perosn, group or organisation with the power to create or enforce rules & impose their morals, views and attitudes on the others e.g:
- Religious leaders
- teachers
- parents
keyword
Folk Devil
- Those that commit the act that cause the moral panic who Moral Entrepeneurs wish to demonstrate e.g:
- Mods and Rockers
- Muslims
- Lone parents
Stan Cohen - Folk Devil and Moral Panic
- cohen used the term folk devil to refer to groups of poeple who are deviant and outsiders in society.
- looked at how media portrayed clashes between the two groups; The mods and rockers
- found that minor clashes and disturbances were exaggerated and made to seem as violent
- as a result. police targeted anyone who looks like a mod or a rocker
- the media also made predictions of future clashes and almost advertised events for teengager
Mental Health
- Interactionists reject official stats. on mental illness as they claim they are merely reflection of the activities of those such as psychiatrists who hold the power to attach labels such as ‘schizophrenic’
- stats are socially constructed e.g. stigma attached to mental illness and symptons of mental illness are often seen as deviant.
Lemert and the self- fulfilling Prophecy
- Lemert believes that when an individual is labelled as ‘mentally ill’, a self fufilling prophecy takes place.
- SCENARIO: if a person is labelled as mentally ill, that label will impact on how that peson behaves
- According to him, some individuals do not fit into social groups (w/c, females, black etc) This is an example of primary deviance
- Thus, labelled by others and are excluded (when a person cannot conform to societal normas and values)
- This sparks paranoia and thus sparks the beginning of secondary devaince.
Analysis/support of Lemert A03
ROSENHAN
Analysis of secondary deviance
- He told 9 (fake) puedo-patients tht they were schizophrenic and they should not clean themselves
- All patients acted noramlly and told doctors that they could not hear any voices = but labelled was still attached as ‘not healthy’
- this becomes their master status
LEFT REALISM
- Lea and Young
- Causes crime
1. Relative deprivation
2. Subculture
3. Marginalisation
RIGHT REALISM
- Murray, Wilson and Kelling
- causes of crime:
1. Biological differences
2. socialisation of the underclass
3. rational choice theory
