Crime+deviance terms Flashcards
Anomie
lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group
Control theory
people refrain from deviant behavior becuase of factors that control their impulses to break social norms
Deterrence
Discouraging criminal acts by threatening punishment
Incarceration
protecting society from criminals by keeping them in prison
Recidivism
the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend
Rehabilitation
providing education and anger management courses to offenders so they no longer offend.
Retribution
punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act.
Lemert’s Primary deviance
refers to acts which have not been publicly labelled, and are thus of little consequence
Lemert’s Secondary deviance
when someone is labelled as deviant they internalise their label, then subsequently act deviant
Social sanctions
a social reaction of approval or disapproval in response to someone’s actions.
stigmatization
the action of regarding someone as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
strain theory
social structures within society may pressure citizens to commit crime.
Victim discounting
Process of reducing the seriousness of the crimes that injure people of lower status
White collar crime
Job related crimes committed by high status people
Functionalist Perspective of Crime
crime is a natural part of society, and strain theory plays a huge role.
Marxist Perspective of Crime
crime is the result of competition and social inequality, largely between the powerful, and those with less power or authority.
Interactionist Perspective of Crime
crime happens primarily through influence. Strong social bonds make people conform to social norms and refrain from deviant behavior.
Master Status
the individual’s deviant identity overrules all other identities.
Folk devils
portrayed as outsiders and deviant, who are blamed for crimes or other sorts of social problems
disintegrative shaming
Crime and the criminal are labelled as bad, and the offender is excluded from society
reintegrative shaming
Labels the act, not the actor e.g. ‘has done a big thing’ rather than ‘is a bad person’
Global risk consciousness
produces a new mentality of risk consciousness where risk is global rather than isolated.
Collective consiousness (functionalism)
beliefs and sentiments are universal to people within a society
criminogenic capitalism
the Capitalist system encourages criminal behaviour.
Positivist Victimology
examines a range of factors that lead to the person becoming a victim of crime
Critical victimology
focuses on structural factors that make individuals more likely to be a victim based upon their social position
SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION
a pre-emptive approach, focussed on reducing opportunities to commit crime, rather than improving society or institutions.
Green criminology
any action that harms the physical environment, and humans or non-human animals within it.
Anthropocentric
the idea that humans have the right to use the world’s resources and dominate nature.
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICING
Police should patrol the streets and take a ‘short, sharp, shock’ approach, carrying out and stopping suspicious characters.
Invisibility of corporate crime
media (limited coverage) politicians (ignore corporate crime) law enforcers (limited staff, resources and expertise) and Under-reported
utilitarian crime
crime that produces a financial reward (theft)
non utilitarian crime
crimes that do no produce financial rewards (vandalism, loitering and joyriding)
