Crime & Devience Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the functionalist perspective of crime?

A

That crime is inevitable in society, poor socialization and inequality result in the absence of norms and values being taught.
Crime is also positive as it allows boundary maintenance, and allows a scope for adaptation and change.

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2
Q

What is boundary Maintinance ?

A

When crime produces a reaction from society causing all its members to reinforce their commitment to the correct norms and values

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3
Q

What does Durkheim argue about crime?

A

Crime is inevitable - Poor socialization results in not everyone being taught the same norms and values.

Crime is positive - Boundary maintenance helps keep crime to the right amount

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4
Q

What is Durkheims ‘Society of Saints’ ?

A

A ‘society of saints’ populated by perfect individuals. In that society there would be no murder or robbery but still deviance. The general standards of behaviour would be so high that the slightest slip would be regarded as seriouse

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5
Q

What does Davis Argue?

A

Supporting Durkheim that crime can be positive. Prostitution is functional for society as it allows men to display their sexual frustration

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6
Q

What does Hirschi Argue?

A

humans are naturally weak-willed & through a process of socialization acquire social bonds that deter them from engaging in criminal activities

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7
Q

What are Hirschis 4 socialisation bonds?

A

Attachment - we care about other people’s opinions and wishes

Commitment - Personal investment within our lives, the person with less to lose commits more crime

Belief - a persons beliefs, attitudes and values, if positive crime will not be committed

Involvment - a person who is extremely busy with a wide range of activities may be too preoccupied to engage in deviancy

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8
Q

What does Merton Argue?

A

Capitalist societies suffer from Anomie between legit goals and achieving them. He also claimed that this strain was a product of an unequal social class structure

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9
Q

What is Mertons Strain theory?

A

that crime is caused by the failure to achieve the goals of the American dream through legitimate means. there are five different responses:

Conformism - Accepting thr goals and legitimate means to achieve them

Innovation - subscribe to the goals but use illegitimate means to achieve them

Ritualism - Rejects goals but conform to the means

Retreatism - Rejects both the goals of the American dream and subscribe to illegitimate means

Rebellion - Replace the goals and means with their own

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10
Q

What does Cohen Argue?

A

Status frustration theory which focuses on working class boys in schools who fail to succeed in middle class environments and in turn form delinquent subcultures that go against middle class values. Subsequently, working-class boys try to succeed within the subcultures by trying to rise in the hierarchy, which they have more chance of succeeding in

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11
Q

What does Cloward and Ohlin argue?

A

Critisises Cohens status frustration theory by suggesting there are 3 tyoes of subculture:

Criminal subcultures - Providing apprenticeships for utilitarian crime, exisiting in areas with stable criminal cultures

Conflict Subcultures - In areas of high population, social disorganization and loosely organised gangs

Retreatist subcultures - formed of people who fail in both legitimate and illegitimate means and may turn to illegal drug use.

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12
Q

What does Walter Miller argue?

A

Rejects cohen, Cloward And Ohlins views on the structural origins of crime. criticizes the idea that subcultures emerge as a reaction to anomie. lower-class youths never accept mainstream norms and has an alternative cultural view of crime.

Lower class youths are socialized into a set of lower class values. These values include toughness, smartness excitement and fatalism

Some lower class youths over conform to lower class values due to a concern to gain status within their peer group resulting in crime

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13
Q

What does Becker Argue?

A

social groups create deviance by creating rules and applying them to particular people whom they label as “outsiders”

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14
Q

What does Piliavin and Briar argue?

A

That police decisions to arrest were based on stereotypical ideas about manner, dress, gender, class, ethnicity, place and time

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15
Q

What does Cicourel Argue?

A

that police use stereotypes of the typical delinquent.

Working-class and ethnic minority groups are more likey to be arrested

Middle Class Juveniles are less likely to fit the stereotyping therefore less likely to be charged

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16
Q

What does Matza Argue?

A

Everyone has Subteranian values and has the potential to act deviant

17
Q

What are the critisisms of Durkheim?

A

It is not clear what the right amount of crime is

The very idea that crime can be beneficial is questionable

The functionalist approach always assumes if something exists it needs to serve a purpose

the approach doesn’t explain why people commit crime

18
Q

What are the critisisms of Merton

A

Not all crime is for economic gain and Merton’s framework cannot explain this.

19
Q

What does Althusser Argue?

A

That the law is an ideological state apparatus, it functions in the interests of the capitalist class to maintain class inequality

20
Q

What do Marxists Argue on the functionalist view of crime?

A

That the appearance of consensus is an illusion, its conceals the reality of one class imposing on thew rest of socierty

21
Q

What do interactionalists Argue on functionalists?

A

That their approach ignores processes of negotiation that take place in the creation of crime

22
Q

What does Taylor Argue?

A

Merton Fails to identify wider power in society

23
Q

What does Taylor Et Al Argue?

A

That Mertons Theory cannot account for politically motivated crime

24
Q

What does Reiner Argue?

A

That Mertons Theory can be adapted to suit other motivation behind crime

25
Q

What does Savelsburg Argue?

A

Mertons theory can support the reasons for increases in crime within post communist countries which experience anomie with the introduction of capitalism