Crime - Interactionists Flashcards
1
Q
What themes can be seen in interactionism?
A
Becker & Cicourel:
- The law is a social construct
- Crime statistics are a social construct
Wilkins & Jock young:
- The impact of being labelled
Stan cohen:
- Media impacts criminality
2
Q
What sociologists are interactionists?
A
Stan Cohen, Fawbert, Wilkins & Jock Young, Becker, Ciciourel
3
Q
Social construction theory, Becker
A
Moral Entrepreneurs
- Crime and deviance are a social construct, what we see as criminal varies between time, place and situation
- Those with power influence what others see as deviant and criminal. A media campaign or a teacher may affect what people see as deviant.
- Federal Bureau of Narcotics outlawed cannabis in 1937
4
Q
Evaluations of Becker
A
- It doesn’t help in any way
- Casting crime off as a social construct disregards the victims.
5
Q
Social Construction theory, Cicourel
A
Crime statistics as a social construct
- Police officers use their discretion and often follow stereotypes from the media when looking for crime.
- They stop and search poorer and BME groups disproportionately and then crime stats confirm the idea that these groups are criminal.
6
Q
Evaluations of Cicourel
A
- Gives a victim status to working class offenders.
7
Q
The impact of being labelled, Wilkins & Jock young
A
- The way we see ourselves is influenced by how others perceive us. If enough people label you as a criminal then this can become a master status (label that overrides all other aspects of your identity). This can lead to self fulfilling prophecy.
- Hippies labelled as drug users by police and media and this became the central part of their identity
8
Q
Evaluations of Lemert & Jock Young
A
- Could explain high reoffending rates
- Concept of secondary deviance fails to explain the initial deviant act, casting it off as not important.
- Deterministic. We can reject labels. Neglects our free will
9
Q
Impacts of the media, Stan Cohen
A
Moral Panics.
- He observed a conflict between young mods and rockers during the 1970s. He argued the reality of the event and the way media portrayed it were two different worlds.
- He also noted that the more media talked about deviance, the more deviance was amplified.
- It essentially signposted future conflicts which then drew young people in.
10
Q
Evaluations of Stan Cohen
A
- Cannot explain initial deviant act.
- Still relevant today, moral panics continued.
11
Q
The impact of media of criminality, Fawbert
A
Hoodies.
- Bluewater shopping centre banned hoodies being worn, and the media latched onto the idea that hooded youths were deviant
- This led to an increase in fear of hooded youths. And the sales of hoodies actually increased.
12
Q
Evaluations of Fawbert
A
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