Crime Sociologists Flashcards

Question

Franko Aas

Answer 1

Global Crime: Cross-border activities of organised crime groups are arguably exploiting the advantage of global interconnectedness Green Crime: Green crime demonstrates the intersection of the local and global Local environmental harm is often the product of a chain of geographically dispersed events/activities

Answer 2

Green Crime: Two views of green crime Eco-centric: damage to environment is damage to other species including human race Anthropocentric: humans have the right to exploit environment/other species for benefit

Answer 3

Green Crime: Primary green crimes are acts that destroy the environment Secondary green crimes have no direct harm but ignore government regulations aimed at prevention

Answer 4

Green Crime: Food riots around the world as agricultural production has been given over to producing biofuels Demonstrate how competition for scarce resources lead to public unrest Nearly always poorest people who suffer from green crimes

Answer 5

Green Crime: Those in the developing world are most likely to face effects of green crime due to inability to move away from where these crimes take place

Answer 6

Crime and Ethnicity: CPS is more likely to drop cases put forward by police involving a black suspect as cases lack evidence Some police in London used stereotype ‘driving while black’ to stop young, black men driving nice cars

Answer 7

Crime and Ethnicity: Older and more experienced officers use racist language as a matter of course in the presence of young officers

Answer 8

Global Crime: International Peace Institute in New York Popular perceptions of organised crime - Mafia - outdated Key problem is that borders are irrelevant to organisations which makes them difficult to track Increasing wealth gap in global economy will contribute to growing demand for cheap illegal, imported goods

Answer 9

Global Crime: Organised crime groups resemble business networks which take opportunity afforded by globalisation to link with other criminal groups May base management/production in low-risk areas with a lack of regulation

Answer 10

Global Crime: Globalisation creates new insecurities and produces risk consciousness where risk is global Media creates moral panics which leads to hate crimes (immigrants) This leads to intensification of social control as immigrants become ‘folk devil’ and police become more aware (and find more crime) related to them Also leads to increased international cooperation in various wars on drugs and terrorism

Answer 11

Global Crime: Globalisation has led to changes in pattern of crime By giving free rein to market forces, globalisation has created inequality and increasing crime by allowing TNCs to exploit low wage countries and produce job insecurity Deregulation means governments have limited control over economies and marketisation encourages people to see themselves as individual consumers which undermines social cohesion This creates crime as financial insecurity which will result in creation of wealth through lucrative drug trade

Answer 12

Subcultural Crime: Deviance is a reaction to problems in achieving values of mainstream society (blocked opportunities) This creates criminal, conflict and retreatist subcultures

Answer 13

Subcultural Crime: Working class boys want to achieve success valued by mainstream culture Education failure and dead end jobs prevent this and creates status frustration They then turn to the norms and values of delinquent subculture

Answer 14

Subcultural Crime: Crime results from different norms and values of WC boys These values mean members of these cultures have a number of ‘focal concerns’ E.g. toughness, smartness, excitement

Answer 15

Functionalist Crime: If value consensus doesn’t occur, society will be in a state of anomie Small sprinkle of crime strengthens bonds and reaffirms values (social cohesion)

Answer 16

Functionalist Crime: Members of communities will participate in confrontations with deviant people (public degradation ceremonies) Boundaries of society are always shifting and changes may occur which can be demonstrated through relaxation of public relations This helps society progress by showing a new value consensus emerging

Answer 17

Functionalist Crime: Use of prostitutes can act as a ‘safety valve’ for men to release sexual tension and frustrations without threatening marriage This maintains the nuclear family More beneficial to maintain nuclear family in society than to stamp out prostitution

Answer 18

Functionalist Crime: Individuals experience a strain between goals/values of society and what they are able to achieve This results in deviant responses Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, Rebellion

Answer 19

Cultural Criminology: Postmodern society, a ‘carnival’ is a constant need and people live for the next opportunity to transgress Those in power tolerate ‘carnival’ as a safety valve but try to control transgressive behaviour as its a threat to social order One motivation to commit crime is the ‘revolt against the mundane’ and ‘risk’ of deviant activity makes it appealing Those in power continually try to criminalise expressions of resistance or make activities mainstream

Answer 20

Cultural Criminology: Crime is an expression of identity (‘being a badass’) A physical fight is nothing more than an expression of toughness and crime therefore has ‘selfish motivations’

Answer 21

Cultural Criminology: Explored risk-taking behaviour and uses concept of ‘edgework’ in which youth explore edges along cultural boundaries by pushing them Edgework can lead to intense emotions like fear and excitement and they must master these to cope in society

Answer 22

Cultural Criminology: Working class deviance is about transgression, rebellion, risk-taking and anger Idea of ‘anomie’ describes contradiction of feelings in society Deviance is both an expression of exclusion and desire for inclusion

Answer 23

Cultural Criminology: ‘Gangs make local attachment glorious’ Transforms continuation of childhood friendships into something to be proud of

Answer 24

Interactionist Crime: Labelling relates to power We all label but some have the power to make it stick Leads to a self fulfilling prophecy as people internalise label and change behaviour to live up to it

Answer 25

Interactionist Crime: Primary and secondary deviance Secondary: repetitive and highly visible which will affect individual’s self concept (if there’s a severe societal reaction) It’s unlikely to occur after public labelling of just one act but is a process: 1) Primary deviance 2) Social penalties and rejections 3) Further deviance 4) Formal action taken 5) Strengthening of deviant conduct as reaction to penalties 6) Ultimate acceptance of deviant status

Answer 26

Interactionist Crime: Subterranean values and techniques of neutralisation and drift Youth will drift in and out of deviance Youth feel moral obligation to obey the law but many also feel pressure to pursue ‘subterranean values’ which challenge morally acceptable values When a youth commits a deviant act, they will use ‘techniques of neutralisation’ which justify the act and prevent deviant identity from forming 5 techniques of neutralisation: Denial of responsibility Denial of injury Denial of victim Condemnation of condemners Appeal to higher loyalties

Answer 27

Interactionist Crime: Social construction of deviance Looked at young people who faced problem of anomie and evolved into a Bohemian subculture This subculture has existed since ancient times and it’s unique with few sanctions, no taboos and open values Powerful groups see them as a threat to interests and action is taken through media and CJS Societal reaction created new problems for group and deviancy increased

Answer 28

Interactionist Crime: The process of dealing with potential deviant involves three stages: Police search an individual based on interpretations of behaviour as suspicious Police arrest the individual Probation officer has a picture of a typical delinquent and assesses suspect based on that Justice can be ‘negotiated’ based on class as if the individual is ‘apologetic’ or has an ‘apologetic’ family they may be let off Delinquents are constructed by agencies of social control

Answer 29

Marxist Crime: Repressive State Apparatus overtly controls the proletariat and comprises the government, armed forces, police and CJS (formal social control) Ideological State Apparatus justify this and comprises family, media, religion, education (informal social control) ISAs are used to show us who are deviant as a warning to justify use of RSA Alienation and competitive conditions drive people to criminality

Answer 30

Marxist Crime: Official crime statistics are socially constructed and the idea that most criminals are working class is part of the capitalist ideology This leads to higher crime levels and a culture of fear This illusion diverts attention from more serious crimes (white collar)

Answer 31

Marxist Crime: Causal link between crime and economic conditions Those in poor conditions have competition with one another for scarce resources which will drive criminality Capitalism creates a climate of competition

Answer 32

Marxist Crime: Focus of public fear and government control is on urban/violent crimes Prevalence of crime in US where criminal behaviour appears to be the norm Crime is usually a rational response to situations people are in (capitalism) Ghetto crime: poor neighbourhoods with low pay where crime is rational Corporate crime: capitalist, competitive economy to maximise profits

Answer 33

Marxist Crime: Structure of capitalism creates desire for consumer but inability to meet these desires Crime is located throughout the social class spectrum but the enforcement of criminal law leads to appearance that it’s concentrated in lower classes Radical Criminology: Studied 2 gangs at a school - The Saints and The Roughnecks The Saints were 8 boys from white, upper MC families They were involved in deviant behaviour (truancy, vandalism, drinking) Nobody was arrested as they used ‘good reputation’ in school to negotiate way out of trouble The Roughnecks were 6 boys from WC backgrounds who were constantly in trouble with police and community Their rate of delinquency was the same as the Saints but they were frequently sought out by police as they were seen as typical gang members

Answer 34

Radical Criminology: Produced accounts of ‘spectacular’ youth subcultures Focused on issues of identity, style and societal reactions as well as significance of socio-economic conditions of youth Attitudes and style of each subculture could be seen as expressions of resistance against capitalist society

Answer 35

Radical Criminology: Put forward ‘radical theory of crime’ Argue a ‘fully social theory of deviance’ must consider: Structure of capitalist society Individuals involved in deviance Societal reactions Individual’s class position

Answer 36

Radical Criminology: 1970s: Britain was experiencing economic crisis, high unemployment, strikes and student protests This affected ability of ruling class to govern by consent and use force to control crisis so crime became focus to justify tougher policing Racial tensions was stirring in urban communities due to competition for jobs and resources Reactions of police and court cases of mugging (‘Black Muggers’) with sensationalist media created a moral panic

Answer 37

New Right: Social bonds Individuals with strong family and friendship networks, have responsibilities and are engaged in social activities will be unlikely to commit crime Opposite for those without

Answer 38

New Right: Youth in deviant subcultures have not received appropriate socialisation into value consensus Underclass don’t want to work and are dependent on welfare Sees entire underclass as a deviant subculture Those in single Mother households have a greater chance of criminality as boys have no role model and girls seek substitutes like sex

Answer 39

New Right: Attempted to demonstrate correlation between low IQ and criminality Linked IQ to race and acknowledged white criminals with low IQ are also likely to commit crime

Answer 40

New Right Criticism: Interviewed long-term unemployed about attitude toward work and found most had a strong work-ethic

Answer 41

New Right Criticism: Study of deprivation in Rotherham Despite clear effects of poverty on physical and mental health, most still had strong moral values

Answer 42

New Right Criticism: New Right are a ‘sociology of vindictiveness’ as they pick on groups who are easy targets

Answer 43

Right Realism: Trends in crime: 1) Young Males: aggressive with short-term horizons 2) Changes in benefits and costs of crime 3) Broader social and cultural changes Uncontrollable factors that can only be addressed by enforcing law Environment creates a ‘culture of order and acceptable behaviour’ Right-Wing Solutions: Certainty of capture is more of a deterrent than potential harshness of sentence If offenders don’t believe they will be caught, sentence is irrelevant

Answer 44

Right Realism: ‘Broken windows’ stand for various signs of disorder and lack of concern for others in deprived neighbourhoods Leaving these unrepaired sends signal that ‘no one cares’ In these neighbourhoods, there is absence of formal and informal social control Police are only concerned with serious crime nad turn a blind eye to petty nuisance, leaving communities feeling powerless Without remedial action, the neighbourhood is tipped into a spiral of decline and becomes a ‘magnet for deviance’ Right-Wing Solutions: Policing should involve order maintenance: Increased foot patrols Targeting ‘would be offenders’ Targeting crime hotspots

Answer 45

Right Realism: Biological criminal tendencies and socialisation Emphasise importance of individual characteristics like impulsiveness, arguing some have a predisposition for criminality These traits will be heightened if they lack adequate socialisation

Answer 46

Left Realism: Square of crime Crime is a product of four intersecting factors: state, offender, public, victim State: decide if an act is a crime and how to enforce Public: react to crime Offender: commits crime Victim: decides whether crime has taken place

Answer 47

Left Realism: Relative deprivation: media and advertising raise expectations of material possessions Marginalisation: no access to legitimate means builds frustration Subcultures: collective response to status frustration Left-Wing Solutions: Challenge flaws in current policing and argue lack of confidence in them Stems from militant policing in communities which leads to conflict Needs to be minimal policing characterised by trust and cooperation Over policing of crimes like minor drug offences are part of the problem Multi-Agency Working: More coordinated approach between agencies including communication with individuals seen as ‘at risk’ of offending would allow for early intervention

Answer 48

Left Realism: The exclusive society Economic exclusion leads to social exclusion, breakdown of communities and increase in crime Creates culture of fear which leads to scapegoating and social divisions

Answer 49

Left-Wing Solutions: 2 types of shaming created through punishment: Disintegrative shaming: labelling offender as bad and leading to more crime Reintegrative shaming: focusing on behaviour but not labelling offender as a whole Aim is to reaffirm membership in a law abiding society and address issues which cause offending

Answer 50

Left-Wing Solutions: Majority of individuals offered restorative justice indicated they would like to participate

Answer 51

Left-Wing Solutions: Majority of victims chose to participate in face-to-face meeting with offender and 85% were satisfied

Answer 52

Left-Wing Solutions Criticism: Undermines impact of deliberate racism of police

Answer 53

Left-Wing Solutions Criticism: Pre-school socialisation programmes didn’t produce long-term results

Answer 54

Right-Wing Solutions: Crime is a conscious choice The criminal opportunities available and likelihood of consequences from being caught are factors which affect criminality Target hardening can be successful

Answer 55

Right-Wing Solutions Studied Stoke-On-Trent and showed crime decreased by 43% in experimental area where street was improved ‘Diffusion of benefit’ as crime decreased in adjacent areas

Answer 56

Right-Wing Solutions: 1990-2009, homicide rate in New York declined 82% after policy of ‘zero tolerance’ policing

Answer 57

Right-Wing Solutions Criticism: Changing people is difficult/expensive which is why policy makes focus on restricting people instead

Answer 58

Right-Wing Solutions Criticism: CCTV target innocent as well as guilty