CRJU Final Flashcards
Labeling theory
Socially constructed as a criminal
- Lemert
- Becker
Edwin Lemert
Labeling theory
- primary deviance and secondary deviance
Primary deviance
Initial behavior that triggers a label
Secondary deviance
After the individual has internalized said label, they become available
Dramatization of the evil
Dramatization of the evil
Frank Tannenbaum
Frank Tannenbaum
Howard Becker
Master status
Master status
The label of deviance becomes the most identifiable
- your identity is constructed for you
Conflict model
Society is competing for power
- Thorsten Sellin
-
Thorsten Sellin
1) primary culture conflict
2) secondary culture conflict
Primary culture conflict
when two distinct cultures come into contact and one has more resources to impose their values onto the other culture
- (ex: English settlement)
Secondary culture conflict
One culture becomes so diverse that it becomes separate subcultures because there isn’t one shared value system
- whichever group has more power can have the ability to control other groups
Group conflict
George Vold
- crime is a minority group behavior (minority is not a number, it’s those who are disempowered)
- crime is always a political
Richard: social reality of crime
Those in power construct criminal definitions for those who are not in power
- (prop 1-6)
Prop 1
Law varies directly with stratification
- stratification = levels; vertical aspect of social life goes up or down and it comes from the uneven distribution of material wealth
- (all tools necessary to live)
Prop 2
Law varies directly with rank
- different ranks will have different amounts of legal protection
Prop 3
Downward lot is greater than upward law
- someone with more power will have greater success in bringing legal action against someone with less power and vice versa
Prop 4
Downward law varies directly with vertical distance but upward law varies with inverse distance
- the law increases in success as it is applied downward and law decreases with success as it is applied upward
Prop 5
It is easier for a conformist to bring legal action against a nonconformist and it is harder for a nonconformist to bring legal action against the conformist
Prop 6
The greater the conformity the greater the legal protection
Donald black
> Legal anthropologist
created the propositions - The behavior of law
“the history of all hither to existing society is a history of class struggles”
Class struggle
“The history of all hither to existing society is a history of class struggle” - Donald black
Eric Hoffer
“Jesus wasn’t a Christian nor was marks a Marxist”
- disconnect between the words and the movement
- the true believer 1941
Karl Marx
Marxism false consciousness means of production proletariat bourgeois "each according to his ability, each according to his need"
Marxism
If you want to understand anything, you need to pay attention to how material wealth is controlled, produced, and distributed (in that culture)
- a society based on competition is inherently unstable
- top percent control the means (methods) of production
False consciousness
The ability to recognize your own oppression
- are you controlling the means of production or are you being controlled by the person who controls the means of production??
Middle-class
According to Marx, there is no middle class there are only two classes:
1) controller of the means of production
2) person being controlled by the controller of the means of production
Social relations
Distribution of material wealth shapes social relations, thus shapes the law
Means of production–> social relations–> law
Ex: agriculture–> race–> slavery
capitalism
- competition: eliminate all competitors
- exploitation: workers are exploited
- alienation: we allow labor exploits to happen
profit is the goal of capitalism (income without effort)
Dangerous classes
Downward a law in order to deal with dangerous 99%
Marxism in prisons
prisons are the safety valve
Symbolic interaction
Identity is a social construct
interaction = communication
symbol = nonverbal communication
- we gain a sense of who we are by internalizing symbols and interactions
Liberal feminist criminology
Late increase in female crime is a result of loosening female gender roles
- as more opportunities open up for women, they will also have more opportunities to commit crime
Freda Adler
Sisters in crime/behavioral change
- Women were taking a more aggressive stance when entering the workplace
Rita Simon
Women and crime/change opportunity
- still a large amount of unexplained increase in crime rate status the same
The law of small numbers
The less you start out with, the more the perceived change. the more you start with, the less perceived change
Patriarchy
A male dominated society
Marxist feminist criminology
Agree with Marxism, but they left out one key variable: gender–> patriarchy
- those who control the means of production and material wealth are men
- women are considered to be material wealth
[Women are treated and were treated as a means of production]
Theories of crime
Interested in the event itself
- theories of criminality are concerned about the motivation behind the crime
Rational choice
Ronald Clarke
- free will
- all individuals have a calculator, where they weigh the risks and benefits
Bounded rationality
Rational from the perspective of the offender
Routine activities
Cohen and Felson
- a crime is more likely to occur when three factors converge in time and space
1) a motivated offender
2) a suitable target
3) no capable guardian
=The opportunity structure of crime
Marcus Felson
The opportunity structure of crime
- we can reduce the amount of crime in society without reducing the amount of criminals
- -> by limiting the opportunity by creating capable guardians and less suitable targets
- -> people will make a rational choice to commit less crimes if they have less opportunity
Crime displacement
Displacement will occur, if and only if, an equally attractive opportunity structure is available
4 types:
1) spacial: crime moves from one location to another
2) Temporal: crime moves from one time to another
3) tactical: how the crime is committed changes
4) Target: crime that’s being performed is different
Situational crime prevention
New York City bus terminal
general theory
Gottfredson and Hirshi
- they believe it could explain all forms of crime
–>what causes crime? - low self control
- conformity requires following the rules
- low self-control is a character trait
(you will have it for your whole life)
a tautology
Interactionist theory
Richard Thornberry
Incarceration breaks social bonds and it guarantees that it cannot be improved upon
- recognizes that there is an interaction between the criminal justice system and the criminals
(they influence and affect one another)
Postmodernism
We only have claims of certainty
(everything is a claim)
We do not except the hypothesis until you reject all counter hypotheses
–> if you want to prove that an item is a chair if you’re going to prove that it is not a table, a lamp
(truth always change)
Restorative justice
They recognize that we as a society do not have a consensus of what justice is, we instead focus on the punishment level (counter violence)
- The problem with the criminal justice system is that the victim does not have a voice
- -> they need to tell their stories as do the offenders
Abolitionist criminologists
They ask: what would we do if we could not send people to prison?
- we would need to come up with a better system and policies
What causes crime?
POWER
- an unequal distribution of power the only way we will get rid of crime is to stop the hierarchy of power race gender etc.
- -> a powerless society
