Cultural and subcultural theories of crime Flashcards
What is juvenile crime associated with according to Cohen
However, he argued that juvenile delinquency is uniquely non-utilitarian (not committed for profit)
Instead, it is associated with short-term hedonism (instant pleasure seeking)
What did Cohen suggest working class boys face when they can’t achieve the same goals as middle class boys and how did they overcome this
However, they lack the means to achieve these goals and would feel inferior if he tried to achieve them. This leads to status frustration.
To overcome this, instead the boys reject mainstream goals and develop an alternative value system whereby they can achieve status through deviant acts e.g. being tough, fighting, stealing, joyriding etc.
What did Cloward and Ohlin believe
Cloward & Ohlin believe Merton’s argument that working classes found it more difficult than other groups to achieve the goals of society.
What were Cloward and Ohlin’s 3 types of society
Criminal subcultures depend on the presence of criminal role models to socialise young people into a criminal subculture.
Conflict subcultures arise when there is little access to either legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures.
Retreatist subcultures: exist when there are neither legitimate or illegitimate means available so people drop out altogether e.g. through drug use.
What does Miller believe
Unlike other subcultural theories Miller does not see society as based on a mainstream set of values that everyone agrees with (and attempts to obtain via legitimate/illegitimate means) e.g. value of success
Instead, Miller sees society as consisting of different classes, each with a distinct set of values
What are Millers 6 focal concerns of working class boys
Excitement, toughness, smartness, trouble, autonomy and fate
What does Matza believe
argues people drift in and out of criminality at different times depending on whether they are able to apply techniques of neutralisation.
What are Matza’s techniques of neutralisation
- Denial of Responsibility -’it wasn’t my fault’
- Denial of Injury – ‘I didn’t hurt anyone’
- Denial of Victim –’they deserved it, it was their fault’
- The Condemnation of the Condemners –’they’re out to get me’
- Appealing to Higher Loyalties – I had help someone out…
What did Matza call criminal values
Subterranean values
What did Matza suggest led young people into crime
A shift from a mood of fatalism to a mood of humanism
Mood of fatalism - this is when individuals (particularly young people) feel powerless . they need to take action which will induce a mood of humanism.
Mood of humanism - this is when individuals prove to themselves that they can influence the world around them. This can lead to deviant activity.
What do cultural criminologists believe
modify sub-cultural explanations of crime and deviance to fit late-modern / postmodern society
often more ethnographic in approach
focus on irrationality, emotion and self expression as the cause of crime
delinquent subcultures are often seen as expressing identity, resistance, power struggles or a product of the stresses of late modern/post-modern lifestyles.
cultural explanations breath new life into criminology and urge sociologist to think about a range of new topics in late-modern/postmodern society
What is an evaluation of Matza
It is by no means certain that juveniles are actually able to drift into and out of deviance in this way. What happens, for example, when a juvenile is punished / stigmatised - is it possible to then simply re-enter “conventional society” on the same terms as prior to the stigmatisation? Labelling theories such as Becker argue that deviants take on a ‘master status’ which is difficult to shrug off. (more in this next week)
Matza doesn’t adequately explain why juvenile delinquency is primarily a male phenomenon - where does females figure in this picture?
Matza lacks evidence to support the idea of mood of fatalism and mood of humanism - it is difficult to operationalize and measure these.
What does Katz argue
Katz argues it’s not possible to generalise about the specific characteristics of a criminal –
What does Katz’s research focus on
we can explain crime by considering what makes it attractive to individual criminals, what lures people in. Katz focuses on emotion.
Why does Katz believe most crime occurs
He argues most crime is done for thrill seeking and to alleviate the boredom of youth
What does Lyng argue crime is a result of
Edgework
What is edgework
pushing the boundaries of society to engage in activities that go right to the edge of acceptable behaviour.
What does Lyng argue Edgework does
He argues that Edgework is a way of escaping the confines of the modern world.
Who does Lyng argue enjoys edgework
Young people
What is a positive of edgework theory
Explains non-utilitarian crime and white collar crime equally effectively
What is a negative of edgework theory
however theses concepts are difficult to operationalise and test so research may lack validity
What does Presdee suggest carnivals do
In traditional societies ‘carnival’ represented an opportunity for rule breaking and letting off steam.
What does Presdee suggest has happened to carnivals
These have all but disappeared in late modern society, so people find alternative ways of thrill seeking and excitement through transgression – rule breaking – e.g. binge drinking, fighting etc.
What is authorities response to transgressive behaviour
Authorities try to control this more and more
What does authorities response lead to in Presdee’s eyes
which leads to people feeling more repressed and therefore more need for transgressive behaviour.
What is a consequence of Presdee’s theory
Activities which can’t be controlled and regulated sometimes become seen as the norm
What does Young describe as the vertigo of late modernity
describing the pressure people experience to be socially mobile. Postmodern society has led to greater social divisions and greater anxiety about social positioning.
What does Young say society is increasingly based on
individualism, insecurity and intolerance.
What are the consequences in Young’s theory
The collective consciousness has broken down. Crime occurs throughout society. Hate crime and violent crime are on the increase and crime generally becomes nastier.
What is Nightingale’s paradox of inclusion
the idea that the more excluded people are the more they seek to be included through consumption of material goods.
