Introduction to Criminological Ideas

Question 1

What is physiognomy?

Answer 1

Erroneous belief that the physical appearance of someone determines their character

Question 2

What is Atavism and who was its main proponent?

Answer 2

Lombroso- Criminals are less evolved than the average human

Question 3

What are some criticisms of Lombroso?

Answer 3

Charles Goring (1913)- no such thing as a criminal type
Biological- there is no ‘criminal gene’
Haq (2018)- childhood exposure to lead showed some correlation to criminal behaviour in later life

Question 4

What are some issues with crime statistics?

Answer 4

Not all crimes are reported
Numerous sources of crime statistics
Average person reads about crime statistics in newspapers (journalistic bias)

Question 5

What are some theories of punishment?

Answer 5

Utilitarianism- consequences determine harshness of crime (is an action justified by its outcome?)
Deontological- actions are inherently right or wrong, no exceptions

Question 6

What is Durkheim’s sociological explanation of crime?

Answer 6

We want social solidarity (mechanical solidarity- little division in labour, organic solidarity- greater differentiation in labour)

‘Anomie’ is the gap between moral structure and what people do/believe and where this exists there is a greater likelihood of crime

Question 7

What is the chicago school sociological explanation of crime?

Answer 7

Crime more likely to occur in socially disorganised areas

Gangs are a reaction to social disorganisation- spontaneous effect to create a society for themselves

Question 8

What is Becker’s labelling theory?

Answer 8

Questions why certain activities are seen as criminal and others aren’t (meta-criminological approach, linked to critical criminology)

Question 9

What is Marxism?

Answer 9

History goes through inevitable cycles
Class based theory
Crime= people’s rational response to competitiveness and unequal capitalist society
Capitalism is inherently crimogenic
Proletariat (working class) are exploited by the bourgeoisie (upper classes)
Exploitation of proletariat= frustration and crime

Question 10

What is Merton’s strain theory?

Answer 10

Those that experience a lack of opportunity will become frustrated and are more likely to commit crime

Question 11

What is the idea of ‘double deviancy’?

Answer 11

Women are treated twice as harshly, one for the crime and the other for breaking traditional housewife role

Question 12

What are some perspectives of media as a source of crime news?

Answer 12

Marxist- media controlled by the bourgeoisie (unreliable)
Cohen (1972)- certain crime stories become sensationalised and create moral panics
Jewkes (2004)- media values (more likely to see certain kinds of news stories)

Question 13

What are the offending rates for Black, Minority, Ethnic people compared to White offenders?

Answer 13

Population: 87% white, 13% BME

Offending rates: 81% white, 19% BME (Disproportionate)

Question 14

Is there institutional racism?

Answer 14

Black offenders 44% more likely to gain custodial sentences for driving offences than white offenders

58 prisoners for every 10,000 black people compared to 12 for every 10,000 for white people

Question 15

Is socio-economic status important in offending rates?

Answer 15

Yes

Of the prison population in the early 2000s:

72% in receipt of state benefits
48% had a history of debt
67% unemployed a week before imprisonment

Question 16

Roughly how many sex crime offences are reported?

Answer 16

Around 15%

Question 17

What are some sexual offences myths?

Answer 17

False rape allegations are common
Most rapes are committed by strangers
Men cannot be raped
Stranger rape is more traumatic than rape by someone known to the victim

Question 18

Is selling sex illegal?

Answer 18

No

Unless:

The person you are purchasing from was coerced
The person you are purchasing from is working with someone
Street solicitation

Question 19

What is the estimate for men that have paid for sex at some point in their life?

Answer 19

Estimated to be 4-10% but this figure has probably increased

Question 20

What is a hate crime?

Answer 20

Discrimination toward someone not for personal reasons but because of what they represent (religion, race, sexual orientation, gender)

Question 21

How many hate crimes were there in 2016/2017?

Answer 21

Roughly 80,000

Question 22

What has happened with political approaches to crime and punishment/law and order?

Answer 22

Changed from post-war consensus about a penal-welfare approach to a punitive prison focused method under Thatcher

Question 23

Roughly how many women and men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime?

Answer 23

1/4 women

1/8 men

Question 24

What is clare’s law?

Answer 24

Right to request info on whether someone has a history of abuse

Question 25

What are the 3 types of cybercrimes?

Answer 25

Traditional criminal activities enhanced by the internet
Traditional criminal activities radicalised by the internet (e.g. child pornography)
Criminal activities created by the internet

Question 26

What is a victim?

Answer 26

A person who is injured or killed as a result of an event

or

A person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune