Introduction to Criminology Flashcards
Criminology as a discipline, crime and the media
When was the discipline of criminology established in Canada? (Rise of criminology)
rise in mid-20th century
1951 First school in Canada
1963 U of Montreal School of Crim
1963 U of T Centre of Crim
1967 U of Ottawa Dept of Crim
1973 SFU School of Crim
Problem Frame
a) is a narrative
b) focuses on something extraordinarily “bad” and affects many people
c) calls out for solution (from gov’t, police, etc)
Moral Panics
traced back to Stanley Cohen’s book “Folk Devils and Moral panics”
if nothing is happening, media will actively seek out social “problems” to sensationalize
hyperawareness of a certain crime
Stanley Cohen
Coined the term moral panics author of 1972 book Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The creation of mods and rockers
Explored relationship between media and moral panics, identified that media is a crucial factor in stirring up moral panics.
Cultural criminology
sub-discipline of criminology
explores “links between culture, crime and crime control in contemporary life”
focuses on active audiences
Hall et al.
Policing the Crisis
about new “crime wave” of muggings in London 1970s (built upon Cohen’s work)
- mugging became intense media discussion
- more police seeking muggers, harsher sentences
- looks like they are doing something
- then they stop after a while and it looks like mugging rate decreased
- rates still the same
Grassroots Model
moral panics begin with genuine public concern about a “social problem”
Elite-Engineered Model
small, powerful group that deliberately create moral panics for personal interest
Interest Group Theory
groups that act independently from one another
genuinely believes they are acting in best interest of society but might be strengthening moral panic
Moral entrepreneurs
a person, group, or organization that takes the lead in identifying certain behaviour as deviant and in need of legal sanctions
eg Mothers against drunk driving
Media effects
children who watch a lot of violence are more likely to engage in violence
Stigmatization
where individuals who refuse to conform are labelled as deviant, folk devils, etc
Primary Deviance
when an individual/group engages in disapproved behaviour without seeing themselves as “deviant” or “criminal”
Secondary Deviance
individuals come to view themselves as “deviant” because society sees them that way e.g. labelling them due to ethnicity, etc
Active Audiences
meaning of media messages analyzed by people who consume them; they do not listen to them passively
