Key Word Definitions Flashcards
Chivalry thesis
The view that the criminal justice system is biased in favour of women so that they are less likely to be charged than men
Anomie
Durkheim: Means normlessness. Argues that anomie arises when there is a rapid social change because existing norms become unclear or outdated.
Action theories
See individuals as having free will and choice, and the power to create society through their interactions and actions.
Anomie
Means normlessness. Durkheim argues that anomie arises when there is rapid social change because existing norms become unclear or outdated.
Case study
Research that examines a single case or example, such as a single school, family or workplace, often using several methods or sources.
Close ended question
Questions in a survey that allow a limited choice of answers from a pre set list.
Collective conscience
Referring to the shared norms, values and beliefs that make social life and cooperation between individuals possible
Comparative method
Research method that compares two social groups that are alike apart from one factor. Durkheim uses this when describing suicide.
Content analysis
A method of analysing the content of documents and media output to find out how often different types of people or events appear.
Control group
Unlike the experimental group that control group is not exposed to the variable under investigation.
Critical criminology
A Neo Marxist approach that combines ideas from traditional Marxism and labelling theory to explain crime in capitalist society.
Determinism
The idea that humans have no free will and that their thoughts and behaviour are shaped or caused by factors outside themselves.
Deviance amplification spiral
Is the process whereby attempts to control deviance actually produce an increase in deviance, leading to greater attempts at control and still higher levels of deviance.
Disciplinary power
According to Foucault, it’s he typical for, of control in modern society. It is based on self surveillance and self discipline as a means of introducing conformity. It’s model is the panopticon prison.
Environmental crime prevention
A crime reduction strategy associated with Wilson and Kelling’s broken windows article.
Ethnomethodology
An interpretivist approach developed by Garfinkel, it rejects the idea of an external social structure and sees society as a social construct Members use common sense knowledge to achieve a sense of order.
Experiments
A laboratory experiment is a test carried out in controlled conditions in an artificial setting to establish a cause and effect relationship between two or more variables.
Green crimes
Are crimes against the environment and the human and non human animals within it. Primary green crimes involve the destruction of the earths resources. Secondary green crimes involves he breaking of laws aimed at preventing or regulating environmental disasters.
Hawthorne effect
Where the subjects know that they are being observed and begin to behave differently. Thereby undermining the study’s validity.
Hypothesis
An untested theory or explanation expressed as a statement.
Informed consent
Where those taking part in a study have agreed to do so and understand the purpose of the study.
Interactionism
A perspective focusing on small scale interactions between individuals and groups. They seek to understand the meanings that social actors give to actions and situations.
Interpretivism
Focus on how we construct our social worlds through the meanings we create and attach to events. They favour qualitative data. Believe we have free will, conscienceness and choice
Interview schedule
The list of questions to be asked in am interview.
Labelling
The process of attaching a definition or meaning to an individual or group.
Left realism
Regarded rime as a real problem, particularly for disadvantaged groups,who are more likely to be victims. To tackle to problem of crime they argue for structural reforms to reduce inequality and for democratic policing
New right
Political perspective. Whose supporters believe in self reliance and individual choice rather than dependence on the state.
Non participant observation
A primary research method where the observer records events without taking part in them.
Operationalisation
The process of turning a sociological concept or theory into something measurable.
Participant observation
A primary research method in which the sociologist studies a group by taking a role within it and participating in its activities.
Phenomenology
An interpretivist approach developed by Schutz. He argues that we makes sense of the world through shared concepts called typifications. Meanings are potentially unstable and unclear, but typifications clarify them, allowing us to communicate. In doing so they give the role the appearance of being nature, orderly and real, but in fact is simply a construction produced by typifications.
Pilot study
A small scale trial run, usually of a social survey, conducted before the main study. It’s basic aim is to iron out any problems so that he necessary changes can be made before the main study is carried out.
Polerisation
A process that results in the creation of two opposite extremes.
Positivism
The belief that society is made up of social facts that can be studied scientifically to discover laws of cause and effect.
Qualitative date
Information usually expressed in words
Quantitative data
Information in numerical form.
Right realism
Sees crime as a real problem. Politically, right realists are conservatives who favour a tougher approach to crime. They focus on situational and environmental crime prevention strategies such as target hardening and zero tolerance policing as a means of deterrence.
Risk society
According to Beck we live in late modern society. The risks are increasingly global rather than local such as climate change leading beck to describe late modern society as global risk society.
Self report studies
Ask individuals to disclose the crimes of antisocial behaviour for which they have been responsible.
Social survey
Any research method that involves systematically collecting information from a group of people by asking them questions.
Structural theories
Are deterministic theories that see individuals as entirely shaped by the way society is structured or organised.
Triangulation
The use of two or more different methods or sources of data so that they complement each other, the strengths of one countering the weaknesses of the other and vice versa.
Victim surveys
Ask individuals o say what crime they hav been victims of usually during the last 12 months. The best know victim survey is the British crime survey.
Voluntarism
Is the idea that humans have free will and can exercise choice in how they act rather than their behaviour being determined or shaped by external forces such as the social structure.
Zemiology
Literally means the study of harms. In criminology it is concerned with why some harms come to be defined as crimes and others do not.
Conglomerate
Company who owns lots of other businesses.
Vertical integration
Ownership along the production chain
Horizontal integration
Concentration of ownership in one media area. Eg. One company owning lots of different newspapers.
