l5: correlates of crime Flashcards
correlates of crime
variables that are connected with crime
what is a correlate?
phenomenon that accompanies another phenomenon and is related in some way
2 measures of correlates
positive: both increase
negative: one increase, other decrease
what is needed for causal relationship?
- correlation between A+B
2. theory linking the variables : reasonable explanation, not just coincidence
third variable problem
when external third variable causes the correlation in the variables
how many causes of crime?
no singular cause. so many factors/correlates affect crime
age as a correlate of criminal behaviour
- young ppl disproportionately involved in crime, specifically violent crime.
- maturational reform
what is maturational reform?
criminal activity intensifies in adolescence and young adulthood + declines thereafter
peak age of criminal behaviour
- age that commits most homicides
17-19 yoa
homicide: ages 12-24
- but most youth crime is minor/petty.
sex and age makes a difference too M>F
young man’s game
disproportionately large # of youth committing crime.
- but doesn’t tell us what crimes young ppl commit
- crime of choice chnges with age
ambiguity of adolescence + criminality
period of transition between childhood/adulthood.
- not fully committed to societal values
- little money
- lower paying job
= conducive to criminal behaviour.
- little to lose, so little incentive to conform
- impressionable
- crime is exciting, profitable.
– adults have greater incentive to conform
maturational reform + life course theory
linked because role of age-graded transitions (life events tend to happen at certain ages) + social controls
what are the social bonds/ major life events that tend to influence disistence from criminal behaviour?
- aging
- marriage
- education
- children
- legal, stable work
hershey perspective
john lock perspective
H: people age out of crim
JL: social bonds + life events age you out of crime
- debated, maybe person-dependent
gender as correlate of crime
males overrepresented among offenders
males as
- defendants in criminal court
- accused in sex assaults
- robbery cases
- major assault cases
- cc: 80%
- sa: 98% (maybe not full truth bc male victims dont come forward)
- rc: 89%
- ma: 77%
distribution of accused of homicide by gender
males over-represented. more likely to be accused of murder.
- violence by women isnt as violent or is against intimate partner in self defense
victims of homicide by gender
75% men.
- media vilifies men as perpetrators, but forgets victims are males too.
toxic masculinity effects both M+W
gender gap in charges of diff criminal offenses
not consistent. w 1/2 men in fraud, theft. sex assault is ~1% of males that commit
youth custody and community services - by age and gender
f in total have fewer admission than m.
age 12 : f admission is greater. declines with age. m increases with age.
role convergence hypothesis
as work roles of women become similar to those of men, so will their involvement in crime
gender gap in violent crime result of?
structural positions + cultural processes, including social learning
gender as correlate of crime
altho rn theres over-rep of males, gender gap is decreasing. so hard biology may not effect effect as previously thought.
- more F criminals because in workforce, or bc police more likely to charge nowadays than in past. maybe fewer men committing crimes.
SES and criminal behaviour
- historically, lower classes were seen as responsible for crime. “dangerous classes”
- overrepresented in police-reported statistics
- relationship btw class + crime is class specific + crime specific. = diff classes have diff crimes
race and crime
not as strongly related to crime as age + gender.
- Can doesnt relaly have stats on minorities*
- some minority groups overrepresented in reported crime statistic in Canada
overrepresentation by location in canada
prairies: aboriginals over-rep
toronto + Nova Scotia: African canadians ocer-rep
- asians under-rep.
debate of collecting minority crime info in canada
against: will be racist policy, self-fulfilling prophecy. hard to measure race. police-reported are limited = misinterpreted by un-educated could be bad
pro: need to know if there is bias in system
- challenge ideas that some races are more prone
two explanations of overrep of minorities in CJS
- differential offending hypothesis - difference between racial groups in incidence, seriousness, persistent offending
- differential treatment hypothesis - structural inequality in administration of justice is responsible for over-rep
3 elements of differential treatment hypothesis
- police pay closer attention to ppl of certain criteria
- certain social spaces have greater police surveillance
- police may be influenced by race or ethnicity - implicit racial bias
indigenous ppl + CanCJS
- overrep.
- 3% of popln, 1/3 of males + females in federal corrections are indigenous.
- about the same for youth
- large increase in incarceration of aboriginal F both adult + youth
3 types of theories explaining indigenous over-rep in CJS
cultural theories: traits characteristic, way of life increases involvement in crime (code of the street)
structural theories: situate criminality in broader historical context. crime is consequence of what society is built around.
– fail to realize many correlates affect certain groups.
biological theories: biological explanation, genetics - that lead them to crime
3 models/theories within structural theory
- colonial model
- trauma transmission model
- critical race theory
cultural theory on indigenous + crime
- inherently violent
- different from dominant euro-canadian culture
= pre-disposes them to conflict with law
why are cultural theories problematic + simplistic
- presuppose a monolithic, static indigenous culture
- assume there is a kind of behaviour that constitutes “indigenous behaviour”
- pathologize indigenous culture doesnt ID discrepancies in opportunity that may relate to crime
colonial model of indigenous over-rep
colonization had devestation psychological + social consequences, manifesting as crime + violence
- alienated from euro, but lost connection to indigenous = toward crime
historic trauma transmission model of indigenous over-rep
acculturation produces “learned helplessness”
= trauma passed thru generations, dealt with by inaction.
(belief that no action will change the course of your life)
- alcoholism, drug addiction assoc.
- decreased sense of self
what is critical race theory of indigenous over-rep in CJS
rampant racism in CJS, over-rep due to exlcusion of mainstream society, overpolicing, harsh sentences
- values norms of dominant group.
- minority groups dont get say = victims of the system
racial profiling of cops
- wont admit it.
- is it conscious? or due to other factors (location, suspicion) connected to racial bias
- is over-rep because of higher crime, or overpolicing? consequneces?
african canadians
- likelihood of crime outcomes
- more likely to be stopped + searched by police.
- more likely to receive tougher sentences from courts
- disproportionally rep’d in correctional institutions
study on “usual suspects”
1: 3 black have been stopped in 2 years, 28% White, 22% chinese
1: 4 black stopped more than 3 times in police. 8% white, 6% chinese
12% black were searched in 2 years. 3% of white+chinese
black were 6 times more likely to report that they had friend/family that were victim of racial profiling perception, how this differs from reality
1966 - racial profiling
black males = symbolic assailants. stop + question them to “prevent crime”
maturational reform encompasses 3 factors that may cause crime to decline
- physiological limitation
- social bond
- social responsibility
what is desistance
life course theory; suggests marriage + other things reduce or end involvement in criminal activity.
why do women receive more lenient treatment in courts (2)?
- males commit more serious crimes (esp. violent)
2. female offenders’ responsibility for young children
7 structural positions and cultural processes that may have role in gender gap in violent crime
- social learning => violent delinquence
- gender differences in learning violence. direct effects males, indirect effects girls
- supervision of boy friendships reduces violence in boys but not in girls
- girls who accept traditional gender definitions are less violent
- position on social structure
- higher rates of violence in boys because learn more, more assoc with gender, greater experience
- boys learn more about violent definitions than girls.
5 ways women tend to be involved in crime
- harmed + harming women
- battered women
- street women
- drug-connected women
- other women
