Paper 3 SAQ Flashcards
Outline two reasons for ethnic differences in criminal conviction rates (4 marks) June 2017
The police are racist (1 mark); they are less likely to stop and
search white people and so they are less likely to detect their
offences (+1 mark).
Some minority ethnic groups are relatively deprived (1 mark); and
so they commit more utilitarian crime (+1 mark).
Some ethnic groups are more likely to commit crimes against the
person (1 mark); and so they are more likely to be witnessed by
victims, identified and caught (+1 mark).
Outline three functions that crime and deviance may perform (6 marks) June 2017
boundary maintenance (1 mark); the social reaction to crime and
deviance by media and courts reaffirms society’s shared values (+1
mark)
deviance brings about social change (1 mark); new ideas or
institutions always initially appear as deviance from existing norms
(+1 mark)
minor deviance acts as a safety valve (1 mark); it diverts potentially
dangerous motivations into less harmful channels (+1 mark)
it acts as a warning (1 mark); a high level of deviance indicates an
institution is not functioning properly and needs reform (+1 mark)
crime and deviance create employment (1 mark); their existence
provides work for those in the media, the criminal justice system,
moral entrepreneurs etc (+1 mark).
Outline two ways in which gender may influence the risk of being a victim of crime (4 marks) June 2018
Females are more likely to be trafficked across borders (1 mark), where they are then forced to become sex workers (+1 mark).
* Females are often at risk of domestic violence (1 mark), because they are financially dependent on their partner (+1 mark).
* Males may act tough to assert their masculine identity (1 mark), resulting in being assaulted by other males (+1 mark).
* Transgendered/non-binary people are more likely to be victims of violence (1 mark), because of prejudice/transphobia (+1 mark).
Outline three criticisms of the labelling theory of crime and deviance (6 marks) June 2018
It fails to explain primary deviance/why people offend in the first place (1 mark), which occurs before they have been labelled (+1 mark).
Determinism (1 mark); it wrongly assumes labelling automatically leads to a deviant career (+1 mark).
It implies that deviants do not know they are deviant until they are labelled (1 mark), but most know they are defying society’s norms (+1 mark).
Outline two reasons why deviant subcultures exist (4 marks) June 2019
Labelling (1 mark); once labelled as deviant, individuals are treated as
outsiders and forced into the company of others similarly labelled (+1 mark).
Blocked opportunities to achieve mainstream goals (1 mark); joining a criminal
subculture provides a means of achieving wealth when legitimate routes are blocked (+1 mark).
- A reflection of lower-class culture (1 mark); for example, Miller argues that deviant subcultures arise out of an attempt to achieve lower-class goals (e.g. toughness), not mainstream ones (+1 mark).
Outline three reasons why victims may not report crimes (6 marks) June 2019
Wish to protect the perpetrator (1 mark); for example, if the offender is a family member, the victim may not wish to get them into trouble with the law (+1 mark).
Unaware that they have been victimised (1 mark); for example, the victim may believe a missing object was lost rather than it having been stolen (+1 mark).
Victim-precipitation/suffering victimisation as a result of their own criminal behaviour (1 mark); for example, being wounded in a fight they had started and not wishing to implicate themselves (+1 mark).
Lack of confidence in the police (1 mark); the victim may regard the police as not likely to take their problem seriously (+1 mark).
Outline two ways in which media representations of crime may not reflect reality (4 marks) November 2020
Violent and sexual crimes are over-reported (1 mark); these types of crime represent a significantly smaller percentage in the official statistics or victim surveys (+1 mark).
The media exaggerates the risk of being a victim of crime (1 mark); this is particularly true for women and those from higher status backgrounds (+1 mark).
The media exaggerates police success in tackling crime (1 mark); this is despite some types of crime, such as property crime, having a lower clear up rate (+1 mark)
Outline three functions of the criminal justice system (6 marks) November 2020
Deter potential offenders from committing crime (1 mark); for example, punishments such as a prison sentence can prevent criminals from reoffending (+1 mark).
To rehabilitate (1 mark); for example, prisons can provide education and training programmes to help reform criminals (+1 mark).
Reinforcing shared values (1 mark); the CJS reminds people in society what is seen as unacceptable behaviour (+1 mark).
Provides jobs (1 mark); a variety of roles such as police, lawyers and social workers are employed within the CJS (+1 mark).
To protect the public (1 mark); for example, prisons exclude criminals away from the general public (+1 mark)
Outline two ways that the nature of capitalism may cause people to commit crime (4 marks) November 2021
experiences of poverty or homelessness (1 mark); crime can be seen as an inevitable and rational response to wealth and income inequality (+1 mark)
* status frustration and feelings of alienation and powerlessness (1 mark); this may result in deviant subcultures forming to relieve these feelings through violence, gangs and drug dealing (+1 mark)
* capitalist cultures are becoming more individualistic (1 mark); this may cause some people to turn to crime in order to attain individualistic goals such as personal wealth (+1 mark)
* blocked opportunities to achieve materialistic goals of success (1 mark); the result of tensions and strain may lead some to turn to illegitimate ways to achieve these goals (+1 mark)
* feelings of relative deprivation (1 mark); the media have encouraged
consumerism by showing desirable lifestyles which may result in criminality (+1 mark).
Outline three reasons for gender differences in levels of recorded crime (6 marks) November 2021
women have fewer opportunities to commit crime (1 mark); due to patriarchal control at home and in the workplace (+1 mark)
* males are more likely to commit acts of violence (1 mark); because they are more likely to be socialised to be tough, aggressive and take risks (+1 mark)
* males commit more crime as a way of accomplishing a traditional form of masculinity (1 mark); men may see criminality as a demonstration of hegemonic masculinity in looking tough and macho (+1 mark)
* women are more likely to be treated leniently by the criminal justice system (1 mark); due to stereotypes and chivalry female, offences are less likely to be recorded (+1 mark)
* biological differences may result in men engaging in higher levels of violent crime (1 mark); this is because males have higher levels of testosterone which is linked to aggression (+1 mark)
* men are more likely to turn to crime as a result of being labelled as criminal (1 mark); men are portrayed by the media as more criminal and this may result in a self-fulfilling prophecy (+1 mark).
Outline two problems in measuring green crime (4 marks) June 2022
there is no single agreed definition of green crime (1 mark); the use of definitions of illegality or more broader definitions will impact on the measurement of green crime (+1 mark)
* laws relating to the environment are different between countries (1 mark); there is a lack of consistency in being able to compare countries as the rates are socially constructed (+1 mark)
* green crimes are difficult to detect (1 mark); crimes that are not detected will not appear in the statistics (+1 mark)
* green crimes are often linked to companies and countries in different parts of the world (1 mark); this could cause problems of how and where these are recorded as they cross legal boundaries (+1 mark)
* capitalist corporations have the power to conceal the extent of their
environmental damage (1 mark); they are able to prevent green crimes from appearing in the statistics (+1 mark).
* Green crimes are victimless (+1 mark) the environment/animal cannot report or unaware of criminal activity ( + 1 mark)
Outline three different ways in which crime prevention strategies may reduce crime (6 marks) June 2022
target hardening such as increased surveillance deters people from committing crime (1 mark); people are less likely to choose to commit a crime if they think they are likely to be caught (+1 mark)
zero tolerance strategies increase the risks of committing crime (1 mark); the risks begin to outweigh the benefits of committing crime and so decrease the likelihood of crime (+1 mark)
reduction of poverty and unemployment attempts to reduce the likelihood of crimes (1 mark); the reduction in inequality and deprivation is likely to reduce feelings of relative deprivation that can result in crime (+1 mark)
Punishment prevents individuals from being able to commit crime (1 mark); prisons take individuals off the streets and therefore they cannot commit further crime put them in prison/give them a fine (+1 mark)
Outline two reasons why surveillance may not reduce crime (4 marks) June 2023
some people may resist the effects of surveillance (1 mark); not everyone is deterred by the presence of surveillance (+1 mark)
some crimes are hidden from surveillance (1 mark); they happen behind closed doors such as domestic violence (+1 mark).
Some criminals conceal their identity/hide from surveillance (1 mark) they may wear mask or disguise themselves (+ 1 mark)
Outline three reasons for social class differences in patterns of offending (6 marks) June 2023
members of the working class are likely to experience poverty (1 mark); they may respond by turning to crime such as theft (+1 mark)
members of the working class could feel marginalised (1 mark); they may commit non-utilitarian crime to vent their anger and frustration (+1 mark)
- the criminal justice system is biased in favour of the middle class (1 mark); selective law enforcement means that members of the middle class are less likely to be convicted (+1 mark)
members of the middle class have opportunities to commit some types of crime (1 mark); they may be able to commit white collar crimes in their employment (+1 mark).
- The working class are labelled as criminal (1 mark); they give into the label, self-fulfilling prophecy and commit crime ( + 1 mark)
