Post Modernism And Crime Flashcards
All key words of postmodernism and crime
Uniqueness of a criminal act, informal control mechanisms, CCTV, deconstruction, local individual
Key names in postmodernism and crime
Smart, lea, Katz, lyng, Henry and milovanovic
Smart
Smart (1995) argues that traditional approaches to crime all adopt a version of positivism in the following ways:
They try to find the causes of criminality.
They try to find ways of eradicating crime.
They assume that scientific methods are the best way of discovering the truth about crime.
They believe that it is possible to find an overall theory to explain crime.
POSTMODERNISTS REJECT THESE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO CRIME
Henry and milovanovic
Henry and Milovanovic (1996) adopt a transgressive approach to crime. They suggest that crime should be reconceptualised as people using power to show disrespect for and causing some sort of harm to others Whether or not it is illegal, embracing all threats and risks to people pursuing increasingly diverse lifestyles and identities. They identify 2 forms of harm:
- Harms of reduction-
power is used to cause the victim to experience immediate loss or injury
- Harms of repression-
power is used to restrict future human development. This includes
threatening human dignity and a lack of respect such as sexual harassment and hate
crimes.
What do post modernists criticise and belive
They criticise functionalists for their approach and say that crime must be dealt with locally and individually e.g. low self esteem can lead to someone harming others
Levin and mcdevitt
Suggest some perpetrators of hate crime derive thrills, joys and excitement by inflicting suffering on those they perceive to be different from themselves
Katz
Katz (1988) argues that crime is seductive - young males get drawn into it not because of rejection but because it is thrilling.
Lyng
Lyng (1990) is a social psychologist and agrees with Katz and argues that risk taking Can be seen as ‘edgework”. By this he means that there is a thrill by acting in ways that are on the edge
between security and danger. There are some people that are predisposed to fake risks, they may get involved in criminal activity for the thrill. Explains the non-utilitarian crime such as joy riding and crimes such as fraud and explains crime amongst all social classes. It’s not clear if it is innate or part of their socialisation. There are legal ways of taking risks so why do some choOse to law break.
Foucalt
CCTV and automatic no. Plate recognition is a lil too much Integrated in our lives (crime deterrence)
Lea
Believes that postmodernism has made a useful contribution to the study of the control of crime. In the postmodern world informal control mechanisms come to dominate at the expense of the central state,
All informal control mechanisms
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) follows our movements around city and town centres.
Security firms prevent undesirables from entering some estates.
People are treated differently in different areas and seen increasingly as customers and Consumers.
However, Lea also believes that postmodernism is regressive (avoids major questions) since it denies the possibility of being able o do anything to change unequal and unjust societies.
Private security firms watch over shopping centres
All theories views on CCTV and surveillance
Functionalism: surveillance promotes conformity, encourages people to follow norms
Marxism: Surveillance is just another way the r/c is imposing rules on society
Interactionism: also believes crime is socially constructed over time and space
Right realism: CCTV and surveillance is important to deter people from commuting crime
Left realism: both theories believe in growing individualism as a factor contributing to rising crime rates
