Postmodernism Flashcards
Problems with the Concept of Crime
- Argues crime is no longer a useful concept because it is a social construction - what constitutes a crime changes over time and between cultures (homosexuality is now legal)
- Many laws on crime are no longer relevant
- Concept of crime should be removed and replaced by social harm, which includes a wider range of behaviours that are not considered crimes by the law
- Transgressive approach - develop a conception of crime based on respect for people’s chosen identities and lifestyles
- Crime should be re-conceptualised as people using power to show disrespect for, and causing harm of some sort (legal or illegal) to others
Two forms of harm:
- Harms of reduction = power used to cause a victim to experience an immediate loss of injury
- Harms of repression = brings a wide range of actions into the criminal net (those not illegal, not taken seriously or perceived as part of the current ‘crime’ problem) including threats to human dignity and respect (sexual harassment, hate crimes)
AO3 - **social harm cannot be operationalised, many actions can be classed as harmful, but it is not clear which ones are illegal
What is Edgework?
- Edgework - committing crimes that are on the edge of danger and safety
- E.g. illegal lockdown raves = risk of arrest and prosecution or getting Covid-19, but go anyway for the excitement
- Such risk-taking behaviour is more common in men than women
AO3 - ignores the link between specific social groups and crime
Arguing that it is a form of self-interest and expression fails to account for factors that lead to people committing crime (poverty), and not all criminals enjoy being criminals
Impact of Globalisation on Crime
- The world is becoming more and more interconnected
- More opportunity for trade and the exchange of ideas
- Influenced by the rapid increase in technology and the increased movement of people
- Encouraged new crime - cybercrime (hacking into people’s accounts, online scams)
AO3 - crimes such as cyber crime have low prosecution rates, happen online and in private, police lack the resources necessary, victims and perpetrators may be in different countries, part of the dark figure (not recorded in official statistics)
