Postmodernism and Crime

Question 1

Why do Postmodernists criticise other theories?

Answer 1

• They reject grand narratives - every individual is unique and make their own choices not influenced by structures
• Crime isn’t necessarily always a lifestyle choice - it can be a one-off unplanned event

Question 2

What is Henry and Milovanovic’s view?

AO1/2

Answer 2

Crime is currently based on a very narrow legal definition. Crime should be defined by social harm rather than what is legal:
- Harms of reduction = when power is used to cause a victim immediate loss or injury e.g. theft, assault
- Harms of repression = power is used to restrict further human development e.g. homophobic graffiti, revenge porn

Question 3

What is Maffesoli’s view?

AO1/2

Answer 3

• The term ‘subcultures’ is an outdated and inaccurate way to define social groups with different norms and values
• Subcultures have now been replaced by ‘neotribes’
• Neotribes are more fluid - members can join and leave as they please
• Individuals have freedom of choice over the amount of time and effort they put into their tribe
• Someone can be in multiple tribes at once

Question 4

What is Katz and Lyng’s view?

Answer 4

‘Edgeworks’:
- Crime can be caused by the shere thrill e.g. shoptlifting, underage drinking
- It’s not always some sort of rational choice
- Every individual ‘flirts with the boundaries of what is acceptable’ - crime can be caused by emotional reasons

Question 5

What is Young’s view?

AO1/2

Answer 5

Late modern approach: ‘Bulimic society’
- In the 1950s and 60s there was a ‘golden age’ of high employment, cultural inclusion, and low crime
- In the 1980s deindustrialisation lead to unemployment and the economic exclusion of workers. Along with pressure to consume, this led to anomie causing people to commit crimes to cope

Question 6

What is Pacione’s study?

AI1/2

Answer 6

• Glasgow had a huge ship building industry
• The collapse of this in the 90s led to high unemployment
• Glasgow was very religious and traditional - women weren’t working as men were breadwinners
• So as men lost their jobs many families fell into poverty
• This led to a masculinity crisis as men felt the need to commit crime to provide for their families - gave them a sense of purpose and needed to survive

Question 7

What was Winslow’s study?

AO1/2

Answer 7

Violent Night: crime is about escapism
- Young WC men in Sutherland who regularly engaged in binge drinking and violence on weekends
- Found that they were in low status and insecure employment
- This was because of deindustrialisation which left them with no sense of identity causing them to bringe drink and commit crime

Question 8

What is the post modernist view on choice?

AO1

Answer 8

• Certain social groups commit more crime because individuals in these groups choose to take on a criminal identity
• e.g. WC women choosing to take on the identity of a prostitute
• e.g. WC ethnic minority boys choosing to identify as drug dealers

Question 9

What is Foucalt’s view?

AO1

Answer 9

• Those with knowledge and power are able to control the discourse on crime
• This is why punishment has shifted from sovereign power to disciplinary power
• Sovereign = control people through threat of force e.g. public hanging, branding
• Disciplinary = psychological - aimed to change the way you think

Question 10

What are examples of disciplinary power?

AO2

Answer 10

• Bentham’s panopticon: every prisoner has to assume that they are being watched due to the layout thus forcing them to be on their best behaviour at all times
• Bauman and Lyon: liquid suveillance - the smallest details of our lives are being monitored thus acting as a form of social control e.g. cookies on phones, social services

Question 11

How has Foucalt’s view influenced how we protect ourselves from crime?

AO3

Answer 11

• Growing emphasis on private crime prevention e.g. fingerprint and facial recognition tech on phones, ring doorbells
• Increased use of informal control agencies e.g. G4S - security company
• Heightened surveillance to monitor everyone not just criminals e.g. CCTV

Question 12

How can we evaluate the post modernist view?

AO3

Answer 12

• Glorifies criminality - how can murder be fun?
• Ignores structural reasons
• Identities are stigmatised - people don’t just choose to take on criminal identities out of their own freewill - there are bigger reasons at play
• Explains white collar, non-utilitarian, and hate crimes - people using their freewill to take on a criminal identity maybe for the thrill of it