social class and crime

Question 1

Omelade

Answer 1

-36% unemployed when arrested
-43% had no educational qualifications
-60% claiming benefits when sentenced

Question 2

what crimes are less likely to lead to convictions?

Answer 2

-white collar as they involve those in senior positions inc government
-they are committed away from the police gaze and the crimes they commit are underpoliced
-Marxists argue that this reflects broader power structures within society

Question 3

offending, crime and justice survey

Answer 3

-individual circumstances were more important than social class when looking at offending
-single parent, poorly disciplined, friends had been arrested etc (these are the ppl more likely to offend)
-social class has a stronger influence on whether you are criminalised)

Question 4

Miller

Answer 4

-distinct US w/c culture has focal concerns= ‘toughness’, ‘excitement’ etc
-these focal concerns brings them status in wc culture
-pursuit of these focal concerns lead to crime e.g. anti-social behaviour

Question 5

critiques of miller

Answer 5

-out dated
-is there a clear-cut wc culture in today’s society?
-hall et al= w/c values replace by consumerism and it is the pursuit of consumer goods that leads to crime
-criminalisation is a cause of w/c crime, their behaviour is more likely to be defined as criminal compared to the equally illegal actions of the elites (idea supported by self report studies)

Question 6

Chambliss

Answer 6

-saints= m/c, parents were pillars of the community, got away w/ serious offences
-roughnecks= w/c, labelled off pre-existing stereotypes and visibility of wc youth, more likely to be involved in minor crime e.g. theft

Question 7

Newburn & Reiner

Answer 7

-police discretion is important in deciding which law breakers are going to be arrested
-police resources can’t meet demands so they concentrate on stereotypes
-all ppl commit crime but wc crime is more visible/ easy to target

Question 8

Croall

Answer 8

areas w/ w/c homes are more subject to police scrutiny

Question 9

Marxists

Answer 9

-white collar crime is low due to it being out of view from police
-reflects broader power structures in society

Question 10

Tombs and whyte

Answer 10

-corporations have enormous power, making them & their senior managers immune from prosecution even when their crimes cause serious harm
-24k die from air pollution annually

Question 11

conclusion

Answer 11

-people in diff classes commit diff types of crime which are treated differently by the cjs
-impossible to say which classes commit more crime