Sociological Theories Flashcards
What is a structural Sociological theory of criminality
Marxism
Who do Marxist believe are exploited and who by?
The Polertariat by the Bourgoeise
What type of crime do Marxists believe are ignored
Crimes committed by the higher class
What are the 4 key elements to the Marxists theory
Law enforcement
Ideology of capitalism
Crime + control
Basis of law
Give two advantages of Marxism theory
Explains power differences and how these affect deviance / crime
Critics functionalist perspective
Give three disadvantages of Marxism theory
Individuals have different motivation for committing crimes
Shouldn’t be little crime
Ignores the complexity of law making
Name one sociological theory regarding interactionism
Labelling
What does labelling lead to
The self - fulfilling prophecy
Who created the labelling theory
Becker
Give two advantages of labelling theory
Show that law isn’t a fix set of rules to be taken for granted
Shows that law is often enforced in discriminatory ways
Gives two disadvantages of labelling theory
Fails to explain why people commit deviance in the first place before they are labelled
Tends to be too deterministic - implying that once someone is labelled a deviant career is ienevitable
What is right realism
Belief that individuals make rational choices to commit crime
What is left realism
Is one political ideology that focuses on the causes on crime and deviance
What theorist supports right realism
Murray
What policy did right realism bring in
Zero tolerance - harsher punishments
