Sociological Theories of Crime

Question 1

What is Functionalism and which of the sociological theories are functionalist theories?

Answer 1

Functionalists believe society works the way that it is.

They see society as a machine and that for the machine to work efficiently, all parts of the machine need to be working well to serve their function.

Durkheim
Merton’s Strain Theory

Question 2

Explain Durkheim’s theory

Answer 2

Durkheim believed that even crime has an important function in society. He believed crime was inevitable, normal and a necessary aspect of social life. Crime will show up wherever- just in different forms

Question 3

What are the 3 functions of crime according to Durkheim?

Answer 3

Promotes social solidarity

Maintains social boundaries and affirms cultural values

Encourages social change

Question 4

Explain Merton’s Strain theory

Answer 4

His theory focuses on the mismatch between the goals people want in society and the means that society offers to achieve those goals

Society sometimes evolves so quickly that it doesn’t offer people what they need to feel like they belong (anomie)

According to Merton, there are 5 reactions to this strain

Question 5

What are the 5 reactions to strain according to Merton?

Answer 5

Conformity- accepting society’s goals and means
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion- rejecting both and inventing new ways and their own system- overthrowing current government etc

Question 6

What is Marxism?

Answer 6

Karl Marx started the type of theory

Believes that society is based on the economic system of capitalism and as a result is is in a constant state of conflict

Marxists see society as being divided into the capitalist class and the working class.

They believe that the ruling class ( AKA the Capitalist class AKA predominantly first class) oppresses the working class in order to maximise the amount of profit they make.

They believe the whole system is based on the exploitation of the working class.

To provide what their employers do not, those who cannot afford the basic necessities of life may turn to crime.

As a way of expressing their anger and frustration at their exploitation, the working class may sometimes resort to violence and criminal damage.

Marxist believe these things are to be expected.

Question 7

Define capitalism

Answer 7

An economic system

Allows a free market, anyone can enter the market and there’s nothing stopping someone from doing that. Makes everything competitive and gives customers a range of choice and a vast amount of options.

Question 8

What are the two causes of crime according to Marxists?

Answer 8

Capitalism itself

The powerful dictate the definition of and enforcement of crime

Question 9

Explain why Marxists believe capitalism itself causes crime.

Answer 9

Capitalism itself

• Motivation and desire
• affects all classes
• Working class see what they do not have, but could, and are then tempted into crime
• Middle and upper classes want more, or a purely just bored and resort to crime

Question 10

Explain why Marxists believe the powerful dictate the definition of and enforcement of crime causes crime.

Answer 10

The powerful dictate the definition of and enforcement of crime

• The powerful (the ruling/capitalist/first class) are the ones who decide the law and have significant influence over how it is enforced
• They force the working class to accept their position through rigorously (strictly) enforcing laws against the types of crime the working class typically commit- like street crime for example
• This as a result, pushes the working class into a cycle of criminality and imprisonment

Question 11

What is interactionism and what sociological theories are interactionist theories?

Answer 11

A sociological theory that focuses on the meaning we attach to people’s behaviour
Interactionists are primarily concerned with how deviance is created by society, or the social construction of crime

Becker’s labelling theory and Cicourel’s typifications

Lemert: The Deviant Career

Question 12

Explain Becker’s labelling theory

Answer 12

Labelling is attaching a meaning to something or someone.

His theory looks at how and why certain acts are labelled as deviant. No act is inherently criminal- it only becomes criminal when it is labelled as so

Some acts have two completely different labels attached to it.
Drugs- in hospitals/ doctors vs self administered/ bought on the streets
Murder- in war vs not at war
Boxing is legal, but punching someone out of a ring isn’t.

Question 13

Define primary deviance

Answer 13

An act not publicly labelled as deviant- most of us have committed one of these at some point, but without the labelling our lives go on undisturbed.

Question 14

Define secondary deviance

Answer 14

An act that has been labelled as deviant and the person who did the act is now also labelled as (known as) deviant- witnessed and found out about by someone else- can lead to a deviant career

Question 15

Explain Cicourel’s typification theory

Answer 15

Whether we get labelled depends on: background and appearance, circumstances of the offence, how someone interacts with police & courts

Cicourel (1968)- Police officers’ decisions to arrest is influenced by stereotypes- so called typifications
Working class
Clothing- tracksuit
Unemployed
Uneducated
Males
Ethical minorities
Youth 13-25

Question 16

Explain Lemert’s theory of the deviant career and self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 16

Becker and Cicourel’s work on labelling and came up with the idea of primary & secondary deviance
The way society/ others react to someone labelled as deviant may have a big effect on that person’s status and identity- may lead to further acts

Labelling people as deviant tends to
Nobody recognises the other aspects of their personality / their other statuses- so they go through a crisis of identity (self concept)- if they can’t shake off the deviant status they will adopt it (adopt the Lemert expanded upon master status) they then ‘play this role’

This may result in self-fulfilling prophecy, where the person accepts the label and carries out other deviant acts

Question 17

Explain the ‘steps’ of the deviant career in order.

Answer 17

Individual cannot get a job so deviant act committed

Agency of social control identifies the act committed as
a deviant act

individual labelled as deviant

Stigmatisation from the community

Individual develops a master status

Self-concept/crisis of identity

Individual accepts deviant identity

Individual commits another deviant act

Individual joins a deviant subculture

Question 18

Briefly explain right realism and the type of views they hold.

Answer 18

Focuses on wiping away crime altogether, by together measures on the individual.
-tradition
-nuclear families
-fascism etc
-Conservatism- Commitment to traditional ideas and values, opposition to change or innovation
Zero tolerance- sets an example- deterrent

Question 19

What are the 3 causes of crime according to right realists? Explain them.

Answer 19

Biology- Blame low IQ as a cause of crime. Wilson & Hernstein (1985) bio-social theory of crime- saw biological/ personality differences (like aggression, extroversion, risk taking and low impulse control) as linked to crime.

Socialisation- Effective socialisation can reduce any biological risks of criminality, as it teaches them self-control and morals values. Believe the nuclear family (mother and father) is best for effective socialisation. Charles Murray (1990)

Rational choice- Rational Choice theory- Ron Clarke (1980)- Committing a crime is a choice based on consequences. If the cost is lowers that the benefit of crime, people are likely to commit crime. They argue the cost for committing crimes is too low and sentences are too lenient bad socialisation as a cause of bad decision-making.

Question 20

Briefly explain left realism and the type of views they hold.

Answer 20

Focuses on a subtle reduction of crime, by tackling inequalities that people face and that causes them to commit crime. Strive for an equal society

• progress
• equality
• human & civil rights
• multiculturalism
• liberalism

Question 21

What are the 3 causes of crime according to left realists?

Answer 21

Marginalisation
Relative Deprivation- can cause people to either commit crime or to not commit crime.
Subcultures- Subcultures resort to crime when legitimate opportunities of achieving their goals are blocked

Question 22

What is relative deprivation?

Answer 22

Being deprived of something e.g resources, opportunities, educational

This gives them a disadvantage compared to others

This could cause people to both commit crimes and not commit crimes.

Typically group of people or area

Question 23

What is marginalisation?

Answer 23

The treatment of a person, group or concept as insignificant.

Question 24

Give a case study that can be applied to one of these sociological theories.

Answer 24

Nick Leeson

Marxism

Question 25

What is meant by the term anomie, and what theory does it relate to?

Answer 25

Society sometimes evolves so quickly that it doesn’t offer people what they need to feel like they belong

Merton’s Strain Theory