Sociology - C&D - Social distribution - age

Question 1

What studies from 1994 can be used to research age and crime?

Answer 1

Farrington and West, Newburn and Hagel

Question 2

What studies from 2004 can be used to research age and crime?

Answer 2

Presdee “burning issues”, McVie “Edinburgh study on age”, Soothill

Question 3

How much crime data from the official statistics and self reports indicate is committed by young people?

Answer 3

0.5

Question 4

What age group is most burglary, street robbery, violence, shoplifting and criminal damage committed by?

Answer 4

17-24

Question 5

What is the peak age for committing crimes for males?

Answer 5

18

Question 6

What is the peak age for committing crimes for females?

Answer 6

15

Question 7

What research method did Farrington and West (1994) use?

Answer 7

self reports

Question 8

What did Farrington and West use self reports for?

Answer 8

to plot the amounts and types of offending of a sample of participants over time

Question 9

What did Farrington and West note from their self report studies?

Answer 9

The variables and factors that were associated with criminal offending

Question 10

When was crime found to be greater?

Answer 10

during periods of unemployment

Question 11

How many males in london up to 32 years had been convicted for at least one criminal offence?

Answer 11

36894

Question 12

What was the Longitudinal Research Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (1960) set up for?

Answer 12

To examine self reports and offending

Question 13

How many males born between 1951-1954 were investigated?

Answer 13

400

Question 14

What percentage of the 400 men investigated in Farrington and West’s research admitted to committing at least one criminal offence?

Answer 14

0.9

Question 15

Cumulative presence of offending in farrington and west

Answer 15

as the male mature more offending was apparent and they tended to specialise in a crime as they got older

Question 16

What did Farrington and West find the take-off age for offending was?

Answer 16

14

Question 17

What age did Farrington and West find offending decreased?

Answer 17

by 23

Question 18

What crimes did Farrington and West find declined as offenders reached their 20s?

Answer 18

theft, burglary, criminal damage

Question 19

What crimes did Farrington and West find did not decline with age?

Answer 19

assault, drug offences and fraud.

Question 20

What did Farrington and West find could predict offending rates?

Answer 20

self report studies

Question 21

What did Farrington and West find the main variables that could help predict the social characteristics of offenders?

Answer 21

large family size, low family income, poor housing

Question 22

What are the disadvantages of Farrington and Wests self report longitudinal studies?

Answer 22

• Rely on offender telling the truth which is problematic. - Older males excluded so no insight on white collar crime. (Marx and Croall) - Roshier criticises use of self report studies in school and due to frequency - Drop out rate due to longevity of the research - Ignores females

Question 23

What are the advantages of Farrington and West self report longitudinal study?

Answer 23

+ Can follow an individual through their life so shows social characteristics of crime + Insightful self reports

Question 24

What did Newburn and Hagel (1994) use to research offenders?

Answer 24

Self report studies, commissioned by the Home Office Research and planning unit

Question 25

How many participants were in the Newburn and Hagel (1994) self report study?

Answer 25

531 aged 10-16 and 74 of these were interviewed

Question 26

What was the sample of Newburn and Hagel's (1994) study based on?

Answer 26

That they had been arrested at least 3 times in 1992. The issue of reoffending was of concern.

Question 27

What general findings were seen in Newburn and Hagel's (1994) study?

Answer 27

The majority did not specialise in one particular type of crime and those with the widest range tended to commit it with others.

Question 28

What percentage of crime was committed with other people who all knew each other (Newburn and Hagel (1994))?

Answer 28

0.75

Question 29

What percentage of crime was committed whilst on police bail (Newburn and Hagel (1994))?

Answer 29

0.6

Question 30

What percentage of participants in Newburn and Hagel's (1994) study admitted to committing violent crime?

Answer 30

0.33

Question 31

What did the Newburn and Hagel (1994) study reveal when compared to police recorded crime?

Answer 31

Greater offending rates and drug use to be under reported by police statistics. Much of the sample used drugs.

Question 32

What are the issues with Newburn and Hagel's (1994) study?

Answer 32

- It is problematic and nor representative as only based in London and Midlands. - Criticised for only looking at young males and not older males. no white collar crime

Question 33

What are the advantages of Newburn and Hagel's (1994) study?

Answer 33

+ Favoured by Positivist, Interpretivist and Realist sociologists + Useful for building a profile of young male criminals

Question 34

Who made Social control theory?

Answer 34

Hirschi (1969)

Question 35

What type of sociologist is Hirschi?

Answer 35

Right realist

Question 36

Why does Hirschi argue that as people get older they commit less crime?

Answer 36

Because they have acquired controls that make them think seriously about crime had its impacts

Question 37

What type of decision does Hirschi argue crime is?

Answer 37

A rational decision whereby criminals weigh up the costs and benefits of crime

Question 38

According to Hirschi, as a person gets older, what is there for committing crime?

Answer 38

Greater costs such as losing their job, reputation or ruining their stronger bonds with family and friends

Question 39

In what ways does Hirschi argue that young people are less likely to have strong bonds?

Answer 39

They may try to gain independence from parents and loosen the bonds they have. May not have romantic relationships

Question 40

What impact does Hirschi's idea that young people have less strong bonds on their committing of crime?

Answer 40

Less controls and social bonds so more likely to commit crime

Question 41

What are the advantages of Social control theory?

Answer 41

+ Evidence to support by Quinton (1993) + Evidence from Sampson (1990) + Support from Hernstein and Wilson (1985), Shaw and McKay

Question 42

What are the disadvantages of social control theory?

Answer 42

- Fails to explain why young adults turn to crime - Post modernists and Lyng disagree with the idea that crime is rational

Question 43

Quinton (1993)

Answer 43

Supports social control theory. Regular offenders without a stable relationship in young adulthood were more likely to stop offending than those who don't as young people had strong social bond with a significant person and were scared to lose it. So young people with solid relationships are less likely to continue being criminal.

Question 44

Sampson (1990)

Answer 44

Supports social control theory. Offenders who found a steady job were more likely to stop offending.

Question 45

Hernstein and Wilson (1985)

Answer 45

Supports social control theory. High proportion of young males live in inner city areas so have more opportunities for crime. They are temperamentally aggressive and more predisposed. Supported by Shaw and Mckay

Question 46

Shaw and McKay

Answer 46

Supports Hernstein and Wilson (1985) and social support theory. High proportions of young males committed crime in Chicago in the 1930s because young aggressive males live close to the city centre where there is high opportunities for crime.

Question 47

What did S. Lyng (1990) research?

Answer 47

Edgework

Question 48

Edgework

Answer 48

Young males put themselves in risky circumstances to enjoy being on the edge of danger

Question 49

Why do young males partake in edgework?

Answer 49

The world has mundane rationality and they seek to experience a loss of control. they may find themselves in a hyper reality which seems more real to them.

Question 50

Who tried to understand youth culture from a marxist perspective?

Answer 50

CCCS (Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies)

Question 51

What did Presdee (2004) research?

Answer 51

Burning issues, young people and the fascination for fire

Question 52

What did Presdee (2004) find in England and Wales?

Answer 52

There are 2,100 fires which are started deliberately per week resulting in 2 deaths on average and £40 million.