sociology- crime and deviance Flashcards
What is social order?
For people to live and work together a certain amount of order is needed
What do functionalists argue about social order?
Based on consensus
What do Marxists argue about social order?
Maintained because of class conflict. The bourgeoisie have power and control to enforce order and influence the law
What are functionalists views on crime and deviance?
-Crime is vital and necessary of all communities
-helps to remind people about boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
-when public come together over a reaction to a major crime, it creates social cohesion
What do Marxists believe about crime and deviance?
-because society is based on values such as materialism, consumerism and competition - an unequal society
-some people cannot earn enough to fit these norms and values , therefore commit illegal activities to get them
What do feminists believe about crime and deviance?
-Women are treated and punished as double deviants - they have firstly broken the law and secondly the norms that govern their gender behaviour
What do interactionalists believe about crime and deviance?
-labelling produces a self-fulfilling prophecy
-social groups create deviance by making rules and applying them to particular people and labelling them as ‘outsiders’
-groups whose social position gives them power are able to label people
-these people see this as a self-fulfilling prophecy
What are the sources of data into crime?
-victim surveys
-self-report studies
-crime survey
-national statistics
How useful are statistics recorded by the police?
-if a crime isn’t witnessed it wont be reported
-many crimes are witnessed and not reported
-the dark figure of crime
What is social control?
Much of our behaviour is socially controlled
What is formal social control?
Based on written rules na flaws
What is informal social control?
Based on unwritten rules and processes such as approval and disapproval
What is class deal?
Material rewards if you work for your wage
What is gender deal?
Material and emotional rewards if you live with a male breadwinner within the family
What are white collar crimes?
crimes committed by people in relatively high-status positions
Who are the functionalists in crime and deviance?
Cohen
Merton
Who are the feminists in crime na deviance?
Carlen
Heidensohn
Who is the interactionalist in crime a deviance?
Becker
Why do fewer women commit crimes?
-less opportunities
-more domestic responsibilities
-may be treated differently in criminal injustice system
Why is women in crime increasing?
-lost a lot of their controls and restraints
-women are not experiencing equality in the workplace place
Why do differences occur in crime involving ethnicity?
-inaccurate statistics
-labelling - racism and stereotyping within the police practice . More ethnic groups are stopped and searched
-linked to their social class, higher levels of crime in the ethnic minority groups could link to the fact they are possibly experiencing crime
-media reinforcing views
Why do difference in crime occur involving class?
-Inaccurate statistics
-socialisation
-material deprivation
-education
-labelling
-white collar crimes
Why do differences occur in crime involving age?
-stays frustration
-peer pressure
-socialisation
-police stereotyping
-subcultural theory
What kind of sociologist was Merton and what did he believe?
-functionalists
5 reasons to strain:
1-conformity - people follow accepted means of success
2-innovation - working class turn to new things to achieve goals of society
3-ritualism - m/class stuck in low paid but respectable jobs
4-retreatism - people who drop out of society
5-rebellion - reject means and goals of society
What type of sociologists was Becker and what did they believe?
-interactionalist
-ideas change over time due to labelling
-once labelled a criminal - can then turn into a master status leading to them having a deviant career
What type of sociologist was A. Cohen and what did they believe?
-functionalists
Looked at working class boys
Found working class become frustrated as they can’t achieve means of society through legitimate
Working class create own deviant subculture
Can’t achieve success through legal means so turn to crime
What type of sociologist was pat carlen and what did they believe?
-feminists
Working class women are controlled by promised rewards
1-class deal - buy goods in return
2-gender deal - for love and domestic labour women get material rewards from male breadwinner
When given no rewards they turn to crime
What type of sociologist was heidensohn and what did they believe?
-feminists
Theorising patriarchy - showed several ways patriarchy exists in society
Private + public spheres
Men are main breadwinners and use this to control women
Women have less opportunity to commit crime than men due to control
