Subcultural theories of crime

Question 1

How does Cohen (1955) agree with Merton?

Answer 1

He says its also mostly a lower-class phenomenon, and also the inability of people to achieve mainstream goals by legitimate means.

Question 2

How does Cohen criticise Merton?

Answer 2

• Ignores that much deviance is committed in groups.

- Ignores crime that have no economic motive.

Question 3

How does status frustration come about?

Answer 3

• Suffer from cultural deprivation and skills to achieve, leaving them at the bottom of the legitimate hierarchy.
• Unable to achieve status by legitimate means –> status frustration.

Question 4

What is the response to status frustration?

Answer 4

Join a delinquent subculture

Question 5

How does this subculture present itself?

Answer 5

Inverts shared values, e.g. truanting instead of turning up to class.
Subculture offers an illegitimate opportunity structure, in which status can be achieved.

Question 6

Evaluate, positively and negatively, Cohen’s status frustration idea.

Answer 6

:) - It explains non-utilitarian crime.
:( - Assumes w/c start off with m/c values.
:( - Miller (1962); lower w/c always had own independent subculture = never had mainstream goals.
:( - Matza demonstrated that delinquents weren’t committed to delinquent values.

Question 7

According to Cloward and Ohlin, how does deviance come about?

Answer 7

As a response to being denied legitimate opportunities to achieve monetary gains.

Question 8

Cloward and Ohlin say there is unequal success to what 2 types of opportunity structures?

Answer 8

1) Legitimate - society’s.

2) Illegitimate - criminal organisations.

Question 9

Cloward and Ohlin (1960) say there are how many subcultures? Describe them.

Answer 9

1) ‘Criminal subcultures’ - learning opportunity and career structure of which one can obtain money.
- Well established adult hierarchy.
- Can ascend up the ladder.
2) ‘Conflict subcultures’ - areas of high population turnover = high levels of social disorganisation, preventing stable criminal network materialising.
- Illegitimate means with loosely organised subcultures, demonstrated by gang warfare, violence.
- Provides a release for pent up anger, and a chance to obtain status.
3) ‘Retreatist subcultures’ - ‘double failures’, fail to succeed in mainstream society and above mentioned cultures.
- drug addiction, theft, prostitution.

Question 10

Criticise Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 10

• Ignores power structures in who makes and enforces the law.
• Boundaries of diifferent subcultures seemingly overlap. South (2014) - drugs sold by mafia style criminals and those from retreatist subcultures.
• Assumes values are shared.

Question 11

Miller says working class subculture has ___ concerns?

Answer 11

Focal

Question 12

Name the 5 focal concerns

Answer 12

1) Toughness/masculinity
2) Autonomy/freedom
3) Smartness
4) Trouble
5) (Search for) Excitement
These all carry a risk of law-breaking.
Search for status = exaggeration of such values, i.e. over-conforming to this subculture.

Question 13

What theory did Matza come up with?

Answer 13

Delinquency and drift

Question 14

What is delinquency and drift?

Answer 14

People drifting in and out of criminal behaviours.

- all have subterranean values; capable of committing crimes in certain situations

Question 15

If caught offending, whats the term for tactics used to justify actions of wrong doing?

Answer 15

Techniques of neutralisation

Question 16

What are the 5 techinques of neutralisation?

Answer 16

1) Denial of victim - e.g. ‘they started it’.
2) Denial of injury - e.g. ‘that didn’t hurt that much’
3) Denial of responsibility - e.g. being drunk
4) Condemning the condemners - e.g. throwing first punch is worse.
5) Appeal to higher loyalty - e.g. standing up to bullying.

These people are still committed to mainstream values, it’s just that they mean drift for the excitement, status or sense of identity, or all three.

Question 17

What theory did Messner and Rosenfeld (2001) come up with?

Answer 17

Institutional Anomie (Theory).

Question 18

What is the institutional anomie theory?

Answer 18

• ‘American Dream’ obsesses with money success, with a winner-takes-all strategy.
• Economic goals undermine other institutions, e.g preparing labour force instead of respect for others.
• Free-market capitalism + low welfare provision = high crime rates

Question 19

Which 3 Sociologists back up the institutional anomie theory and how do they?

Answer 19

Downes + Hansen (2006) - on a study of 18 countries, societies that spent more on welfare had lower rates of imprisonment.
Savelsberg (1995) - notes that post-communist countries saw an increase in crime rates after the 1989 fall.
- Collective conscience –> replaced with individualism.

Question 20

What is Hirschi’s (1969) control/social bonds theory?

Answer 20

• We all suffer from weaknesses making us unable to resist crime.
• However, social bonds make us exercise self-control.
  = if these bonds are weakened/broke, crime may be the result.

Question 21

How’s Hirschi theory different from most theories?

Answer 21

He looks at what makes people not commit crime, as opposed to the other side.

Question 22

What are the 4 bonds of Hirschi’s theory?

Answer 22

1) ‘Involvement’ - kept busy by leisure = no time/opportunity.
2) ‘Commitment’ - committed to conventional activities like working, raising a family etc.
- don’t wish to throw this away so conform.
3) ‘Attachment’ - to those around us like friends and family; and are sensitive/interested in their wishes and interests.
4) ‘Belief’ - moral beliefs such as respect for right of others and obedience to law

Theory later extended to include situational variables (if a crime is to be committed).

Question 23

Evaluate Hirschi’s control theory?

Answer 23

:) - Recognises importance of socialisation and self-control.
:( - Assumes deviants have broken away from mainstream values, whilst Merton + Matza suggest a lack of commitment.
:( - Why do weaker bonds exist in the first place? Why do all those with weaker bonds not turn to crime?
:( - Doesn’t explain variety of forms of crime and deviance.
:( - Doesn’t recognise it is possible to have tight social bonds and be deviant.
:( - Suggests we’re all underlying criminals; therefore justifying control and monitoring –> unwarranted harassment from surveillance = undermine respect for law –> weaken social bonds.