terms for test #2 Flashcards
what is agency?
you have free will, you can do as you want
what is social structure?
certain social forces that control you to some degree, you are born into it
what is social structure theory?
in society being economically disadvantaged is the primary cause of crime, the social structure that operates pushes people towards crime
what are some characteristics that make people predisposed to crime?
their certain values, the neighbourhood that one is living in, and their class
what is the social disorganization theory?
the physical and social environment that people live in, how does that affect your life opportunities?
what is the strain theory?
the conflict of goals and the means that they have to achieve their goals, this unequal distribution of wealth and power
what is cultural deviance theory?
places this huge emphasizes on looking at subcultures
what was the explain that prof provided for social disorganization theory?
regent park, area in Toronto for subsidized housing
the main problem- rundown housing, the social fabric of the community feels tor
what was redevelopment within the social disorganization theory, and why can it be problematic?
gentrification- tearing down lower class areas, to put in new buildings to attractive middle/upper class
the problem- you are displacing lower class individuals and pushing them further away as they can’t afford the new structure.
T/F: Crime rates are linked to ecological charactertistics?
yes, where there is social disorganization, people don’t build that sense of community. Usually in places that have a high- level of mix-use building residential and commercial buildings
what does transient mean?
you are there temporary to get your footing and then move to a new area, usually immigrants or students
what is the disadvantage with being transient?
you are likely uninterested in the community, there is this sense of challenge to informal social control and people don’t look after other families
who coined the term concentric zones?
Shaw and McKay
what does the term concentric zones mean?
it is a measure to see where crime often happens, within the zones 1 and 2 (there is a lot of poverty) as you move further out the zones the less crime that happens
what are the transitional zones within the concentric zones?
well zones 1 and 2 is where you typically see the highest crime rates, a number of foreign born citizens, many cultures and value systems
what is an interesting finding about the concentric transitional zone?
different groups move in and out, but the zones 1 and two always have the highest crime rate and don’t follow those people.
Suggesting that crime is a fixture of poverty not based on their ethnicity
what are transitional neighbourhoods?
people coming in and leaving, you see a lot of poverty, excessive changes within the neighbourhoods
what is collective efficacy?
a high level of connectedness and mutual trust, the willingness of residents to intervene and enforce norms - particularly preventing crime
what is an example of strain theories?
if you have a strain happening you will likely have a frustration or resentment towards your society, to reduce the amount of strain one will turn to deviant means to acheive their goals
what is the most enduring theory in criminality?
Anomie theory coined by merton
what does Emile Durkhiem mean when he says anomie?
people feel this state of normlessness, loss of direction, they feel disconnected from societal standards and values
social problems are because people can’t adjust to the change
what does Merton mean when he says anomie?
in a society that does not provide sufficient means to acheive the goals within society, are going to create problems such as crime
what are the anomic conditions according to merton?
a situation where people feel a sense of loss in direction, and meet that strain by adjusting in different ways (criminally)
what is the American dream?
you go to school, you work hard and get a job to have a sense of wealth
what is innovation?
this tends to come to mind for most criminals, Goal + and Means -
what is ritualist?
someone who has given up on the goal but are willing to work hard, Goal - and Means +
what is the retreatist?
they have abandoned the means and goals, a drug addict who just wakes and bakes, Goals - and Means -
what is the rebelion?
have rejected the goals and means and have accepted new ones
what is the general strain theory?
rather than merton who takes a macro approach, agnew takes on this micro approach and looks at individual relations between society
what does the general strain theory focus on?
focuses on the negative relationships that people establish with each other and how that negative emotional can lead to criminal solutions
what are the four main sources within the general strain theory?
- failure to achieve positively valued goals
- disjunction of one aspirations and expectations within society
- removal of positively valued stimuli
- presentations of negative stimuli
what does the 1 source of general strain theory suggest
the way we perceive others as a way of preventing us to achieve our goals
what does the 2 source of general strain theory suggest?
wealth and fame, being passed along in school or being held back, the person compares there situation to someone who seems better off
what does the 3 source of general strain theory suggest?
something is taken away from you and you blame it on someone else- loss of a boyfriend
what does the 4 source of general strain theory suggest?
relationships with others cases a negative even to happen; the kid who had a horrible home and school life, shoots up the school
what is the worst emotion that leads people to antisocial behaviour?
anger, it is a very motivating type of emotion that produces this desire for revenge, energizes action
what is cultural deviance?
criminal behaviour is an expression of conformity to lower-class subcultural values and traditions, the values make individuals more predisposed to crime
what is cultural transmission?
has everything to do with socialization, a cycle of crime that is socialized amongst generations
what is subculture focal concerns?
lower-class male youth (miller) focuses on in particular with how they are obedient to values that have evolved and allows them to maintain a lifestyle that allows then to live in poor conditions
what are some focal concerns that young-males abide to?
trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, autonomy
what is the theory of delinquent subcultures?
coined by (cohen), when you are raised within different class cultures, you identify with the values, language and skill set as your parents
what is the middle class measuring rod?
teachers are holding up this rod, the children from middle/ upper classes get more attention and the lower-class youth find themselves unable to compete
what is differential opportunity theory?
coined by (cloward and ohlin), interested in the goal means gap, interested in why people engage in certain forms of delinquency over others
what is crime stables areas within differential opportunity theory?
professional criminals eg (drug traffickers)
what are conflict gang within differential opportunity theory?
achieving success through displays of toughness and aggression
what are retreatist gang within differential opportunity theory?
double failure, groups of people in homelessness
what is socialization ?
the process of human development and enculturation
what is enculturation?
you become a member of your society’s culture
what is social process theory?
the view that criminality is a function of people’s interactions with various organizations, institution’s and processes in society
so what makes social process theory different from the others that we have learned in previous weeks?
all people regardless of gender, class, race all have potential to become delinquent or criminals
what are the critical elements within the social process theory?
family, school, peer groups and religion
the most important- family because they are primary socializers
what is individuation ?
trying to differentiate yourself from your parents- when rebellion happens
what are social learning theories?
crime is a learned behaviour, people learn attitudes and techniques of crime from close relationships with peers that are criminal
ex: people are born good and learn to be bad
what are the subset theories of social learning theory?
differential association theory and neutralizations theory
who is differential association theory coined from?
became a theory in the mid 1900’s, Edwin Sutherland who is very influential
what did Edwin Sutherland focus on directly?
focused on white collar crimes which is why he believes that crime can’t be based on economic status
what is differential association theory?
criminality is learned through contact with pro-crime values, attitudes, definitions, and other patterns of criminal behaviour
how and who we associate with
what are the first 4 principles to differential association theory?
- criminal behaviour is learnt
- learned through interactions
- learnt mainly through close relationships (friends and family)
- learning technique’s, motives, drives, and rationalizations
what are the last 5 principles to differential association theory?
- directions of motives is learned perception of the legal code as favourable
- become criminal as excess of definitions in favour of violating laws and norms
- can vary in frequency, duration, priority (how early in life), and intensity
- criminal learning process same as any other
- criminals are not so different from you and I
who is neutralization theory coined by?
Sykes and Matza: they were interested in studying juvenile delinquent’s wanting to know the reasons behind their thought process
what part of Sutherlands principles did Syke and Matza pull from?
they pulled from part 4B, which talks about the rationalization process
what is neutralization theory?
the view that delinquents often use linguist constructions (excuses or rationalizations) to reduce the guilt resulting from their delinquent behaviour
what are some key points of neutralization theory?
- question distinct deviant subculture
- the importance of drift
- the purpose of neutralize conventional morality
what is the first technique of neutralization theory?
denial of responsibility: forces beyond the offender’s control (the devil made me do it)
what is the second technique of neutralization theory?
denial of injury: crime was not harmful to others (they are not going to miss the money)
what is the third technique of neutralization theory?
denial of the victim: offenders accept responsibility for their actions and acknowledge the harmful consequences, but suggest that the victims were to blamed
ex: he deserved it
what is the fourth technique of neutralization theory?
condemnation of the condemners: a claim questioning the legitimacy of those doing the blaming (reversing the blame) speeding
what is the fifth technique of neutralization theory?
appeal to higher loyalties: some offenders maintain that their actions were necessary in order to meet more important obligations ( i had to feed my family, my god told me to)
what examples of the techniques came up in the cheese cake video from friends?
- denial of injury (cheese company is losing)
-denial of the victim (she clearly didn’t want it)
-denial of responsibility (they have been compelled to eat the cheesecake
trying to neutralize conventional morality (she will get sick)
what is a critique of the neutralization theory?
did the thought process occurred before or after the fact
what is social control theory?
crime that occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken
we need our needs met, we need to be controlled by society otherwise
what example did he give of freud’s id?
the id is like a baby- they don’t care about the other person, want what they want and when they want
what is informal social control?
casual methods of coercion employed by community members to maintain conformity (family)
what is formal social control?
convention methods within the criminal justice system which are used to maintain social control
who is containment theory coined by and what is it?
reckless, and it is the many factors that can “pull” or “push” people into crime
what are inner containments ?
effective socialization and internalization of rules of acceptable behaviour
is inner containments very important?
yes it is very important, to have a positive self concept, internalizing the conformist rules of what you are supposed to do and being able to have that self control
what are outer containments?
your primary groups that help to ensure that delinquent behaviour does not occur
what is theory of the bond?
hirschi, criminal tendency ties to the weakening of the ties that bind people to conventional criminality
what are the four social bonds within the theory of the bond?
attachment: attaching to conformist others to not disappoint them
commitment: time, energy and the effort that we put into conventional behaviour
involvement: the more time you are engaged inn conformity and conventional the less time you have to be deviant
Belief: do you buy into the conventional and morals within our belief system
what is labelling (social reaction) theory, Becker and Lemert
people become criminals when labelled that way, and the labels are accepted by the person so labelled
what type of interaction does labelling theory focus on?
they focus on the micro interactions that we have with others, and how we identify ourselves
what is the looking-glass self?
society is a social mirror, how I understand myself is by seeing the reflection of how others see me
when you get labeled- you see yourself as how others see you
what does Becker say about crime and deviance?
it is what society says it is, isn’t criminal until defined otherwise
ex: changing legal definition’s (abortion, weed..)
what are differential enforcement?
laws are differentially enforced, based on social status and social distance
crimes of the poor are subject to harsher reactions than crimes of the powerful
what is stigma?
a sense of negative self-worth that spoils someone’s identity (the badge of dishonor)
can you be stigmatized from hanging out with someone who is criminal?
yes of course you can, let’s say your father is criminal, the apple doesn’t fall far down from the tree
apart of labelling theory what is primary deviance?
you don’t get discovered, sense of self doesn’t get affected
apart of labelling theory what is secondary deviance?
you do get discovered and that affects your sense of self and relationships
what is peer conflict theory?
inequalities that we have in society (all forms rather than just economic)
what is the radical theory?
it is the marxist theory which focuses on the economic struggle
what is social conflict?
conflict that comes in many forms and occurs at many levels within society
what are some examples of social conflict?
well it can be destructive (such as violence, or war) but it also can be functional when results result in positive change
what was the image that he used for the social conflict example?
he showed an image one of the the largest virgin rainforests that we have, the government wanted to build on, but indigenous groups were chaining themselves to tree’s “you’ll have to get through us”
what is critical criminology?
it is a broad array of theories and perspective’s grounded in the understanding that crime is a function of social conflict
when does critical criminology take off?
in the 1960-70’s when other social movements are popular such as gay, black and women rights
what was the focus of critical criminology?
focuses on the inequalities within our society
people can only be subjected to marginalization for so long before they push back
law is understood as an..
instrument of power used by those that control society in order to maintain wealth, social position and class advantage
what does critical criminology suggest about most serious crimes?
most of society is focused on crimes that are pity things, the most serious crimes that we have are those that create the conditions that led people to desperation, violence and substance abuse
what does critical criminology suggest about these conditions?
they are deemed to be structural, biases within the criminal justice system, social structure leads people to do things at a behavioural level that is structured and determined
how does conflict promote crime? what would critical criminologist say?
by functioning as a mechanism to control have-not members of society by the wealth who maintain power
conflict is just the reaction to the unfair conditions within our society
when did peer conflict theory come into prominence?
in the 1960’s, when self report was more popular and din’t just base off of official data (police reporting data)
what is the problem with police report data?
if the situation is equal: let’s say stealing a car, one person presents as lower class and the other one is presenting as middle/upper
polices officers will be more likely to charge the “bad” law
within peer conflict theory it is suggested that criminal law is being used to serve who?
the powerful rather than the poor and marginalized
so we must fight and push back against unfair laws
what is the definition of power relations?
power is the ability to determine or control other people despite their resistance
what is the social reality of crime according to quinney?
the creation of laws to benefit themselves by suppressing others, crime is ultimately inevitable and if there is conflict you will have crime
what does quinney say about criminals?
he says that most criminals are people who pushed towards crime because they have not been able to achieve the goals that society has set at the benchmark
what was an interesting statistic of the MMIWG?
indigenous women make up about 3 or 4% of the Canadian population, and being murdered and missing at 22%
what is the radical theory?
well marx argues that our conflict is rather created by capitalism, it was the mode of production that shaped social life
what is a stance that marx would take to explain criminals?
well he would say that the terrible working conditions led the proletariat to alcohol, drugs, prostitution, theft and violence to make a way of living
what would marx argue about the rich and the powerful?
that they determine the economic things in society and what is deemed as criminal
what is instrumental marxism?
argues that the state and criminal justice system are tools of capitalist to maintain or build their advantage
criminal law and the justice system are solely an instrument for controlling the poor
what is structural marxism?
doesn’t matter who commits the crime, trying to defend the capitalist system as a whole, anything that threaten’s that is seen as criminal
the law is used to protect the economic structure
what is peacemaking criminology?
1980’s, the idea comes from philosophical, religious and indigenous ways of justice
what is a sentencing circle?
something that Indigenous communities started, everyone who is deemed to be a stakeholder comes up with an effective solution; offenders and victims come together
trying to work out what constitutes as a form of restoration
how are violent punishments seen within peacemaking criminology?
well they are seen as problematic, instead of that we need to have a criminal justice system where we have mutual aid, violent punishment could rather encourage more crime
what is restorative justice?
not focused on the damage done to the state but to the people, humanism and non-punitive strategies, to prevent and control future acts of crime
what is the purpose of restorative justice and what could be an example?
trying to remove the labels from victims and offenders which can be productive
ex: if a child steals something, have them pay for it, clean up the mess and work for free
what if the restorative justice works and how can that be beneficial?
it can be less costly and fix the problems created within the criminal justice system
what coined trait theory?
cesare lombroso
what is the trait theory?
focuses on cesare lombrosos theory of atavism
argues that some people are just born criminals are predisposed to crime based off biological traits (foreheads, large jaws and k9 teeth)
where does cesare lombroso trait theory lead us?
well many of the traits that he identified with being criminal has no linkage to crime but rather ones diet and or environment
who is edmund wilson?
he created the sociobiology theory, which argues that biological traits explain the origin and development of our social behaviour
what would be an example of sociobiology theory?
living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood people are unable to control their criminal tendency, biological traits have them act in such a way that they can’t help themselves
what is contemporary trait theory?
there is no single trait that causes crime, in some cases people have inherited poor self control, inability to suppress gratification, neurology problems, blood chemistry disorder
can both biological and social factors be involved with contemporary trait theory?
yes, some traits you are born with at birth and some traits can get awakened by one’s social environment
what are the two aspects that we focus on within the biological trait theory?
- biochemical diet
- hormonal influences
what is the biochemical diet?
hoe diet affects someone’s criminal behaviour
what is the twinkie defense?
the person experience’s diminished mental capacity due to the over-consumption of junk food
ex: (dan white), his over-consumption is what led him to not think straight
conflict theorist would say maybe it was because one of the victims was openly gay..
why do males offend more than women?
the difference between aggression between males and females is through hormones
what are the high hormone levels?
males are more thrill seeking after the age 11 years because testosterone is increased which causes them to seek more stimulation
what is a link to the aging out process and hormones?
well male crime tends to decrease dramatically as they get older which their testosterone levels also decrease
what are genetic explanations for crime?
they look at the pre social factors, looking at the genes that someone inherited that influence criminal outcome’s
what are two different things we can look at within genetic explanations?
twin studies- looking at fraternal twins in different environments, if one is criminal most likely other will be as well
karyotype studies- something in terms of chromosomes that are linked to crime, could be an extra (x or y)
so if crime is inherited, what should we do with the children of violence-prone criminals?
well we could put them in workshops to put them on the path of going away from criminal activity
what is the problem with putting criminal-prone children in workshops to make them non criminal?
well it can go along the same lines as residential schools (removing the “savagery”)
it also can go with the idea of eugenics, forced sterilization, those who are superior genetically are the ones we want to breed
what are constitution explanations?
focuses on the interplay of physic, temperament and criminality
what are the three somatotypes (body structures) within constitution explanations?
endomorph (soft and round); sociable and outgoing
mesomorphic (muscular and triangle build): adventurous and competitive
ectomorphic (fragile and thin): restrained and introverted
what is psychological traitor theories (sigmund) ?
includes things like intelligence, personality and learning links to criminality
what is the psychodynamic perspective?
going into the ed directly, argues that human personality is controlled by an unconscious mental process developed in early childhood
what is an ed according to freud?
seeking instant gratification this unconscious drive; food, drinks, sex
what is the ego according to freud?
developed early in life when a child learns that they can’t always get their way (balances the ed and superego)
what is the superego according to freud?
develops as result of the moral standards of society and our parents, taking on those values that judge your behaviour
what can a weak ego gives us?
can’t cope with the conventions of society, being easily controlled by the ed
what can a weak superego give us?
to not understand the consequences of our actions within society
what does august aichhorn say about psychodynamics of criminality?
societal stress cannot cause criminality on its own there has to be a predisposition
what is behavioural theory?
behaviour is learned through learning experience’s
what is classical conditioning?
we learn behaviour through positive and negative stimuli
what is social learning theory? (albert bendura)
people are not born with the ability to act violently, they learn through their experience’s and learning that there is no consequences to their actions
what is behavioural modelling?
learning behaviour by observing others, seeing others submissions and no negative association
ex: domestic abuse, mother submits to father, police doesn’t get called
what are primary prevention programs?
treating problems before they manifest into crime
what are secondary prevention programs?
treating problems after a law is violated
what is averison therapy?
pairing a negative stimuli (shock), with something that is positive (pictures of something someone shouldn’t be interested in), penile ring to see the engorgment of the penis- redirecting what sex offenders get arose to
