the social construction of crime Flashcards
what is crime
activities and behaviors that break the laws set out by a CJS set out by a society
what is deviance
actions that go against norms and values that are considered anti social, some may be a crime
what are the 4 social constructs of crime and deviance
- contextual
- cultural
- historical
- generational
contextual explanation and example
it is context dependent, this means that some behaviours that are acceptable in certain situations would not be in others.
ex. miss logan wearing a bikini in class and on a beach
cultural explanation and example
what is considered acceptable or rude varies depending on the culture, society or country you are in
ex: ok hand sign is very vulgar and rude in Brazil
historical explanation and example
how it changes over time, what was once acceptable may become illegal/ deviant and it may also become acceptable
ex: in Victorian era, opium was legal and a medicine that didn’t need a prescription but it is now a Class A drug
generational explanation and example
refers to how some behaviours are acceptable from certain age groups and some are illegal for other groups
ex: age restriction on drinking, 80 year olds going clubbing
why do people commit crime - psychological explanations - maternal deprivation
Bowlby suggests one of the reasons why people commit crime is due to maternal deprivation i.e. foster parents, single parents
this is linked with a lack of motherly love at a young age
bowlby states that a strong warm and healthy relationship is necessary for good psychological development, without this children can become delinquents and suffer affectionless psychopathy, where they do not feel remorse
why do people commit crime - psychological explanations - tripartite personality
Freud puts forward the idea that criminal behaviour is caused by an imbalance between the Id, ego and superego
the id is made up of basic urges, the super ego is our morality and the ego balances the two.
however, freud states that when there is an imbalance of too much id or superego, it can lead to criminal and deviant behaviour
why do people commit crime - psychological explanations - mental abnormality
there is an argument that those who commit crime have some sort of mental abnormality or brain damage, researchers have done PET scans and CAT scans on convicted criminals and found differences in their brain structure.
why do people commit crime - biological explanations - lombroso
he went to Italian prisons where he measured the prisoners heads and physical proportions
he concluded that you could tell a criminal by their physical appearance which included: oversized heads, large ears and overly long arms, they had these because they were lower on the evolutionary scale to non criminals
why do people commit crime - biological explanations - genetics
suggests there is a mutation in the MAOA gene which helps to control serotonin and dopamine levels. this can cause dopamine hyperactivity which can lead to aggressive and possible criminal activity
what do sociologists say about the psychological and biological explanations for crime?
they reject these as they fail to acknowledge that crime and deviance is socially constructed, how can you have a p/b predisposition to behaviour that involve breaking socially defined rules. crime follows social patters i.e. age, class gender and ethnicity
