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Theories Flashcards

1
Q

Durkheim

A

-society is consensual and people have shared values making a collective conscience

-Crime helps society to change but too much leads to social disruption

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2
Q

Durkheim positives of crime

A

-reaffirming boundaries

-changing values

-social cohesion

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3
Q

Kingsley Davis

A

-safety valve allowed minor crimes to avoid bigger problems e.g. drugs

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4
Q

Cohen

A

-crime boosts the economy for jobs and its an early warning sign showing where society is going wrong

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5
Q

Negatives of crime

A

Anomie- collective conscience is unclear during times of great stress

Egoism- becomes weak to restrain selfish desires of others

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6
Q

negatives of Durkheim

A

-exaggerates collective conscience

-vague when starting what crime is beneficial for

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7
Q

Merton

A

Strain theory

-society became dysfunctional

-crime is a poor fit between socially acceptable goals and the way to obtain those goals

-Unequal class based society

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8
Q

Merton - 5 forms of behaviour

A

conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion

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9
Q

Evaluate merton

A

+official statistics show crime is most property, material wealth

+explains 2011 riots

-Valier states there are no clear common goals

-Not all crime produces material rewards

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10
Q

Cloward and Ohlin

A

Illegitimate opportunity structure

some subcultures illegal career is available with illegal means to goals:

-criminal

-conflict

-retreatist

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11
Q

Evaluate Cloward and Ohlin

A

+evidence of organised crime

-not just a neat 3 clear category, they do overlap

-ignore crime of wider power structure

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12
Q

Cohen

A

Status Frustration

-crime was not money based

-w/c boys wanted to have m/c values but lacked

-School is where they reject the values of behaviour and gain status from peer groups

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13
Q

Evaluate Cohen

A

-Box states he ignores the fact w/c boys may never share the same goals to begin with

-doesnt look at female crime

-underplays the role of the relationship out of school

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14
Q

Becker

A

Labelling theory

-Examples from incest of people being tolerant and intolerant

-Just because someone breaks as rule doesn’t mean defined as deviant

-it is when rules are enforced which draws attention to them

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15
Q

Example of tolerance

A

Kitsuse

-75 heterosexuals interviewed and no one had the exact same response therefore no defined definition

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16
Q

Lemert

A

Primary deviance: rule breaking

Secondary deviance: consequences of the responses of others

Master Status

e.g. Canada and the chronic stuttering

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17
Q

Cohen

A

Moral Panic

-labels are amplified by authorities to groups which results in them being more deviant

e.g. Mods and Rockers, deviance amplification and folk devils

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18
Q

Deviance Amplification Spiral

A

-The drug takers

-media led to police targeting them

-Hippies became more secretive

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19
Q

Moral entrepreneurs

A

newspaper editors, MPs, religious leaders and campaigners

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20
Q

Evaluation of labelling theory

A

+raised important issues on police discretion/stop and search

+voice for powerless and outsiders

-labelling could be based on the actual serious offence

-deterministic, it may deter crime

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21
Q

Phenomenological explanation

A

-connection between human awareness and social action

-Society is created by humans, certain acts defined deviant and some not

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22
Q

Cicourel

A

Delinquency dealt in California

Officer typifications lead to stereotype including low income and single parent homes.

Stage 1: the decision to stop and interrogate

stage 2: negotiation of justice, talk there way out of it

23
Q

Evaluation of Cicourel

A

+justice can be negotiated
+day to day interaction when classifying deviance
-fails to explain
-where mental categories come from in the first place
-doesnt address the power balance

24
Q

Marxist explanation of crime

A

Laws are for the benefit of the ruling class and criminal laws reflects their interest

25
Reiman
The rich get richer and the poor get prison
26
Snider
-Capitalist societies such as UK laws threaten interest of large corporations by undermining their profit and are reluctant to enforce laws e.g. minimum wage and Banking crisis 2008
27
Sayer
-believes that rich shape the law so are unlikely to be put in prison e.g. government don't close loopholes to avoid tax and Tax justice Network 2012. -In contrast Benefit scroungers have strict laws stated by Jones
28
YouGov poll 2013
-People thought that 27% of social security was fraudulently claimed(people on benefits illegally) while research suggest the real figure is 0.7%
29
Marxists
-Law does benefit most the population but law is biased and in favour of ruling class e.g. tax evasion and benefit fraud
30
Snider
Corporate crime in the USA does far more harm then street crime e.g. Deepwater oil spill
31
Corporate crime causes death
Health and Safety executives 2013/2014 142 fatal injuries and 2538 deaths from construction industry
32
White collar crime examples
MPs expenses scandal 2009
33
Chambliss
-Capitalism is based on competition, greed and selfishness which forms peoples attitudes -pressure on the poor to commit crime is strong due to insufficient income
34
Gordon
-Capitalism as criminogenic -dog eat dog society, everyone fend for themselves
35
Evaluation of Gordon
Difficult to apply to non-material crimes e.g. murder and rape
36
Reiman
-Social conditions rather than individual motivation e.g. social injustice that causes crime, lack of opportunity -Crime is portrayed as being carried out by the poor and poverty due to laziness therefore deserve to be poor
37
Evaluation of Marxism
+role of capitalism +broad explanation for causes of crime -one dimensional in all laws seen as the outcome interest of upper class -Jones states there are capitalist countries with low crime e.g. Japan
38
The new criminology: Taylor, Walton and Young
Neo-Marxists -economy is important -capitalism to blame for inequality -we need to see a transformation is society BUT were critical of the idea that w/c are passive
39
Key Neo-Marxist ideas
-Interactionist ideas to see how the behaviour of victims, media and offenders interact to influence how the situation develops -Ruling class label w/c for their benefit and say w/c made an active voluntarist choice to break the law
40
Hall et al
7 aspects of crime that must be considered: micro-the actual act itself macro-wider origin of society and who defines the action as deviant
41
Taylor, Walton and Young
-They said they ought to uncover and explain the crimes of the rich e.g. role of police and CJS -Ordinary criminals should be seen as someone fighting against injustice in capitalist society -sympathetic to decriminalisation of many offences
42
Stuart Hall: policing the crisis
-Moral panic about mugging -Was used to distract attention away from failings of capitalism -London mugging was the main focus in the media and forced to the top of political and policing agenda
43
Evaluation of Neo-Marxists
-Rock stated it gave far too much of a romantic view of crime -Carlen stated there was no specific discussion on the power of the patriarchy
44
Right Realism
-serious problem -victims of crime ignored -fear increasing -no realistic solutions -came from 1970s named Thatcher, Zero tolerance
45
Key features of right realism
-people are naturally selfish -lack of community control -crime will always exist -Rational choice and opportunity
46
Wilson and Kelling
Broken window thesis and zero tolerance
47
Cohen and Felson
Routine activities theory and target hardening 3 conditions to make place -motivation -opportunity and target -lack of capable guardian
48
Evaluation of right realists
+New York fall in crime since zero tolerance -emotional and thrill of crime is also important in explaining crime
49
Left Realism
1980s -politically left wing, labour -A response to traditional Marxism and neo-Marxists
50
Lea and Young
-crime is a serious problem for normal people -the poor are at the highest risk of being a victim and highest fear of being am offender. -most people don't care about white collar and corporate crime
51
Lea and Young 3 key concepts
Consumer culture gives an expectation of a good life/bulimic society -relative deprivation -Subcultures -marginalisation 'on the edge'
52
The square of crime
4 elements -interaction of offenders -social reaction -reaction formally and informally -victims
53
Left realism and policy
-New labour government 1997 to 2010 -Policies to reduce inequality e.g. tax credits and minimum wage
54
evaluation of left realism
Jones- don't explain why not all people who experience relative deprivation don't turn to crime Hughes- fails to explain why street crime happens and relies too much on subcultures

Sociology Crime (7 decks)

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