theories of crime

Question 1

the dark figure of crime

Answer 1

unreported and unrecorded crime
due to:
low consequence crime
lack of trust in police
individuals feel that nothing can be done
sensitive nature of crime.

Question 2

official crime statistics

Answer 2

e.g. CS for england and wales/police formally recorded crime statistics.

do not include:
serious crimes
those unreported to the police

Question 3

police formally recorded crime statistics

Question 4

how have crime rates changed?

Answer 4

steep rise in the 1960’s- may be due to changes in how easily crime could be reported

previously less police- less reported crime- society less controlled.

steadily decreasing since 1995 but many adults seem to think that crime rates have increased.

Question 5

reasons why people may be encouraged to report crime

-why people may not report crime

Answer 5

encouraged to report crime:
straightfoward crijme- perpatrator known
rewards
have been a victim

why crime may not be reported-
lack of trust in police (common among criminals and ethnic minority)
belief that it will not make any difference
low conseqeuence crime
sensitive nature of crime e.g. domestic violence.

Question 6

functionalist durkheim

Answer 6

crime is functional and normal but there still needs to be social control mechanisms
higher crime rates in advanced industrial societies

crime occurs as there is not equal committment to collective sentiment/conscience

2 functions of crime:
allows society to change, move and become better.
restore society from anomie/normlessness by reminding them what is right and wrong- boundary maintenance.

Question 7

evaluation of durkheim

Answer 7

doesn’t consider negative imapcts of crime on victim.

interactionists- too deterministic
does not include how/why society’s meaning of crime changes/the role of society’s reaction to crime

durkheim sees crime as society’s expression of moral sentiment
conflict theorists would disagree.

Question 8

cohen

Answer 8

deviance is a safety valve- providing a harmless expression of discontent.

certain forms of deviance act as a warning signal that certain parts of society are malfunctioning

Question 9

davis and polsky

Answer 9

porn and prostitution is a way for men to allievate their sexual frustration compared to ways that would threaten the family e.g. having an affair

Question 10

merton

Answer 10

crime is not due to physcological personalities, but the social structure

value consensus includes cultural goals to be achieved through institutionalised/accepted means.
not everyone is in an equal position to reach these goals through accepted means.

american dream in USA during 1930’s- success measured by material wealth was the goal
-more focus on achieving the goal rather than the way you reached it.
-leads to anomie/normlessness
different reactions depending on position within social structure.

Question 11

evaluation of merton

Answer 11

taylor- merton ignores power relations- who creates laws and who it benefits

marxists- merton ignores white collar, corporate and state crime.

Question 12

cohen- deliquent subcultures

Answer 12

subcultures develop alternative norms and values from the rest of society e.g. a group that has norms that encourages and rewards criminal behaviour

cohen criticises merton in 2 ways:
deliquency is a group rather than individual response.
merton does not account for non utiliarian crime/crime that has no real gain e.g. vandalism. He questioned whether this crime was due to the mainstream culture

deliquent subcultures experience status frustration- they feel they are denied status by the rest of society.
they develop alternate values- provides a different way of gaining status.

response to the common problems faced by lower working class adults
they live in deprived areas, attend the worst schools and have the least chance in the job market.

not just about achieveing cultural goals but about the positive rewards e.g. recognition and prestige/successful performance within the subculture.

merton and cohen both started from a structural perspective- inequality in society puts more pressure on social groups in society to deviate.

Question 13

millar- focal concerns

Answer 13

deviance is due to ineffective socialisation or socialisation into norms and values which leads to deviance.

trouble- trying to stay out of trouble is routine and expected as well as getting in trouble

smartness- street smart

autonomy- wanting to be in control of oneself- this is why W/C pupils remain at the bottom of the hierarcy as they act rebellious

excitement- thrill seeking and risk taking.

toughness- physical prowess and bravery
masculinity, endurance and strength.

fate- seeing the future as predetermined and hence inevitable.

Question 14

evaluation of cloward and ohlin

Answer 14

-venkatesh- found evidence of organised criminal subcultures in chicago

south- supply of drugs in the UK is based on something very similar to conflict subcultures.

winlow- supports discussion of violence in relation to male criminal subcultures

matza- drift theory- most deliquents conform to the mainstream values and only drift to crime occassionaly or in special circumstances.

Question 15

interactionist goffman

Answer 15

labelling theorists focus on the fact that we have all done something in our lives that is illegal but due to luck, cunning, deception or other means, it has been concealed from the public.
-discreditable but has not been discredited.

-real difference is between discredited and discreditable

-criminals have the bad luck of being caught and subjected to penal process that results in spoiled identity/they have been discredited

Question 16

cloward and ohlin

Answer 16

-merton ignores illegitimate opportunity structure
-runs parallel to the legal one
-exists on three levels- criminal, retreatist and conflict subculture

criminal subculture- cohesive, stable working class community
connections in both the mainstream and legal world and illegal world. E.g. enables stolen goods to be sold in the wider community

crime stages based on age e.g. stealing car aerials and radios at 14 and progressing to more advanced world of crime at 20.
provides an alternative for working class males than legitimate job market.

conflict- when the previous conditions are not met and crime is not possible, frustration is expressed through violence. happens in slums on the edge of cities e.g. LA and New York

retreatist- final stage
double fail- both crime and violence.
retreating to drugs and alcohol
paid through via small crimes, theft and prostitution.

Question 17

interactionist lemert

Answer 17

like becker, lemert sees society’s reaction to deviance as important.

primary deviance- relatively fruitless to investigate
not very important

primary deviance- deviant acts before they are publically labelled.

secondary deviance-
deviance occurs due to society’s reaction to it/acts are not deviant unless labelled as deviant.

when he studied american indian communities that focused on speech as this was part of the culture.
children would recite rituals from a young age and focus on history of great speakers- children more likely to have stutter

in communities where there was less of a focus on speech- children were less likely to have a stutter.

Question 18

interactionist becker

Answer 18

-acts are not deviant until they are lablled as deviant
-whether something is labelled as deviant depends on the audience and their assumptions.
in low income neighbourhoods- fights- individuals labelled as deliquents
in rich neighbourhoods- labelled as rich youthful spirits.

labels are a master status
they influence how we are perceived, responded to and our interactions with others.

self concepts influenced by interactions with others so we see ourselves in terms of labels
can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy.

Question 19

example for interactionist becker’s theory

Answer 19

an individual is publically labelled- so they are excluded from social groups

this leads to further deviant behaviour as they are denied ordinary means of everyday life e.g. getting a job
so they are forced to turn to illegitimate means out of neccessity.

deviant career when individuals join organised deviant group

within the group, a deviant subculture develops.

Question 20

jock young

Answer 20

looks at meanings that coloured reaction to hippies

hippies are seen by the police as idle, scruff and troublemakers.

the hippies see themselves as different and they become united.
they develop deviant self concepts and exclude themselves from conventional society.
-retreat into a small confined group.

drug use becomes less of a periphery activity and more of a central concern, especially as the police punish the deviance that they helped to create, more.

Question 21

disintergrative shaming

Answer 21

society has a process for dealing with offenders- they are excluded as outsides- it is difficult for them to intergrate back into society.

Question 22

reintergrative shaming

Answer 22

since 2000’s in engalnd and wales there is a circle of support and accountability

accountability/sex offender taking responsibility
circle- volunteers from the local community surrounding the offender, who is the core member

it teaches the offender skills and practical lesssons e.g. hobbies and interests/where to find accomodation etc.

Question 23

becker

Answer 23

new laws are created by moral entreprenurs who wanted to translate social values into new laws/policies
they may enlist the help of media organistaions and channels in a moral crusade.

Question 24

evaluation of interactionism

Answer 24

interactionists definition of deviance is illogcal as they say deviance is based on societal reaction
Functionalists- murder is not an issue due to societal reaction

-too determinstic
akres- individuals think other membres of society mind their own business but people are labelled with stimgatised labels so have no choice but to become deviant.

-doesn’t explain why people are deviant
lemmert- primary deviance should not be considered as it is common and does not impact self concept

-does not explain why some people are labelled rather than others- fails to consider the power of certain social groups.

Question 25

ethnomethodology and phenomenology

Answer 25

ethnometholdolgoy was created from phenomenology and the work of Garnfinkl

does not focus on causal explanations but understanding phenomena.
try to understand why acts/individauls are labelled as deviant.

Question 26

how this theory can be used to explain a coroner assessing whether the cause of death was suicide

Answer 26

common sense knowledge is used to inform meanings e.g. a mentally ill person/socially isolated is likely to have commited suicide.

this idea is a social construct but is reinforced when the coroner rules deaths of a similar pattern as suicide.

Question 27

indexicality and reflexivity

Answer 27

indexicality- there are no fixed meanings and it depends on the context

this threatens the social order as if they are no set meanings, how do we communicate?
-through reflexivity.

Question 28

ciroucel

Answer 28

labelling a young person as deviant is not simple, clear cut and unproblematic

1st stage- police deciding to stop and interrogate young person
depends on what they see as the typical deliquent

interrogation does not always lead to arrest

if arrested, what the probation officer sees as a typical deliquent influences whether they are prosecuted

deviance is created by the agencies of social control
certain individuals are interrogatted, processed and labelled as deviant

justice- negotiation in the interaction process.

Question 29

marxism

Answer 29

conflict theory
basis of theory- on social structure that creates deviance
economic base/infrastructure shapes the rest of society
function of society- reinforce exploitative, unequal division of wealth between bourgeoisie and proletariat.

laws on deviance and crime are created by ruling class- so deviance in the eyes of who?

law maintains fiction of fairness while benfitting the ruling class
selective law enforcement.

Question 30

bonger

Answer 30

like marx, belives that humanity is fundamentally altruistic/unselfish

capitalism is an economic organisation that makes humanity greed and selfish

Question 31

quinney

Answer 31

what we know as criminal will dissapear with capitalism.

in a social utopia, there will be no greed and profit seeking.
there will be no ruling class to criminalise the activities of the working class

Question 32

marxist snider

Answer 32

general marxist view- who commits crime and who gets caught?
working class crime is heavily policed while other crime is ignored.

many of the most serious anti social and predatory crimes in modern industrial socities are corporate crimes.

the effect of corporate crimes are actually more serios than street crimes

Question 33

white collar crime- sutherland

Answer 33

trying to challenge the stereotype that crime is only a working class phenomenon.

white collar crime is a crime committed by a person with high social status and respectability in the course of their occupation

Question 34

pearce and tombs

Answer 34

corporate crime- crime commited by individauls in a corporation as they break the law or do not follow aspects of the law that they are requried to.

Question 35

gordon

Answer 35

selective law enforcement benefits the ruling class in 3 ways

1) selecting and punishing individuals of the subject class- protects the capitalist system which is responsible for their deviant behaviour

2) imprisoning selected members of the subject class- legitimately nuetralises any opposition to the system.

3) labelling criminals as animals and misfits justifies incarcerating them in prison.
keeps them hidden from public view- removes from sight the extremes produced by the capitalist system.

overall, selective law enforcement benfits capitalism as distracts the attention of the subject class from their exploitation, creates the idea that crime is the most common among the working class and causes them to direct their hostility towards the criminal rather than capitalism.

Question 36

chambliss

Answer 36

organised crime is not a servant of the ruling class but an intergral part of it.

in his study, he found that most crime is commited by leading businesses, political leaders and enforcement officers

Question 37

evaluation of marxism

Answer 37

marxists- do not consider individual motivation as a reason for crime
feminists- what about gender inequality?

assumption that communism will eradicate crime
-capitalism does not always lead to high crime rates e.g. in switzerland.

marxists contradict themselves as on one hand they argue that w/c crime is high as social policy is biased against them but then argue that w/c crime is high as social policy is biased in favour of them.

Question 38

hall et al- mugging and the moral panic

Answer 38

1972-1973- judges, politicians and the police joined the media in emphasising the possible impact on mugging on society

claim that mugging had increased by 129 percent in the last 4 years but there was no way to measure this as there is no legal definition for mugging as a crime.

rejects view that it is a normal and inevitable societal reaction to an increased crime rate.

-economic problems and challenge of hegemony in British capitalism at the start of the 1970’s

there was an inter class truce from 11945-1968 as standard of living and employment levels improved

when unemployment levels increased and the standard of living fell- the interclass truce was undermined.
ruling class found it difficult to govern with consent

challenge of hegemony- union strikes- most workdays taken off in 1972 compared to last in 1919.

information from police transmitted through newspapers- increaesed policing of inner city areas and labelling black youths as violent criminals.

Question 39

selective law enforcement

Answer 39

street crime e.g. theft is more policed that while collar crime, which is less reprorted as large financial instituions would rather deal with it themselves by sacking workers rather than causing a public scandal

more policing in inner city areas
assumption that crime is most common among young, working class blacks
more confrontational approach when dealing with them.

Question 40

taylor, walton and jock young

Answer 40

criminals are responsible for commiting crimes- crimes are delibrate acts often with political motives e.g. property crimes often involve the redistribution of wealth.
criminals are not just victims of the capitalist system but are actively trying to change it.

reject view that crime is caused by biology, anomie, poverty, labelling or being part of a subculture

Question 41

new criminology

Answer 41

reject the view that human behaviour is influenced by outside forces.
criminals choose to commit crimes- it is clearly an attempt to construct and develop their self concepts.

7 basic concepts that all crime and deviance concepts should consider-

the wider origins of the crime- distribution of wealth in society

immediate origins of the crime- the personal life circumstances of the criminal

the crime itself- the meanings this holds to the criminal

societal reaction- how society reacts and why

understanding society’s reaction in terms of social structure

the impact of society’s reaction on the criminal e.g. the effect of labelling- does not always have the same result

relationships between these aspects should be studied- so they fuse together into a complete theory.

Question 42

taylor

Answer 42

increae in crime rate is due to reorganisation of capitalism due to globalisation
3 stages

1) new set of labour relations as weakning of unions due to legislation
2) privatisation and marketisation of state run enterprise
3) deregulation of markets

employment is less secure
materialism and inequality are more clear.

back market economies e.g. the drug trade have in many cases, replaced traditional employment.

Question 43

evaluation

Answer 43

neglects victims of crime
generalised and does little to tackle crime
ignores female criminality
romanticies working class crime- criminals seen as modern day robin hoods or proto revolutionairies.

Question 44

what are self report studies?

Answer 44

ask people to confess what crimes they have committed but not necessarily been caught doing/convicted of

Question 45

graham and bowling

Answer 45

whites and blacks committed similar levels of crime (42 and 43 percent) but asians had lower crime levels
indian- 30%
pakistani- 28%
bangladeshi- 13%

Question 46

sharp and budd

Answer 46

2003 crime, offending and justice survey- white and mixed ethnicities more likely to confess they commited a crime followed by black and asians.

Question 47

graham and philip

Answer 47

ethnic minority cases are more likely to be dropped than whites and

Question 48

crown prosecution service

Answer 48

decides whether crime or arrest will result in prosecution in court.
depends on whether prosecution has a chance of being successful or whether public will benefit from prosecution.

Question 49

victim surveys- criminal justice survey

Answer 49

44% of victims could say something about the ethnicity of the offender but this was mostly in the case of contact offences.
In most cases, the victim could not provide any reliable information about the ethnicity of the victim

Question 50

marxist gilroy

Answer 50

myth of black criminality
significant differences in black criminality due to racist labelling and police stereotyping.

crimes against black british people was a legacy of former white dominance in colonial countries e.g. jamaica.

when migrants came to the country, they faced hostility and discrimination.

Question 51

criticisms of gilroy by lea and young

Answer 51

asians have similar/lower crime levels than whites- the police force is unlikely to discriminate against blacks alone.

1st generation migrants- law abiding citizens- did not oppose colony of britain- unlikely to pass on anti colonia views to children

most crimes are reported to, not discovered by the police- so cannot be suggested that the police are racist.

most crime is against people of the same ethnic group- cannot be classed as resistance racism.

Question 52

feminist pollack- chivalry theisis

Answer 52

chilvary- system used by knights in medieval england
placed high value on honour, kindness and courage
in the modern worle, this means being polite, honest and kind, especially men towards women.

identified crimes which are typically commited by women:
shoplifting and criminal abortions- not bought to attention of authorities
-prostitution
-crimes commited as a domestic servant
-womens domestic position meant they had more opportunity to commit crime e.g. poisoning/sexual abuse.

reasons why female crime is unrecorded-
women are more adept at hiding their crimes
most police magistrates and law enforcement officers are males- they are brought up to be chivalrous- more lenient on female offenders- so are under represented in the statistics

Question 53

evidence supporting chivalry thesis

Answer 53

graham and bowling- men are 2.33 x more likely to be offenders but differences is smaller than statistics suggest?
where have all the female offenders gone?

hood- women are 1/3 less likely to be imprisoned

flood page et al- women are less likely to be cautioned/prosecuted
1 in 11 women but 1 in 7 men

Question 54

evidence against chivalry theisis

Answer 54

farrington and morris- women are not given more lenient sentences for comparable offcences

buckle and farrington- female shoplifters are more likely to be prosecuted

marxist box- women who commit serious offences are not given favourable treatement.

Question 55

sex role theory

Answer 55

functionalist parsons- differences are inatem ascribed at birth and essential for the smooth, healthy running of society

women are less aggressive
men are driven by the need to provide for the family

women- expresive role
men- instrumental role

so women commit less crime than men

men are more suited to the public sphere
women are more suited to domesticity.

murdock- women are suited to the home due to their biological function of child bearing and their physique means they are less likely to be able to carry out strenous tasks

women’s home role means they have fewer opportunties to commit crimes and are less likely to commit crimes involving physical strength

LB oakley- socialisation
manipulation
canalisation
verbal appelations
different activities

males are more likely to break boundaries.

Question 56

carlen- control theory

Answer 56

working class women are controlled through the promise of rewards stemming from the workplace and the family.

class deal- material rewards for hard work
gender deal- physcological rewards/fullfilment and happiness from caring for the family.

when the rewards are not available or women are not persuaded- this leads to the breakdown of the deal and criminality is possible
reasons for the deal breakdown-
poverty
living in care
quest for excitement
drug addiction

gender deal is rejected or not accepted in the first place as due to oppressive family they reject the oppression of the gender role.

Question 57

evaluation of carlen

Answer 57

why did women not commit crime in the home pre 1970’s?
small scale study- only 39 women- unrepresentative
study carried out directly after 1970 equal pay act- increase in pay of women- influences crime rates

Question 58

heidesohn

Answer 58

tries to explain why women commit fewer crimes
in a male dominated traditional society, it is more effective at controlling women than men.

control of women in the private sphere-

domestic labour and childcare leaves little time
very pervasive value system- if women do not carry out dometic resposibilities, they are seen as failures as mothers and wives.

challenging traditional gender roles- risk of being reimposed with force- e.g. domestic violence

control of women in public:
many women choose not to go out late due to fear of crime/rape

control of women at work:
dominated by male seniors and trade unions
some experience of sexual harrassment.

Question 59

mcrobbie and garber- bedroom culture- support for heidonsohn

Answer 59

boys are given more freedom and spend more time outside the home.
girls are more protected and spend more time at home.

bedroom culture- girls spend most leisure time in their bedrooms with their friends.
this meant engaging in consuemr products to improve their appearence and entertainment activities that could be enjoyed alone or with their friends.

girls more likely to stay inside due to:
being accused of sexual improprierty
physcological hardships e.g. lower self confidence compared to male counterparts.

Question 60

lees

Answer 60

women are controlled in public through the fear of being defined as not respectable.
dress, makeup, deameanour and ways of acting and speaking can be defined as not respectable- leads to women gaining a reputation e.g. women may avoid pubs due to fear of being labelled as a prostitute.

boys control girls at school through sexualised verbal abuse e.g. labelling girls as slags if they fail to conform to gender role expectations.

girls are more likely to be controlled by their peer group in relation to their identity- this means they are less likely to engage in criminal/deviant behaviour.

Question 61

radical feminists

Answer 61

men maintain control over women at work to protect their own interests
exclude them from senior positions
one way this is done is through sexual harassment.

Question 62

stanko

Answer 62

sexual harrassment is used to keep women in their place at work.
women in positions e.g. bar work or as secretaries are sexualised, not taken seriously or considered for promotions

Question 63

adkins

Answer 63

looked at gendered division of labour in amusement park
horizontal segregation with males and females being given different roles.

catering assistants- almost always women
ride operators- males

female staff faced sexual harassment from male co workers and male customers and were just expected to put up with it as part of the job

Question 64

adler

Answer 64

increase in womens crime rate in the last 20 years due to liberation/increased freedom.
as women entered paid labour, they wanted the same rights as males in previous male domianted jobs

same applies to criminal career- progressing from more feminine crime e.g. shoplifting to more masculine crime e.g. murder.

Question 65

klein

Answer 65

female gang members are involved ine qually violent crimes as their male counterparts.

Question 66

pearce and pitts

Answer 66

although female gangs are less clear in the UK than the US, around 12,500 young girls/women are involved in female gangs.

Question 67

evaluation of adler

Answer 67

womens crime rate started increasing in the 1950’s, long before the liberation movement in the mid 1960’s

most female crime is committed by the working class- least likely to be influenced by liberation movement
benefits middle class women more

chesney lind- in the US, poor and marginalised women are more likely to commit crime than liberated women

there is evidence of women drifting into more traditionally male dominated crime but this was linked to prostitution.

laidler and hunt- no evidence that illegitimate opportunity structure has opened up to women. female gang members are expected to conform to gender role expectations like non deviant
girls.

thompson- moral panic- media overexaggerates increase in female crime and gangs.

Question 68

messechmidt

Answer 68

different types of masculintiies
dominant/hegemonic masculinity
subordinate/less valued masculinity e.g. homosexual or african american

working class boys cannot achieve educational successs so adopt an oppositional masculinity

middle class boys- more likely to be involved in white collar/corporate crime.

lower working class ethnic minority boys cannot access a hegemonic/breadwinner masculinity- so turn to violence

Question 69

evaluation of messechmidt

Answer 69

fails to explain why individuals of a certain group commit crime.

explains why men commit more crime than women

links different types of masculinity to different types of crime.

allows different types of crime and changes in them e.g. class and ethnciity

Question 70

winlow- bouncers in sunderland

Answer 70

crime is due to changes in north east in the last 20 years
disorganistion of capitalism
changes in employment trends
deindustrialisation

old reliable ways of being masculine have been redefined and shaped to suit new cultural, social and economic environment.

decline in traditionally masculine, physical, shopfloor masculinity jobs.

poor young men with bad future prospects change social competition tactics and turn to violence.

bouncers- provides legimitate jobs for males who failed to adapt to deindustrialisation and shift to service sector economic jobs/deindustrialisation or who have no educational qualifications

provides route into night time economy- pubs, clubs, entertainment industry.

Question 71

left realists

Answer 71

critical of marxists and neo marxists- focus on corporate crime and ignore WC crime

critical of labelling theorists who argue that crime is due to discrimination and ignore the victims.

critical of previous left realist work as there was an increase in crime rate in the 1950’s.

aetological- previous left realists theorists do not explain the causes of crime as they ignore parts of it.

Question 72

square of crime

Answer 72

crime can only be understood by looking at the interelationships between these 4 factors:
the state and its agencies
the offender and their actions
the victim
informal social control.

crime is a social construct- social factors determine who and what is criminal.
victims are usually the ones to report crime due to:
norms
time
their relationship with the offender
morality

the authorities determine whether this person is criminal
this influences the future behaviour of the offender
changes to any of these aspects can influence the crime rate and the problem it poses for society.

for crime to occur, there must be laws prohibiting behaviour.
laws prohibiting behavioru are influenced by the public

for an infraction to occur, there must be an offender
usually a victim too.

the victim usually reports crime due to:
norms of the time
their prevailing morality
their relationship with the offender.

Question 73

evaluation of left realism

Answer 73

considers multiple causes of crime

considers both the offender and victim- adds another dimension to our understanding of crime

relative deprivation and marginalisation cannot explain motivation behind offender’s actions e.g. white collar/corporate crime

assumes that when society’s values break down, crime becomes possible- drawing on anomie theory/ similar to right realism

not all people experiencing deprivation turn to crime.

Question 74

key terms for left realism

Answer 74

second islington crime survey
multiple aetiology
square of crime
multi agency approach

Question 75

right realism

Answer 75

founded by james o’wilson
criticising sociologists that failed to find a solution to crime

crime is caused by human natur- humanity is greedy and selfish
solution- subjecting them to social control and socialisation into appropriate behaviour

Question 76

rational choice theory

Answer 76

by clarke and coleman
people choose to commit crime when the benefits outweight the costs.

simple solution to crime- increase the cost- more severe punishments and more likely to be caught.

Question 77

right realists view that crime is due to poverty

Answer 77

-strongly disagree as as affluence has increased, crime rates have soared

extension of the welfare state, decline of the traditional nuclear family and lack of discipline within education means crime rates have increased

Question 78

james o’wilson- broken window theisis

Answer 78

if incivilities e.g. litter, pollution, graffiti are not kept to a minimum, this will lead to more serious crimes and wider anti social behaviour in the future.

the police should adopt a zero tolerance policy, even in relation to minor crimes

this draws on durkheim’s perspective that local informal social controls are crucial for maintaing law and order.

Question 79

james o’wilson- 3 key causes of long term crime

Answer 79

-no of young males- typical deviants
-rational choice theory
-inadequate socialisation into norms and values

Question 80

right realist solutions to crime

Answer 80

increase costs so they outweight the benefits
reduce opportuntiies for offending

Question 81

new right murray

Answer 81

underclass
matrifocal lone parent families
exist on edge of society
inadequate socialisation into society’s norms and values.

deviant subcultural values- paternalism

3 key features:

crime- large proportion of violent and property crime is committed by underclass

illegitimacy- children born outside of marriage
never married women
men do not feel need to take resposnibility

economic inactivity- men rely on state benefits and jobs in the shadow economy.

Question 82

routine activity theory- cohen and felson

Answer 82

3 elements for crime to occur
motivated offender with criminal intentions and ability to act on inclinations
victim
lack of guardian e.g. neighbour or police to prevent crime from happening

development of rational choice theory by clarke and coleman