Theories of Crime and Deviance

Question 1

What are Durkheim’s views on C&D?

Answer 1

• Crime is inevitable in all societies

- We all experience life differently so it’s impossible to expect everyone to have the same values and moral beliefs

Question 2

What are Durkheim’s signs of a healthy society?

Answer 2

• C&D strengthens collective values (Boundary maintenance) (Eg. 9/11)
• C&D enables social change (Eg. Rosa Parks)
• C&D acts as a safety valve (Eg. 2011 London riots)
• C&D acts as a warning device (Eg. Dunblane massacre 1996 )

Question 3

What are Merton’s views on the functions of C&D?

Answer 3

• C&D is caused by strain and anomie
• People feel like it’s impossible to be successful within their limits leading to status frustration where people feel motivated to break society’s rules.

Question 4

What are Merton’s four rejections to strain?

Answer 4

• Conformity (Accept institutions to reach accepted goals)
• Innovation (Find immoral ways to reach accepted goals)
• Ritualism (Accept institutions but abandon hope for accepted goals)
• Retreatism (Reject goals and means to reach them)
• Rebellion (Replace legal means and abandon agreed accepted goals)

Question 5

How does Cohen’s (1971) subcultural theory explain C&D?

Answer 5

People who can’t get what they need from respected means experience status frustration. They reject and form their own delinquent subcultures to improve their self esteem.

Question 6

How does Cloward and Ohlin’s (1960) subcultural theory explain C&D?

Answer 6

Looks at the working class youth subcultures specifically. They felt the term ‘delinquent’ was too broad for these people who were under extra strain and even less respected in a capitalist society.

Question 7

What are Cloward and Ohlin’s three types of working class subculture?

Answer 7

• Criminal subcultures
• Conflict subcultures
• Retreatist subculture

Question 8

Whats is Hirschi’s views on C&D?

Answer 8

• Social order relies on socialisation and strong value consensus.
• He noted other structuralist theories focused on why a small minority commit crime, however his control theory focuses on what prevents most people being criminal or deviant.

Question 9

What are Hirschi’s social bonds?

Answer 9

• Belief
• Commitment
• Involvement
• Attachment

Question 10

How does Hirschi’s social bonds explain C&D?

Answer 10

C&D increases when people have fewer or weaker bonds. This links to Parsons’ “AGIL” model.

Question 11

How do traditional, modernist Marxists explain crime?

Answer 11

Believes structural inequalities leads to resentment causing conflicts that break value consensus.

Question 12

What are the Marxists principles in explaining C&D?

Answer 12

• Capitalist society is criminogenic
• Law reflects the ruling class ideology
• Scapegoating
• Selective law enforcement

Question 13

Chambliss (1975)

Answer 13

Argues that the law is made by the ruling class and therefore reflects their interest above all others

Question 14

Example that the law reflects ruling class ideology

Answer 14

Health and safety laws protect workers because they generate profit for companies, not because governments care about workers’ health.

Question 15

Examples of Scapegoating

Answer 15

After the 2008 financial crash, just under 4% of criminal bankers were punished with a fine and <0.0001 went to prison. There was a lot of news coverage despite the small numbers.

Question 16

Examples of selective law enforcement

Answer 16

Black youths are more likely to be ‘stopped and search’ than white youths.

Question 17

How do Neo-Marxists explain crime?

Answer 17

Neo-marxists remove structural elements from traditional Marxism but retain the conflict message. They say working class criminals are victims of the system but they still blame them for turning to crime rather than just calling society ‘criminogenic’.

Question 18

What is the general functionalist view on C&D?

Answer 18

• C&D source is located within the structure of society.

- Social order and cohesion are based around value consensus

Question 19

Neo marxists view on crime

Answer 19

• Marxists are too deterministic
• Crime is voluntary
• Working class is symbolic (take from rich and give to poor)

Question 20

Taylor et al. (1976)- The new criminology

Answer 20

• Tried to establish the ‘fully social theory of deviance’

- Accepted elements of marxism but integrated aspects of interactionism (labeling theory)

Question 21

Taylor et al on crime

Answer 21

• Ruling class is hegemonic- elites use the media to give unbalanced views and make the WC look guilty.
• Moral panic and demonisation- use of media to demonise people who threaten you and distract from your criminal actions. Eg. Black muggings (1980s)

Question 22

Labeling theorist view on crime

Answer 22

• No act is inherently criminal or deviant itself. It becomes criminal when others label it as such.
• Crime is a social construct

Question 23

Becker (1963)

Answer 23

• Social groups create deviance by applying created rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders.
• Looks at primary and secondary deviance.

Question 24

Primary deviance

Answer 24

• Acts can be seen as a one off or mistake
• Short term label
• Labeled as they did something wrong
• Eg. caught speeding

Question 25

Secondary deviance

Answer 25

• Repeated acts seen to indicate bad character
• Permanent label
• Labeled as a criminal
• Eg. repeated theft

Question 26

Becker quote

Answer 26

“Deviancy is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label.”

Question 27

How is the label assigned? (Interactionists)

Answer 27

The deviant labels is given by a powerful person to someone they regard as below them

• This might explain why most rich and famous people get away with crimes like tax evasion and illegal drug taking.
• Moral entrepreneurs assign the label

Question 28

Moral entrepreneurs

Answer 28

People that can apply powerful labels (eg. TNCs or celebrities)
- They appeal to your morality and attempt to present opponents as immoral. If they succeed then the secondary label is applied.
Eg. MADD

Question 29

Deviancy amplification

Answer 29

Bad labels make others treat criminals poorly which created a self fulfilling prophecy. This makes the criminal resentful and makes their acts more serious in a ‘deviancy amplification spiral’ (Wilkins 1964)

Question 30

Process towards secondary label

Answer 30

• Caught for primary deviance
• Labelling (blocks opportunities)
• Deviancy amplification
• Internalising label
• Secondary deviance

Question 31

Cicourel (1976) on selective law enforcement

Answer 31

• Suddies arrests in California
• People arrested more poor, low income, ethnic minority people. ( around 75% arrests)
• Middle class people who were arrested we 3x as likely to be cautioned and released.