Theories of Crime and Deviance Flashcards
Describe the difference between crime and deviance
Crime - The breaking of laws
Deviance - Behaviour that differs from the norms of society
What do functionalists think causes crime?
A loss of collective conscience which leads to anomie
What 2 things create and maintain collective conscience?
Socialisation - gives everyone the same norms and values to integrate them into society
Social control - by rewarding conformity and punishing deviance it enforces correct behaviour
Which functionalist talks about the positive functions of crime and what are the 2 mentioned?
Durkheim
Boundary maintenance - when people unite in condemnation after a crime
Adaptation - acts of defiance lead to beneficial social change sometimes
What was functionalist Davis’ positive function of crime?
That it is a safety valve - some deviance like watching porn can prevent crimes like prostitution or the destruction of the family through adultery
What does Durkheim think about crime in society?
That it is inevitable as it is in every society and that some crime is necessary to maintain freedom but too much is damaging
Give 2 pieces of negative evaluation for Durkheim
- Says too little is bad and so is too much but doesn’t describe how to get the right amount
- ignores the negative impacts of crime instead focusing on the positives
What is functionalist Hirschi’s cause of crime? And how does it link to loss of collective conscience?
Social control theory - that crime happens due to institutions losing control like the family, police or government. This has been used by many politicians like Jack Straw and his campaign for Lads need Dad’s to limit crime from socialisation.
Give a negative evaluation of Hirschi’s theory of crime
It puts all the focus on socialisation as a cause not poverty
Who is responsible for the main functionalist strain theory? + explanation
Merton - crime is caused by strain, this is the strain between society’s goals and the individual’s means to achieve to them. So the American Dream encourages making lots of money but many cannot achieve this leading them to frustration and anomie.
What are Merton’s 5 responses to strain and examples?
Conformity - accepts both the goal and their means - sets to achieve them legitimately
Innovation - accepts the goal but not their means instead using criminal methods like drug dealing
Ritualism - reject the goal as unachievable but accept their legitimate means like dead end job workers
Retreatism - rejects goal and rejects means instead tries to escape through drugs or alcoholism
Rebellion - want to replace the goals themselves as they are unfair e.g Karl Marx
Give 2 pieces of negative evaluation and 1 positive for Merton’s strain theory
+ explains why crime statistics in US are largely property crime because they value money most
- MATZA says you don’t choose one response but drift between them
- assumes everyone has the same goals regardless of class or gender etc
What is a subcultural strain theorist?
Someone who believes that deviance comes from the strain between subcultures’ values and society’s
Who spoke of status frustration as a cause of deviant subcultures?
Cohen - sees deviance as largely working class boys who are culturally and materially deprived so fail at school and are see negatively by teachers. This lack of status in society and school leads to status frustration so they find an alternative way of achieving it in subcultures that INVERT MAINSTREAM VALUES. They value things like truancy, drinking and graffiti.
Give a positive and negative of Cohen’s subcultural strain theory
\+ explains non-utilitarian crime - MILLER assumes everyone starts with the same values than changes them when working class might have different values
Which subcultural strain theorists came up with differential opportunity and the 3 different types of subculture?
Cloward and Ohlin - said not all subcultures turn to innovation or crime because not everyone has the opportunity to do so. There are 3 subcultures:
Criminal which is areas with established organised crime for youth to learn from and join.
Conflict where there is little adult networks to join so they turn to vandalism or fights.
Retreatists where lower class teens fail at being in a gang or a criminal so retreat into groups focused on illegal drug use
Give a piece of positive and negative evaluation for Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural strain theory
\+ agrees with Merton and Cohen that working class people are denied the ability to achieve - Marxists would say it ignores white collar or corporate crime instead focusing on W.C groups
Outline Miller’s subcultural strain theory for why crime occurs
He says that W.C people have formed different value systems to cope with their boring jobs which lead to crime. These are called FOCAL CONCERNS and there are 6:
Fate - future is out of your control (you’ll get a bad job anyway you might as well truant)
Excitement - seek thrills because their lives are boring (fights or parties)
Autonomy - resenting authority and rules (vandalism)
Smartness - appreciating street smarts or wit
Toughness - demonstrating you are physically stronger than others (fights)
Trouble - staying out of and getting into it
Give 2 negative pieces of evaluation for Miller’s subcultural strain theory
- why wouldn’t all W.C deviate then?
- MATZA assumes W.C have a fixed set of values and that they don’t change
Which subcultural strain theorist came up with ‘drift’ theory and the idea of different values?
Matza - says delinquency isn’t a way of life and isn’t limited to one group. Instead everyone has 2 sets of values:
CONVENTIONAL VALUES - hard work, caring etc
SUBTERRANEAN VALUES - greed, aggression etc
And we drift between the two sets over our lifetimes.
Why does Matza think W.C youths drift towards delinquency and subterranean values more?
Because they have a MOOD OF FATALISM (a lack of control over their life opportunities) so need to regain a MOOD OF HUMANISM (sense of control) through deviance.
How does Matza show that criminals still drift back to having conventional values?
Through TECHNIQUES OF NEUTRALISATION used by criminals to excuse their crimes. There are 5:
Denial of responsibility - wasn’t my fault
Denial of injury - it wasn’t that bad of a thing (e.g not paying a train ticket)
Denial of victim - they deserved it
Condemnation of condemners - you’ve done just as bad things (kids to parents)
Higher loyalties - was for the greater good or was to protect their friends
Give a piece of positive and negative evaluation for Matza’s drift theory
\+ disproves MILLER's idea of the working class holding different values to everyone else - we don't know that the neutralisation techniques or sincere explanations or just trying to save their skin
Which Marxist came up with the idea of Criminogenic Capitalism and what is it?
Gordon - (criminogenic means naturally breeds crime) he says crime is a rational response to capitalism by those being exploited. That’s why W.C people are more represented in Official Statistics as they are the most exploited.
How does Criminogenic Capitalism theory explain utilitarian, non-utilitarian and corporate crime?
Utilitarian is caused by poverty and consumerist advertising which means people need things that they cannot afford.
Non-utilitarian is caused by alienation and a lack of control over your own life so you act out
Corporate is caused by the ‘dog eat dog’ system which encourages profit by any means necessary
Give a piece of positive and negative evaluation for Gordon’s marxist explanation of crime
+ explains all types of crime
- communist countries also have crime like China has more robberies than Japan which is capitalist
What did marxist Chambliss say about how laws benefit the bourgeousie?
He said that laws in a capitalist society focus on protecting private property. And although all classes commit crime prisons are full of W.C people who did petty crimes showing they are penalised more.
Give a piece of negative and positive evaluation for Chambliss’ marxist view on laws being unjust
+ BOX says laws do not protect the W.C as much as M.C like murder for example
- some laws protect everyone like rape, torture etc are not focused on property
What did Marxist Box say about laws protecting the M.C? + how do the media support the narrative of W.C criminals?
Laws like safety in the workplace are meant to placate the W.C and keep them quiet from complaining. But in reality murder doesn’t include M.C crimes like employers deliberately having unsafe working conditions or pharmaceutical companies sending out untested drugs.
Also W.C people are presented as ‘the crime problem’ by the media rather than ‘a crime problem’ as they make more exciting headlines but this hides upper class or corporate crime.
What is neo-marxism?
The combination of old macro Marxist ideas and micro interactionist ideas like labelling
What is the difference between Marxists and Neo-Marxists?
Marxists believe that capitalism guarantees the W.C will turn to crime and that it is that external factor that makes criminals. Whereas while Neo-Marxists are against capitalism they reject the determinism and instead believe in crime as voluntary to challenge society.
Which Neo-Marxist came up with the FULLY SOCIAL THEORY OF DEVIANCE and what is it?
Taylor Et Al - combines the Marixst views of unequality in society and the power in law enforcement with the effects of labelling on the individual. These are the 6 steps to analysing a crime:
The wide context of the crime
Narrow context of the crime
The act itself
Immediate reaction from state or media
Social reaction
Effects of this labelling on the individual
How does Hall’s research on 1970s race riots use the Neo-Marxist Fully Social Theory of Deviance?
Wide context - economic downturn led to social crisis
Narrow context - inner city riots
Act itself - muggings by black boys
Immediate reaction - police and press focused entirely on these crimes and began targeting that community
Social reaction - shock at the crimes but also inner cities were angry at the scapegoating
Labelling effects - led to a sense of injustice and hostility in black communities against police
What is the difference between white collar and corporate crime?
White collar - Crime committed by M.C people who abuse their positions for personal gain
Corporate - Crime committed by large companies to increase profit for the organisation
How does Neo-Marxist Carrabine explain white collar crime happening? + an example
Through the trust we place in professionals like doctors, bankers and people with our personal and security information, they have the opportunity to abuse this trust. E.g Harold Shipman the most prolific serial killer ever who was GP stealing people’s money in their wills
