Topic 10 Control, punishment and victims

Question 1

What are the 3 crime prevention strategies?

Answer 1

• situational crime prevention
• environmental crime prevention
• social and community crime prevention

Question 2

What is situational crime prevention? give an example

Answer 2

• reducing oppurtunities for crime
• making the rewards lower and costs higher
• increasing risk of getting caught
• eg target hardening

Question 3

What theorist can be linked with situational crime prevention?

Answer 3

• clarke
• crime is a rational choice
• most crimes are oppurtunistic so we need to reduce the oppurtunities for crime

Question 4

How would left realists criticise situational crime prevention strategies?

Answer 4

• doesn’t tackle the structural causes of crime

Question 5

How can the situational crime prevention strategies be criticised?

Answer 5

• they do not reduce crime, they just displace it (displacement theory)
• thieves will go to other houses without cctv

Question 6

What is the aim of environmental crime prevention?

Answer 6

• tackles petty crimes like graffiti, vandalism
• doing quick repairs to the environment to stop other crimes

Question 7

Which theory does environmental crime prevention link to?

Answer 7

• right realism - wilson and kelling
• broken windows sends a signal that no one cares about the environment and invites other criminals
• environmental crime prevention shows that community does care and will stop criminals

Question 8

How would left realists criticise the environmental crime prevention strategy?

Answer 8

• doesn’t tackle underlying causes of crime like structural causes
• we need to focus on housing and employment issues rather than zero tolerance

Question 9

What is the aim of social and community crime prevention?

Answer 9

• remove conditions which predispose people to commit crime in the first place, like poverty and unemployment

Question 10

which theory does social and community crime prevention link with?

Answer 10

• left realism
• they believe crime is caused by structural inequalities, relative deprivation and marginalisation

Question 11

how would right realists criticise the social and community prevention strategy?

Answer 11

• right realists argue these policies aren’t ought enough and don’t deter people from offending

Question 12

What does Foucalt argue about surveillance?

Answer 12

• disciplinary power is more dominant, and is done through surveillance to change the person through discipline and training
• we think we’re being watched when we’re not so our behaviour is changed
• we exercise self discipline as our minds become regulated

Question 13

What is synoptic surveillance? and who created the idea?

Answer 13

the idea that everyone films everyone, created by Mathieson

Question 14

What are the 5 aims of punishment?

Answer 14

• retribution
• reformation
• reparation
• incapacitation
• deterrence

Question 15

What is Durkheim’s view of punishment?

Answer 15

• punishment serves positive functions
• reinforces social solidarity
• the sense of outrage that society has for serious crimes minds members of society together

Question 16

What is the marxist view of punishment?

Answer 16

• punishment reinforces the capitalist system and oppress the working class
• CJS is biased and favour the bourgeoisie, offences are ignored
• Thompson - punishments terrorise the poor into obeying those in power
• prisons become dumping groups for the working class

Question 17

What does Thompson (marxist) argue about punishment?

Answer 17

punishments terrorise the poor into obeying those in power

Question 18

How would feminists criticise the marxist view of punishment?

Answer 18

• they ignore gender differences and are too focused on class, eg women being ‘doubly deviant’

Question 19

How would functionalists criticise the marxist view of punishment?

Answer 19

functionalists would argue punishment is applied in a non bias way and the purpose is to maintain value consensus rather than social control of the working class

Question 20

What is transcarceration?

Answer 20

moving from one insitution to another

Question 21

What does Cohen argue about control?

Answer 21

• control is widening
• community service was meant to replace prison but has been used in addition
• surveillance becomes more powerful and common

Question 22

What are the 3 ways of approaching and explaining police discretion, according to Reiner?

Answer 22

• individualistic
• cultural
• structural

Question 23

What is canteen culture?

Answer 23

• develops because police spend hours with each other and become quite close, they share the same values and ideas
• it becomes a ‘police against the world’ idea

Question 24

What are the two types of victimology?

Answer 24

• positivist victimology
• critical victimology

Question 25

What is the positivist victimology approach?

Answer 25

- miers - people bring about their own victimisation - look at victim proneness and the social and psychological factors that make them more vulnerable

Question 26

How can the positive victimology explanation be criticised?

Answer 26

- can easily tip in to victim blaming, eg claiming that 1 in 5 rapes are victim precipitated - ignores situations where victims are unaware of their victimisation

Question 27

What is the critical victimology approach?

Answer 27

- look at structural factors, like poverty and patriarchy which place women and the poor at greater risk of victimisation - the state have the power to apply or deny the label of victim - power less are more likely to be victimised, and least likely to be acknowledged by the state

Question 28

How can the critical victimology approach be evaluated?

Answer 28

- it disregards the role of victims in bringing victimisation on themselves through their own choices

Question 29

Which two theories does the critical victimology approach consist of?

Answer 29

marxist and feminist

Question 30

What are the patters of victimisation in relation to class?

Answer 30

- poorest groups more likely to be victimised - crimes rates typically higher in areas with high rates of unemployment and deprivation

Question 31

What are the patters of victimisation in relation to age?

Answer 31

- old and young people are more at risk of victimisation, for crimes like assault and theft

Question 32

What are the patters of victimisation in relation to gender?

Answer 32

- males are at greater risk of becoming victims of violent attacks - women more likely to be victims of domestic violence, stalking and harassment

Question 33

What are the patters of victimisation in relation to ethnicity?

Answer 33

minority ethnic groups are more at risk of victimisation for all crimes

Question 34

What are the patters of victimisation in relation to repeat victimisation?

Answer 34

- if you have been a victim once, you are likely to be a victim again