Turning To Crime - Upbringing

Question 0

Which study was on disrupted families?

Answer 0

Farrington, The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development

Question 1

Which were the three studies in upbringing?

Answer 1

Farrington
Sutherland
Wikström and Tafel

Question 2

What were the aims of Farringtons study?

Answer 2

1. To document the start, duration and end of offending behaviour in families
2. To investigate the influence of life events, the factors predicting offending

Question 3

What was the design of Farrington’s study?

Answer 3

A longitudinal study. Data gathered from interviews and searches of criminal records.

Question 4

Who were the participants in Farrington’s study?

Answer 4

411 boys from 6 state schools in East London. Predominantly white working class. At age 48 of the 394 males still alive, 365 were interviewed.

Question 5

What were the results of Farrington’s study?

Answer 5

At age 48, of 404 individuals searched in the criminal records, 161 had convictions.
Offences and offenders peaked at age 17 closely followed by 18.
Those who started criminal careers at age 10-13 committed 9 crimes on average, at 14-16 they committed 6 crimes on average.
A small proportion were defined as ‘chronic offenders’ as they accounted for about half of all officially recorded offences in this study.
Most chronic offenders shared common childhood characteristics such as, a convicted parent or a young mother.

Question 6

What were the conclusions of Farrington’s study?

Answer 6

Early prevention that reduces offending could have wide-ranging benefits in reducing problems with accommodation, relationships, employment.
Most important risk factors are criminality in the family, poverty, impulsiveness, poor child rearing and poor school performance.

Question 7

What was the study on learning from others?

Answer 7

Sutherland, Theory of Differential Association

Question 8

What did Sutherland’s theory suggest?

Answer 8

Criminal behaviour is learned in interaction and association with other persons. The learning includes techniques of the trade and excuses for such behaviour. Some people see some laws as pointless or discriminatory and so feel it is right to break them. Criminal behaviour is learning in the same way as any other behaviour is learned. While criminal behaviour is an expression of needs and values, non criminal behaviour is also such an expression, you can steal or work for money.

Question 9

What is the summary for Sutherland’s study?

Answer 9

1. Deviance occurs when people define a certain human situation as an appropriate occasion for violating social norms
2. Definitions of a situation are acquired through an individual’s history or past experience

Question 10

What was the study on poverty and disadvantaged neighbourhoods?

Answer 10

Wikstöm and Tafel, The Peterborough Youth Study

Question 11

What was the design of Wikström’s study?

Answer 11

A cross-sectional study

Question 12

What was the sample of Wikström’s study?

Answer 12

Nearly 2000 year 10 (14-15 year old) students

Question 13

What was the method of Wikström’s study?

Answer 13

Interview and data collection

Question 14

What were the selected key findings of Wikström’s study?

Answer 14

About 45% of the males and 30% of the females and committed at least one of the studded crimes. 10% of the males and 4% of the females had committed a serious offence of theft. High frequency offenders tend to commit a wide range of differs crimes. One in eight offenders were caught by e police for their last committed crime. Violent offenders are more likely to be victims of violence. Offenders are more often drunk and more often use drugs than other youths.

Question 15

What were the explanatory factors of Wikström’s study?

Answer 15

Family social position (social class, ethnicity)
Individual characteristics (self control and morality, social situation, family and school bonds, parental monitoring, truancy)
Social situation (family and school bonds, parental monitoring and opportunity for truancy)
Lifestyles and routine activities
Community contexts ( neighbourhood disadvantage and school attended)
Social disadvantage was not a strong predictor of delinquency in comparison to lifestyle factors but those from a lower social class did have more risk factors.

Question 16

What is ‘Propensity-induced’ in Wikström’s study?

Answer 16

Youths with an enduring propensity to offend, personality or individual characteristic, rather than situational risks. They tend to have weak family or school bonds, low levels of self-control, antisocial values and low levels of shame.

Question 17

What is ‘Lifestyle-dependant’ in Wikström’s study?

Answer 17

Offending by this group appears to be dependant on lifestyle. Those with low-risk lifestyle barely offend but those with a high risk lifestyle frequently offend. A high risk lifestyle is defined by spending a large amount if time on peer-centred activities in public settings, especially if socialising with delinquent peers and using alcohol or drugs

Question 18

What is ‘situationally-limited’ in Wikström’s study?

Answer 18

Well adjusted youths who will occasionally offend if their lifestyle exposes them to high levels of situational risk. Substance abuse seems to be of particular importance in explaining their occasional offending. There is little to suggest that this group will develop serious problems of criminality.