unit 1: study of crime Flashcards
what are the three areas of focus, on crime studying?
- the society of law, (examines, social aspects/institutions of law)
- theories of crime causation(Criminogenesis, why people committing crime?)
- the study of social responses to crime(formal insitutions of CJS- police, courts…, the way laws change.
is crime socially defined?
yes, its not inherent in an activity.
there are many diverse conceptions of crime
what are Hagans 7 different approaches to the definition of crime
- formal legal definition
- social harm
- cross-cultural universal form
- labelling approach
- human rights approach
- human diversity approach
formal legal definition
crime is whatever the state identifies as crime
social harm
criminal and civil offence where it causes harm to someone’s lives
cross-cultural universal form
fundamentally crime does not vary across cultural norms
ex. murder is murder
labelling approach
crime only exists when there has been a social response to an activity that is criminal.
example. J walking
human rights approach
crime is violation of human rights regardless of the legality of the actions. example: expands crime to oppressice practices such as racism and sexism
human diversity approach
crime/deviance represents a normal response to oppressive or unequal circumstances.
example: stealing a loaf a bread because of family needs
what is legally defined as crime varies according to social and historical contexts
examples: witchcraft, being a vagabond (homeless), rape as a poverty crime, sexual assault had a gender bias
what role does media play on crime?
- shapes the perception we have on crime by:
- dehumanization of individuals
- often portrayed as really bad, scary, frequent and random
- ## responses to crime as seen “too lenient”
Thomas Mathiesen
viewed the mass media as a form of social control:
- media is shaped by organizations and ideology
- media emphasizes crime
- public is passive audience that accepts dominant ideology portrayed in the media
measures of crime
realist approach: assumes an objective truth of crime that exists “out there”, seeks to uncover and measure the “reality” of crime. [problems of omission]
institutional approach: crime is a social process[problems of bias]
critical realist approach: having elements of social process and grounded reality, emphasizes the [problem of victimization]
3 levels of criminological theory analysis
individual, situational, structural.
individual level of analysis
focuses on individual characteristics/choices of the offender/victim.
biology and psychological factors at the time
ex. tattoos=criminal
situational analysis
focuses on the immediate circumstances or situations in which criminal o deviant activity occurs. and ways where group behaviors can impact social activity and the rule of environmental practices.
ex. interaction between police and young people
structural analysis
crime is the result of broad relationships and the major institutions of society.
ex. proverty=crime
political orientations of crime:
how crime is perceived and defined
geometric circle: harmonious society
triangle: always in conflict, inequality, injustice in society
rectangle or square: focus in interconnecting institutions, family, jobs, schools
non-geometric: focus on the way individuals construct their realities, a person .
views of crime, 3
conservative perspective, liberal perspective, radical perspective
conservative perspective
- its a circle
- supports traditional ways of doing things (status quo)
liberal perspective
- square or rectangular
- accepts the limitations of the status quo and encourages limited change to social institutions to reduce crime
- solve sexism, racism….
radical perspective
- triangle orientation
- rejects the legitimacy of the status quo
- fundamental change to the existing social order
what does good criminology need?
- self-consciously reflective of the theoretical and political basis of its understanding
anti-social behavior
behavior that is deviant, unacceptable.
example. United kingdom criminology is shaped by social concerns about policing and that behavior
bureaucracy
a formal organization with defined objectives, a hierarchy of specialized roles, and systematic processes of direction and admsinistration
criminology
social science that studies crime and crime-related phenomena, such as law-making, criminal examination, victimization and punishments
dark figure of crime
amount of crime that is unreported unknown
ideal types
an abstract model of a pure form of social phenomena.
ideology
linked set of ideas and beliefs that act to uphold and justify the existence of power, authority wealth, or status quo
moral panics
overreacting to forms of deviance. created because of media, or leaders that want to change laws or practices
paradigm
the framework used in thinking about and organizing an understanding of natural and social phenomena
victimization
an act that exploits or treats someone unfairly
uniform crime reporting survey
UCR, a system created by Statistics Canada and the Canadian association of chiefs of police. provides police of knowing about other crimes
