unit 2 - criminological theories

Question 1

2 strengths of the strain theory

Answer 1

• allows for individuality as people react differently to social strain
• explains why working class crime rates may be higher

Question 2

2 weaknesses of functionalism

Answer 2

• Tim Newburn (2013) found that Durkheim failed to consider the influence the powerful have over what acts are seen as criminal

*taylor, walton and young (1973) found that crime itself is not functional society, but instead it’s the publishing of crime and punishment that unites society

Question 3

2 strengths of functionalism

Answer 3

• he was the first to suggest that crime is “normal”
• he was able to identify the link between crime and values of particular societies and how these values change how we view crime and deviance

Question 4

2 weaknesses of marxism

Answer 4

• little to nothing to say about the victims of crime
• explanation is one dimensional, no allowance for complexity on influences of law making

Question 5

2 strengths of marxism

Answer 5

• provides an explaination for crime across a variety of social classes
• highlights the impact of selective law enforcement

Question 6

what are some strengths of eysencks theory?

Answer 6

• takes into account nature and nurture
• his research on soldiers supports
• links nicely with the diathesis stress model
• could help prevent crime and decrease crime rates

Question 7

2 weaknesses of strain theory

Answer 7

• it is deterministic as not all of the lower class resorts in crime
• it fails to explain crime that does not have any monetary gain

Question 8

2 weaknesses of banduras SLT?

Answer 8

• lots of ethical issues
• lab study, therefore low ecological validity

Question 9

2 strengths of banduras SLT

Answer 9

• shows cause and effect
• experiment and its variables were controlled- greater ecological validity

Question 10

what is boundary maintenance?

Answer 10

when crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members and reinforcing its shared norms and values

Question 11

weaknesses of eysencks theory

Answer 11

• it’s a reductionist explaination
• suggests personality is genetic, however it can change- lack of reliability
• relies on self-report measures of personality- subject to response bias

Question 12

why did eysenck believe that some personality types are more likely to commit crime than others?

Answer 12

because they crave excitement, however are slow to realise that crime has bad consequences

Question 13

what does extroversion and introversion concern?

Answer 13

the amount of stimulation a person needs

Question 14

what are 2 weaknesses of freuds psychodynamic approach?

Answer 14

• his theories are no longer accredited for due to the difficulty of proving things like the unconscious
• there’s a lack of quantitative data, Freud knew his patients, therefore it wasn’t objective

Question 15

what are two strengths of freuds psychodynamic approach?

Answer 15

• the id, ego and superego all relate to different parts of the brain. the id- limbic system. prefrontal cortex- ego
• psychodynamic theories have contributed to many pieces of research on crime and behaviour

Question 16

what did freud believe

Answer 16

that examining childhood experiences are the best way to understand behaviour, and that criminality stems from guilt

Question 17

what do marxists believe?

Answer 17

that crime is inevitable in a capitalist society, used by the bourgeoisie as a means of social control

Question 18

explain how campaigns by pressure groups may affect policy making

Answer 18

• BLF- aims to prevent lung disease and spread awareness about its causes of it. they received 50,000 signatures on their petition in 2011, which led to the Children and families act 2014 to be formed, which bans the smoking in cars with children
• kaleidoscope trust- aims for lgbtq people to live safe, free and equal lives everywhere. they raised over £6.8 billion in donations from three governments in order to support lgbtq rights across commonwealth. as a result, they’ve helped bring about multiple changes In law such as the same sex couples act 2013, which makes the marriage of same sex couples in England and Wales legal, whilst protecting religious freedom

Question 19

what research supports lombrosos theory?

Answer 19

wu and zhangs 2016 research.
used id photos of 1856 Chinese men (half criminal half not) into an ai programme, and found 83% accuracy In identifying the criminals

Question 20

what research supports twin studies?

Answer 20

chrishansen (1977) 3586 pairs from danish islands, found concordance rates of 35% mz and 13% dz for males, and 21% mz and 8% dz for females

lange (1929) 10 of 13 mz twins served time in prison compared to 2 of 17 dz twins

Question 21

what research supports adoption studies?

Answer 21

Hutchins and mednick studied 14,000 adopted kids, and found a high proportion of boys with convictions matched parents

medick et al found no correlation between parents and adoptive kids, but found significant correlation between biological parents and children

Question 22

what is the zero tolerance policy?

Answer 22

developed by right realists to tackle crime in a practical way. involves not tolerating even the smallest of crimes and increasing consequences.

for example: being caught with a handheld device whilst driving began with a £30 fine in 2003, however today is a £200 fine and 6 points to the license.

Question 23

what’s an advantage of zero tolerance policing?

Answer 23

it acts as a deterrent to both serious crime and minor crime

diminishes the threat of violence

Question 24

what is a disadvantage of zero tolerance policing?

Answer 24

it is reductionist

Question 25

what is the multi agency approach?

Answer 25

left realists argue its needed in order to prevent people from feeling pushed out of society. the criminal justice act of 2003 requires the police, probation services and prison services to reduce the risk posed by violent offenders.

Question 26

what is an advantage of the multi agency approach

Answer 26

prime evidence of success of these initiatives, such as no knives better lives

Question 27

what is a disadvantage of the multi agency approach?

Answer 27

can be disagreements, or inefficiencies in communication

Question 28

what is penal populism?

Answer 28

governments attempt of proposing laws to punish offenders that will be popular with the general public. policy started as a result of the James Bulger case in 1993.

for example: Tony Blair “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”

Question 29

what are two strengths of lombrosos theory?

Answer 29

1. he was the first to give criminology scientific credit
2. goring (1913) found a low order intelligence in convicts which suggests some form of genetic basis

Question 30

what are three weaknesses of lombrosos theory?

Answer 30

1. goring (1913) used a control group of normal faces and found no differences
2. deterministic, suggests that we cant control our behaviour
3. no control group, didnt compare to ordinary faces

Question 31

what are two strengths of sheldons theory?

Answer 31

1. sizeable sample (200) was used and he used a control group
2. gleuk and gleuk (1956) found that in a sample of delinquents 60% of them were mesomorphs

Question 32

what are two weaknesses of sheldons theory?

Answer 32

1. lacks predictive validity as peoples looks change over time
2. prisons may discriminagte and it can cause a self fufilling prophecy

Question 33

what are two strengths of adoption studies?

Answer 33

1. as adopted children are exposed to a different environment than their biological family, it is easier to seperate genetic and environmental factors
2. studies have concluded that there is a correlation between adoptive children and biological parents

Question 34

what are two weaknesses of adoption studies?

Answer 34

1. the age of adoption could mean that the children have already been affected by their foster or natural environment
2. information about biological famillies is not always available or reliable

Question 35

what are two strengths of twin studies?

Answer 35

1. the results of twin studies have helped in the prevention of vulnerable disorders
2. these studies are a naturally occurring variable with little human manipulation meaning it has a high ecological validity

Question 36

what are two weaknesses of twin studies?

Answer 36

1. if twins are brought up in the same environment we cannot isolate nature and nurture
2. early twin studies such as lange lack control and validity since their classification of mz and dz twins is based on appearance not dna

Question 37

what is a strength of jacobs xyy?

Answer 37

adler et al (2007) indicated that it is possible that aggressive and violent behaviours are at least partly determined by genetic factors

Question 38

what are two weaknesses of jacobs xyy?

Answer 38

1. focuses too heavily on genetics and ignores the behaviourist and social learning theory
2. studies found that genetic abnormalities are widespread through the general population therefore cannot explain aggression and criminal behaviour