Victims and Justice(Victims and social control) Flashcards
What gender is more likley to be victims of crime?
What age group?
How much more likely than whites are mixed race people to be victims of crime?
What occupation is most likely to be victims?
Urban or rural areas are more susceptible to crime?
How many more times likely is a victim of bullying to be a victim of crime compared to someone who’s not?
-Men
-Young people.
-Mixed race people are more than twice as likely to be victims of crime.
-Long-term unemployed and students are more likely.
-Urban areas.
-Victims of bullying 6x more likely to be a victim of crime.
What does positivist criminology attempt to investigate? 2 examples?
Why might positivist criminology explain the reasons for why young people are likely victims?
What did the CSEW 2017 reveal about people who attend night clubs?
-How people contribute to their own victimhood by certain characteristics or behaviour.
-People walking home in the dark, or leaving valuables on display are examples of contributing to their own victimhood.
-Can explain aspects of criminality. i.e. young people are more likely to be victims because they are more likely out late, drinking, not security conscious.
-The CSEW revealed that people who attend night clubs regularly were much more likely to be victims of crime than people who do not.
Why is positivist sociology criticised?
-Some argue that this is victim-blaming(.e.g the Canadian policeman who was greatly criticised for saying ‘women should avoid dressing like sluts’ to avoid victimisation.
-Others point out that this seems to take some blame away from the criminal. Criminals have agency but positivist victimology seems to blame victims for putting temptation in criminals way.
What does critical victimology analyse?
What would positivists argue is the reason for homelessness increasing the risk of being a victim? Whereas critical victimologists?
What could the high number of unemployed people and those living in deprived areas who were victims of crime be explained by?
Who do critical victimologists focus their research on mostly?
-Critical victimology looks at how some groups are structurally more at risk of victimisation than others.
-Positivists victimology might point to the behaviour of homeless individuals, sleeping on the street.
-Critical victimologists would point to the structural factors that put the individual in that position.
-High numbers of unemployed people who live in deprived areas victimisation could be explained by structural factors.
-Critical victimologists particularly refer to the structural risk to poor people and women.
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Why might critical victimology be criticised?
-Men are actually more often victims of crime than women(although they are different types of crime).
-The wealthy are also likely to be victims of crime(Because they have property to steal) but critical victimologists are not interested in this.
What do interactionists view the term ‘victim’ as?
Why?
What should causation statistics on victimisation be handled the same as?
What did the CSEW find a correlation between with victims of bullying/crime? What does this suggest?
-A social construction that can become someone’s master status.
-They argue that some people are not viewed as victims by society because they do not conform to an idealised image of a victim.
-Causation statistics on victimisation should be handles the same as statistics on offending.
-CSEW found a strong correlation between victims of bullying and victims of crime. Suggesting some might be more likely to idenitfy as victims than others based on their self image.
Is social control just about the police and policing?
In what two ways are people controlled socially?
Explain them.
-NO.
-Formally and informally.
-Formal social control- society seeks to control behaviour and prevent deviance through mechanisms, and agents such as the police and CJS.
-Informal social control- society seeks to control behaviour and prevent deviance through informal mechanisms, such as disapproval, censure and peer pressure. Informal agents of social control include the media and school.
What are the two key sociological approaches to policing? Describe them.
-What two studies looked at military style policing during a northern ireland miners strike?
-Who do conflict policing theorists argue the police work in the interest of?
-Consensus and Conflict policing.
-Consensus policing- Functionalists sociolgists see the police as coming from and working on behalf of the community that they police. People agree about law and order, work with the police to keep their communities safe, peaceful and functional. Left realists recognise that this is not the reality of policing in many areas but it is desirable model and how policing should be recognised.
-Conflict policing- Conflict policing is a Marxist perspective one that views the police as not part of the community but as a hostile outside force.
-Young 1984 and Scraton 1985.
-The bourgeoise.
What can police officers use to decide when and when not to enforce the law?
What 3 types of this use do sociologists identify?
Describe them!
-Discretion!
-Individual discretion,cultural,structural.
-Individual-Means that individual police officers will use their personal discretion(which may be discriminatory) and that this may not necessarily reflect the occupational culture of the police nor its structural role in society.
-Cultural-The canteen culture of the police has impact on discretion, meaning that they are more likely to be suspicious of and hostile to certain groups. A canteen culture refers to the way in which people working in a particular workplace can develop a shared set of values and prejudices. A conservative canteen culture is sometimes suggested as an explanation for police discrimination and the lack of fairness sometimes displayed in discretion.
-Structural- The classic Marxist version where the police directly represent the interests of the bourgeoise and therefore enforce the law and order in their interests and against the interests of the rest. As such they will overlook bourgeois crime as far as they are able and focus on controlling the proletariat.
What agencies work within the CJS?
Where are all cases initially heard? Serious cases?
What other areas and professions now have a role in policing?
-The police, The Crown prosecution service, Courts, Prisons, probation service.
-All cases are initially heard in the magistrates court.
-Serious cases are heard in the crown court.
-Education such as teachers role to the Prevent Duty or Landlords in the policing of immigration.
Who argued that we now live in a society where we constantly faced internalised surveillance?
What did he call this? What has control become according to him?
How is this criticised?
-Foucalt. He argued we are now so used to being watched that we now monitor ourselves and ensure we behave in a socially desriablee way. We try not to be labelled deviant in comparison to our peers.
-The panopticon. Similar to the prison where guards may view prisoners without prisoners viewing guards foucalt argues this system has infiltrated other areas of society.
-In this way ‘control has become invisible’.
-Others argue Foucalt exaggerates the extent of control e.g. even psychiatric patients can resist control.
What is formal surveillance?
What does it’s overt use act as? What else?
Why does these uses cause controversy? What practical issues come with its use?
-CCTV.
-Overt use acts as a deterrent(crime prevention strategy).
-Also used as evidence in courts when crime is committed.
-Some argue it is a breach of civil liberties.
- Also practical concerns re: crime prevention and prosecution. The high cost means often no film. When there is footage often not sufficient or of quality.
What are situational crime prevention strategies?
Target hardening? Designing out?
-Pre-emptive approaches that rely on reducing opportunities for crime. Focus on increasing risk and reducing rewards.
-Target hardening- initiatives like anti-theft paint, window locks, CCTV and car security features which make potential targets harder for criminals to access.
-Designing out- This is where common features of a particular area are re-designed in order to make common criminal or deviant behaviour impossible. I.e. anti homeless spikes to prevent rough sleeping.
What success has situational crime prevention achieved? (SCP)
What are the criticisms of SCP strategies?
What did Bauman state about fortress cities?
-Can be very effective( councils, businesses, home-owners tend to approve).
-Some specific crimes have definitely been reduced(e.g. intruder alarms have reduced burglaries.)
-Displacement. These measures may move crime to a different neighbourhood, rather than actually help to prevent it altogether. I.e. CCTV being widespread in city centres has moved crime into other areas of cities.
-Some of the activities targeted by SCP might not be considered criminal or deviant by everyone(rough sleeping should be dealt with by charities and housing policy rather than crime prevention).
-Bauman writes of cities in late modernity being controlled and protected with people unwilling to dare to travel outside of them. (like medieval fortresses).
