violent crime and property crime

Question 1

3 primary forms of violence

Answer 1

1. Interpersonal (traditional)
   –>violence inflicted by one individual (or a small group of individuals) onto another
2. self-directed violence (self harm, suicide…etc)
3. collective violence (war, insurrection, terrorism…etc)

Question 2

correlates of crime

Answer 2

-age
-gender
-geography
-race
-economic status

Question 3

crime rate in populated areas?

Answer 3

less populated areas = higher crime rate
-less law enforcement
-not enough resources/personnel
-poverty –> income disparity and inflation
-attraction of young male workers in one place

Question 4

age and violence

Answer 4

-Young ppl (teens/early 20’s) are statistically the most likely to commit violent crime

-As one gets older they
become less likely to commit acts of violence

-Reasons why rates of violent offending is higher among younger demographics

-Less responsibilities, more free time, peak fitness, peer influence/relationships, less social bonds, less developed brains/experiences (impulse control), testosterone levels

-Bio, psycho, socio/culture, alc and drug use, opportunity, peer relations, expectations, lack of self control, life course events

Question 5

gender and violence

Answer 5

-Very strongly correlated variable of violent crime
-Generally men commit more crime than women
-Men are also more likely to be victims of violence
-Socialized to aggressive activities (physical) and has physical (aggression, hormones, conditioning, masculinity expectations, cultural attitudes, socialization…etc)
-Women are socialized to more demure activities

Question 6

class and violence

Answer 6

-Poverty (lower income in general) is another well established correlate of violent crime
-Rates of violence is higher in poorer neighborhoods and pops

Why?
-Higher drug use and unemployment rates (addiction), limit in education (barrier), money can buy certain protection (crime is covered up), strain theory, cultural expectations

Question 7

Violent crime and violent media?

Answer 7

Prevalence of violence throughout virtually every form of media
~200,000 acts of violence through media is witnessed by an 18 yr old (US)
Through movies, tv, comic books, video games…etc
Does youth exposure to gratuitous violence through the media have real-world implications?

Columbine massacre of 19999 → “trend” of school/mass shootings in America (moral panics that followed)
Many potential reasons put forward re; the motive for the attack:
School bullying (act of revenge)
Mental illness
Psychiatric medications
Music (Marilyn manson, heavy metal)
Violent video games (doom, quake, duke nukem)
Similar reasons often applied to the many mass shootings that followed

Bulk of psychological and sociological research states there is NOT a correlation between consumption of violent media and aggressive behaviour
And yet…
Convenient cover up or blame than addressing the real issues
Makes money and catches attention (easy straightforward narrative)
Prey on ppls fear of unknown (esp older, vulnerable pops)