Week 8- Social Theories Of Crime Flashcards
What are organic societies ?
Organic societies are those where groups have highly complex work and social relationships. Special forms of labour exist along with highly interactive relationships
How was solidarity achieved in mechanical and organic societies ?
In mechanical societies solidarity was achieved through uniformity of members with members exerting pressure on each other to conform.
In organic societies laws serve to regulate interactions between the various groups within society. If regulation is weak, problems such as crime will occur
What is Anomie
Anomie is a state of normlessness. It exists when social norms no longer control the activity of group members. This can lead to a range of consequences including deviance
Explain social ecology of crime
Is drawn upon the concept of anomie to explore social disorganization and how it can influence patterns of crime. The areas closer in a city are more concentrated in crime it decreases as you move further away. Immigration disrupted usual processes of social control. As people moved to outer sones they became more law abiding where forms of social control were more prevalent. Laid the foundations for development of environmental criminology.
Explain structural strain
Focused on the social system and how it produced social norms. Argues that society emphasizes on certain goals which can be attained by legitimate or illegitimate means. Wealth and financial success are the primary goals. These goals are legitimately attained through education and employment. Anomie results from an imbalance between social goals and the means of achieving them resulting in strain and deviance.
What are the modes of adaption in response to anomie and strain?
Conformity - accept the cultural goals and means of attaining them.
Ritualism/ accept means but reject cultural goals ( work but settle for less)
Retreatism- reject both cultural goals and means. Usually outcasts, drunkards, vagrants, and drug addicts.
Rebellion- rejected goals and means and substitute new ones. Own sort of society. Bikies
Innovation - goals are important but the means of attaining them aren’t. This adaptation explains crime. People adopting non socially approved means of meeting goals. E.g. Stealing, fraud
What is social structural strain?
Inequalities working society discriminate against the Lower class in key ways such as education and work opportunities ( blocking legitimately ways to achieve cultural goals) leads to feeling frustration and unfairness.
Explain social control theories
Focuses on why people do not commit crimes. Argues that society places restraints upon people’s behavior and social norms restrain our behavior. These social restraints can breakdown and result in criminal behavior. The kore tightly people are tied to society the less likely They are to commit crime.
What are the four types of social bonds?
If one of these becomes weak it will lead to a weakening of the other three and the individual will be free to engage in criminal behaviors.
Attachment- to other members of society facilitates internalizing of social Norms. E.g partners, siblings
Commitment- to culturally approved goals. E.g school, study, employment
Belief- in society’s rules increases likelihood of obeying authority figures and constraints deviant behavior
Involvement- in conventional activities constrains opportunities to commit crime and strengths the social bond
Explain conflict theory
Conflict theory recognizes there are various groups on society that they have conflicting interests, needs and values. Conflict therefore arises when groups are in competition for power and resources. Are interested in the making and enforcement of law rather than the behavior of individuals.
What is pluralist theory?
A subsection of conflict theory. Recognizes society is composed of different groups who compete for power and resources to advance their interests.
What is class conflict theory?
A theory that constitutes conflict theory. Capitalist society that is structured into capitalist class and working class. Capitalist class derive their power from owning the means of production and exploit the labour of the working class. The uneven distribution of wealth and power is seen as the source of conflict. The mahout it of people compete for scarce resources resulting in crime such as stealing to alleviate property or perceived justice.
Explain feminist theory.
Origins in conflict theory and examines the importance of gender to criminology. Challenged existing criminology theorizing which was focused on males. Argue that women are afforded less power in society and are structurally disadvantaged including in criminal justice. Focuses on how gender impacts upon female offenders and victims and how males and females are treated differently by police and courts. Importance is understanding certain types of crime such as sexual violence and domestic violence.
Explain symbolic interactionism
Interactions with others influence how we see ourselves. People act towards things on the basis of that thing. Those meanings are formed and shaped through interacting with other people.
What is differential association theory?
Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communications. Learn techniques of committing the crime and the specific direction of motives. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favourable to violation Of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law
