Criminology

Durkheim’s Anomie

not a strain theory: society’s role is to stop our nature wanting to do crime (instead of strains causing criminality)

anomie is normlessness, a lack of regulation

occurs with rapid social change

collective conscience

Merton’s Anomie/Strain Theory

society pressures us to commit crimes

anomie is the gap between goals and means

conformity: accept goals and means

innovation: accept goals, no means

ritualism: reject goals, have means

retreatism: reject goals and means, do nothing

rebellion: reject goals and means, make new ones

Cohen’s Delinquent Gangs

youth who struggle in school turn to gangs

Cloward/Ohlin’s Illegitimate Opportunity

the opportunity to innovate isn’t available to all

criminal subcultures: stable, organized crime, mentorship

conflict subcultures: disorganized, no mentorship, violence

retreatist subcultures: not able to succeed in the other 2, little criminal opportunity, drug use

Messner/Rosenfield’s Institutional Anomie

the want for money at all costs dominates the things put in place to counter that

family, education, welfare system, government, etc.

Agnew General Strain

Strain comes from 3 places:

1. lose something you value

2. presented noxious stimuli

3. unable to achieve conventional goals

objective strain: disliked by most members of a group

subjective strain: disliked by one person

crime is a coping mechanism/catharsis for strain

Thomas/Znaniecki’s Social Disorganization

a person no longer follows society’s rules

Polish immigrant children

Park’s Human Ecology

natural areas: areas in a city distinguished by unique economic and cultural situations

cities grow via invasion, dominance, and succession

Burgess’ Concentric Zones

1. central business district

2. transition (most crime)

3. workers homes

4. residential

5. commuter

Shaw/McKay’s Classic Social Disorganization

1. poverty/low SES

2. population instability

3. racial/ethnic heterogeneity

break down consensus, create crime

Kasarda/Janowitz’s Community Attachment

strongest social organization when people are attached to their neighborhoods

length of residence leads to social ties

Bursik/Grasmick’s Social Ties

private: friendship and kinship

parochial: between civic organizations

public: government funds

Sampson/Raudenbush/Earl’s Collective Efficacy

need to have both ties to your community AND a willingness to fight for it

Negotiated Coexistance Model

reciprocal obligations between criminals and non-criminals

Anderson’s Code of the Street

decent families vs. street families

Labeling

primary and secondary deviance

people define themselves as criminals once society has done so

Sutherland’s Differential Association

criminal behavior is learned via interactions with others in intimate groups

you learn techniques, motives, drives, rationalizations, attitudes which define legal codes as favorable or unfavorable

favorable to breaking the law=criminal

vary in frequency, duration, intensity, priority

involve normal learning mechanisms

not explained by needs and values

Glaser’s Differential Identification

differential association+media

Sykes/Matza’s Neutralization

denial of responsibility

denial of injury

denial of victim

condemning the condemners

appeal to higher loyalties

Akers’ Social learning

differential association

definitions: attitudes attached to actions

differential reinforcement: reinforcements/punishments

imitation

Reckless’ Containment

biological pushes

social pressures

social pulls

Matza’s Drift

everyone drifts into and out of crime

Hirschi’s Social Bonding

attachment

commitment

involvement

belief

Gottfredson/Hirschi’s Self Control

low self control causes crime

age 8

trait vs. state