(merged) approaches on crime

functionalism, marxism, left and right realism and interactionism on crime

Delinquency

Criminal or antisocial acts committed by young people, usually under the age of 18

Collective consciousness

Durkheim- society has a set of shared values

Who first wrote about the Marxist theory of crime

Bonger

What is the Marxist theory of crime fundamentally based on

The exploitation of one group by another through values such as hegemony, law enforcement, individual motivation etc

Hegemony

Control of lower classes by the upper class, usually through ideology

Criminogenic

A descriptor for capitalism, outlining that capitalism creates crime due to its values

Utilitarian crime + why is happens

A crime that has a motive of profit, happens as capitalism is based on profit so it becomes a general goal of all

Non-utilitarian crime + why it happens

A crime that is not associated with financial gain, happens due to the frustration of exploitation, used as a release

Why may the Marxist explanation of crime be invalid

Assumes we are all a product of the capitalist society and argues we are passive, doesn’t explain crime in communist societies e.g ussr, criminals are often painted to be the victim of capitalism rather than an offender

Explain ideological state apparatus and hegemony in relation to crime

Ruling class impose their ideology through societal institutions such as education to create the illusion that ones individual thoughts/ opinion is their own

Selective law enforcement

Laws being in place yet only applying to some people such as cooperate vs individual financial crimes

What are some criticisms of the Marxist view on selective law

Through democracy w/c also have a say in laws and lawmakers so isn’t just ruling class, some laws are in place to protect the working class, assumption that all laws are utilitarian and focus on capitalist motives, victims are often ignored

Corporate crime

Company/ business crimes

White collar crime

Upper class committing crime

Why does the ruling class often get away with crime

Their crimes are often hard and expensive to prosecute so will get away with it

What is traditional Marxist theory on crime also called

Critical criminology

Neo-marxism

New Marxist ideology, involves elements of interactionism

What is neo-Marxist theory on crime also called

New criminology

What three areas do Marxists and neo-Marxists agree on

Society is based on exploitation, selective law making, getting rid of capitalism would significantly reduce or even iradicate crime

What do neo-Marxists say about marxism

Marxism is too economically deterministic, it assumes we all make decisions based on financial gain

Who were the main neo-marxists

Taylor, Walton, Young

What is the main aim of neo-Marxism on crime

Development of a more social theory and explain action of crime, has to consider the individual along with society

Who argues that the ruling class will always attempt to enforce hegemony

Gramsci

Who argues criminals are passive

Marxists

Who argues criminals are active

Neo-marxists

Voluntaristic

Neo-Marxists argue criminals have free will rather than being passive, criminals choose to offend

What did Taylor Walton and Young develop following criminals being “voluntaristic”

6 dimensions outlining a basis of thought when a crime is committed

What are the 6 dimensions neo-marxists developed

Wider societal origins of deviance, immediate origins of deviance, meaning of the act to the individual, immediate societal reaction, wider societal reaction, outcomes of the reaction on the deviant

Wider societal origins of deviance and an example

The wider context of crime like wealth and power inequalities, e.g a downturn in the economy

Immediate origins of deviance and an example

The specific situation the criminal was in leading to the act e.g being in a society with the need for scapegoats

Meaning of the act to the individual and an example

If its a good cause or a need such as money due to having no job e.g having to steal because you need food

Immediate societal reaction and an example

The closest people to the offender reacting e.g family, neighbours

Wider societal reaction and an example

The rest of society reacting to the act e.g media outrage, deviancy amplification

Outcomes of societal reaction on deviant and an example

Offenders being labelled, possibly leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy e.g oozed dawn on so turn into a drug addict

Outline a specific ao2 example for neo-Marxist 6 spheres on crime

‘Policing the crisis’ study on black muggers: riots happening in Ireland and government needed something to distract and turn the media, ethnic minority groups were getting bigger post war, mugging was taking place and those prosecuted were often black, lead to over policing on black areas and ethnic groups disliked the police and lost trust, lead to more mugging as a release of frustration

What is the myth of black criminality

Gilroy- the stereotype that black people are to commit more crime which is incorrect, due to institutional racism and military policing

Military policing

Usage of covert tactics as a form of policing such as stop and search and surveillance

Strengths of neo-marxism

Considers police, media, individual, economic structure

Weaknesses of neo-marxism

Over emphasis on class inequalities, little to say on deviance only on crime, don’t explain wc on wc crime, more of a model than an approach, ignores the victims of crime and the laws that protect the working class

Outline the Marxist subcultural theory

The working class youths create a subculture as they reject capitalism through the clothes they wear and the language they use

What did Cohen say about sociologists on crime

Sociologists are bias of their analysis and want to prove that capitalism is criminogenic therefore fix their evidence to match this.

what is the interactionist theory also called

labelling theory

who thought of the labelling theory

howard becker

outline labelling theory

idea that a label is given to an individual by society due to an act that individual has committed, they will live through that label and fulfilw its characteristics through a self-fulfilling prophecy, the label we give to a person or situation gives it meaning

what are the five key concepts interactionists focus on

interaction between deviants and those who label them as deviant, selective enforcement, consequences of being labelled e.g societal reactions, circumstances leading to deviance, analysis of who makes the labels and who has the power to make them stick

what did lemert argue *p+s

primary and secondary deviance

primary deviance- where deviance takes place but is not publically labelled as such as it has not been discovered by society therefore society has little influence

secondary deviance- is where deviance takes place and is seen by society applying the label to the deviant and defining their sense of self as deviant, society has a high level of influence

master label/ status

label that is given to someone and overrides every other label therefore that person is only seen as that label e.g pedophile

what did becker say were two responses to the master label

either reject the label or negate it (make it ineffective)

selective law enforcement

idea that laws are only enforced on few people

selective law enforcement in relation to interactionism including class

idea that laws are enforced on those that society views as ‘criminal‘ which may include marginalised subcultures and stereotypes, middle class crimes are prosecuted less harshly as middle class are thought to have the means to change

strengths of interactionism on crime

challenges idea that deviants are abnormal and sees them as people, shows importance of societal reactions, shows importance of stereotypes, demonstrates self-fulfilling prophecies, explains how official statistics are bias to law enforcement

weaknesses of interactionism on crime

moves blame from deviants to society, paints offender to be victim, deterministic as labelling doesn’t always lead to crime, doesn’t speak about causes or prevention to crime, emphasis on one being deviant only if labelled as such, doesn’t allow criminals to be voluntaristic

relativity in relation to interactionism on crime

explain deviance as relative, crime is only criminal when labelled as such

deviant career

when a deviant is given a label of criminal and the deviance overtakes their day-to-day lifestyle and therefore becomes their subsequent career, the deviant label they were given in the first place becomes their master status

what do interactionists say about official statistics

they are invalid and are bias towards selective law enforcement, there is truely a dark figure of crime which is much different to official statistics

rejection + example

some deviants reject the label they are given and move on with their lives such as young male prostitutes being labelled as homosexual but rejecting this and maintaining their sexuality as straight

descibe the notting hill deviancy amplification case

where drug takers in notting hill were arrested, the media got a hold of this and amplified it labelling deviance as druggies, caused a moral panic as more people in the area were concerned about drug crime leading to tighter policing and rising drug prices

realist

one that suggests practical solutions to the issue of crime not just an explanation

what three aspects did left and right realists agree on

there has been a significant increase in the crime rate, there are concerns about the fear of crime, other sociological theories fail to offer realistic solutions to crime

what are the main concepts surrounding right realism

free choice, individualism, people are naturally selfish, value consensus underpins society, close links to right wing politics and new right ideology

how do right realists say crime must be tackled

community control “control, containment, punishment“

what was right realist Wilsons approach to crime

believed sociology hadnt provided solutions to crime, believed that heavier punishment did not always help as crime was inevitable, argued that the solution was to increase rate of detection to make the risk of committing the crime heavier therefore it would deter people from being criminal

what are the three right realist approaches to crime

rational choice theory, broken windows theory, underclass

rational choice theory

ideology that all individuals have the capacity to make choices and weigh up the risks of criminal activity, crime will generally increase when there is a decrease in the risk of committing a crime

who created the broken windows theory

Wilson and Kelling

explain the broken windows theory

idea that if an area has a high level of small-scale disorder crimes going unpunished (e.g graffiti, broken windows, dog fouling), the people in the area will be under the impression that crime is not risky and will therefore commit more. there is often an absence of both formal and informal social control

how does the broken windows theory lead to crime

deviants become attracted to the area which moves many people out as they do not want to be in that environment, they commit crime there as they believe it is allowed

who thought of the underclass

charles murray

explain Murray’s underclass theory

idea that there is and increase in deviants due to inadequate primary socialisation. single parent households lacked a father figure who asserted discipline, families lived off of welfare benefits which would convey the message to their children that hard work is not needed and not valued turning them to deviance

why would young people of the underclass (boys in particular) turn to crime according to Murray

to gain a social status and because they did not value work anymore

what are some solutions right realists put forward

stricter socialisation of young people e.g cjs in schools, more policing in communities, more zero-tolerance policies, situational crime prevention such as noises playing to deter people, increased social control

strengths of right realism

addresses immediate causes of crime such as broken windows, gives policies to reduce opportunity of crime,recognises severity of small scale crimes, recognises importance of community control

weaknesses of right realism

over-emphasis on minor offences, corporate crime and white collar crime doesn’t exist, assumes offenders are rational, only suggests that strong police presence will help yet doesn’t acknowledge labelling and self fulfilling prophecy

who is the main left realism theorist

Jock Young

what is the key cause of crime according to left realists

inequality through structure and injustice

outline the main reasoning behind left realism

marxist and neo marxist views don’t tackle crime seriously and romanticise working class crime along with not taking victims seriously, believed democratic policy and improved clear up rates by police would help crime rates

what are the three main causes of crime according to left realists

relative deprivation, marginalisation, subcultures

who spoke about relative deprivation

Runciman

outline relative deprivation

someone feels that they are materially deprived in relation to those around them due to the belongings the society may have e.g not having a phone or new shoes

outline marginalisation

groups lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests, for example, groups based on class or ethnicity. these groups turn to crime as a means to release their frustrations

outline subcultures

groups with the same ideology and frustrations that come up with collective solutions to relative deprivation, argue that those who achieved the goals of society did so illegitimately so will do the same, have the same goals of society but access them through illegitimate means (crime)

how do left realists say crime must be tackled

through the examination of the interrelations between four elements- role of victims, social structure and formal social control, public and informal social control, offenders

outline the role of victims

who the victim is and how they choose to report their crime, how do victims view offenders and if they trust the police to prosecute the offender

outline social structure and formal social control

the context of crime and how it is defined, the style of policing and who decides weather the deviance is deviant, styles of policing e.g military

outline public and informal social control

how the general public reacts to crime, how offenders are condemned, trust between the police and the public

what are some solutions to crime that left realists propose

building communities, agencies working together, community policing, tacking social deprivation, addressing risks of crime

name some sources of crime statistics

police records, prison records, court records, victim surveys, self report studies, OCR (official crime rate)

what three sources of crime statistics does the OCR use to report

court records, prison records, police records

who thought of the filters theory, outline it

moore and champman, police use filters which decided weather or not they should report a crime i.e victim status, importantness of rime, categorisation of crime, police digression (mood), relationships and career status i.e needing more completed crimes for a promotion

what is the bristish crime survey

annual survey carried out by the ONS surveying 500,000 peoples experience with crime through structured interviews assessing their experiences with crime, attitudes to the CJS, fears of crime etc

pros and cons of the british crime survey

pros- representative, quantitative and easy to analyse, identifies repeat victims, shows some of the dark figure of crime

cons- relies on memory, does ask why, not everyone realises they are a victim, no victimless crimes i.e drug use, no cooperate or white collar crimes included, shame of victimisation

Crime

An act that breaks a law

Deviance

An act that goes against societal social norms

Social contol

methods used to persuade or force people to conform to the dominant social norms or values of a group

Historical definition of crime

Past crimes may be legal now and vice versa such as upskirting or homosexuality

Contextual definition of crime

Crime may be allowed in one situation but not another such as murder in self defence but not in other contexts

Cultural definition of crime

Different cultures allow some behaviours such as smoking weed

Generational definition of crime

Some ages are able to commit certain acts such as drinking alcohol

Social contruct

An idea or perception existing as people in society accept or believe so e.g gender norms

Anomie

A state of normlessness where social norms break down as they are unclear