Criminology Quiz #2

Merton’s (1938) Anomie Theory

Merton’s (1938) Anomie Theory

States that anomie, and therefore, higher crime rates occur when there is disjunction between culturally valued goals and the means to achieve those goals.

Anomie

A state of normlessness

Merton’s (1938) Classical Strain Theory

States that individuals are pressured into committing crime when they are prevented from achieving success through legitimate channels.

Equilibrium

Characterizes a society which puts a similar emphasis on culturally valued goals and means to achieve those goals.

Ritualistic

Characterizes a society which puts little pressure on goals, but more pressure on conventional means to achieve them.

Disjuncture

Characterizes a society which puts a lot of emphasis on culturally valued goals, but little emphasis on means to achieve them.

Institutional Anomie Theory (Messner and Rosenfeld)

States the cultural emphasis on monetary success of the United States makes it so every other institution is dominated by the economy, and thus, unable to fully socialize in the way that institutions are supposed to. Predicts that crime will be higher in societies and areas where there is a strong emphasis on monetary pursuit.

Institutional Imbalance

A characteristic wherein all other institutions of society ,(e.g. family, politics, and education), are perceived as subservient to the economy, which disrupts the effective functioning of these institutions.

General Strain Theory (Agnew)

States that strain events are conditions disliked by an individual that fall into three categories; prevention of achieving positively defined goals, removal of positively valued stimuli, or introduction of negative stimuli. These strain conditions cause negative emotions that can result in crime.

Conformity

An adaptation to strain where a person both accepts culturally valued goals and uses legitimate means to achieve those goals. (Most common adaptation)

Innovation

An adaptation to strain where a person accepts culturally valued goals, but uses illegitimate means to achieve those goals. (Associated with both selling drugs and property crimes).

Ritualism

An adaptation to strain where a person doesn’t accept culturally valued goals, but does engage in legitimate means that are typically used to achieve those goals.

Retreatism

An adaptation to strain where a person both doesn’t accept culturally valued goals and doesn’t engage in legitimate means. (Associated with drug use and vagrancy).

Rebellion

An adaptation to strain where a person doesn’t accept culturally valued goals so instead strives towards a replacement goal. A person can engage in either legitimate or illegitimate means in order to achieve this goal.

Major Types of Strain

(1) prevent or threaten to prevent achievement of a positively valued goal (2) remove or threaten to remove positively valued stimuli (3) present or threaten to present negatively valued stimuli

Objective Strain

Events and/or conditions that are disliked by everyone

Subjective Strain

Varying evaluations of the same events and/or conditions

Experienced Strains

Strains that are directly experienced by an individual

Vicarious Strains

Strains that are experienced by someone that an individual knows

Anticipated Strains

Strain that has not yet happened, but that an individual expects to happen at some point

Qualities of Strains that Lead to Crime

(1) the strain is high in magnitude (2) the strain is perceived as injust (3) the strain is associated with low social control

Qualities of Individuals who are more likely to Commit Crime as a Result of Strain

(1) they lack the ability to cope with strain in a legal manner (2) they perceive that the cost of the crime is low (3) the individual is already predisposed to commit crime

Social Bond Theory (Hirschi 1969)

A person commits crime once their bonds to society have been broken. Control over an individual that prevents crime originates within these bonds. Society has a common values system.

Fours Elements of the Social Bond

(1) attachment to other people (2) commitment to the life one has built (3) involvement in activities other than crime (4) belief in social norms and values

Sykes and Matza’s Techniques of Neutralization

Techniques employed by criminals after they commit the crime in order to neutralize their perceived criminality

Reckless’ Containment Theory

Stated that containment- both outer containment (a rigid and heavily controlled society) and inner containment (good self concept and sense of morality)- work to reduce criminality in an individual

Denial of Responsibility

A technique of neutralization where an offender says that they are not responsible for committing a crime because the crime was an accident or was necessarily a result of an unfortunate circumstance of the individual

Denial of Injury

A technique of neutralization where an offender states that since no one got hurt as they participated in the crime, it was not morally wrong.

Denial of Victim

A technique of neutralization where an offender says that the victim of the crime was a bad person, or deserved the crime in some sense.

Condemnation of the Condemners

A technique of neutralization where an offender admits that they committed the crime, but also impugns the system that is punishing them for the crime for being corrupt or in some way immoral.

Appeal to Higher Loyalties

A technique of neutralization where an offender states that they were pushed to commit the crime by some higher moral or religious value or figure.