Chapter 2 : Crime and Deviance

2.1 How are crime and deviance defined and measured?

what are the ideas of classical criminology?

• focuses on the crime

• believes that there is no difference between a criminal and non-criminal (free will)

• ensures that the punishment fits the crime

what are the ideas of positivism?

• focuses on the criminal

• believes that criminals are different (determinism)

• ensures that the punishment / therapy suits the offender

what are the ideas of durkheim?

• crime is a normal part of society

• crime is not only influenced by economic factors, but also cultural factors

• as modern societies become more individualised, crime may also decrease

what are the ideas of merton’s strain theory?

• society has taught us goals (e.g. have money, power) but at the same time systematically blocked the opportunities for many people to achieve these goals

• this leads to them being in the state of anomie 

• being in this state was more likely to lead to trying to achieve these goals through illegitimate means

what is meant by the term ‘anomie’ according to durkheim?

• a breakdown of social norms

• this will lead to individuals being in a state of confusion or sense of purposeless

• they may feel disconnected from social values, goals and expectations of society

what is meant by the term ‘anomie’ according to merton?

• when there is a gap between what they expect out of life and what they were actually getting

what are the ideas of subculture theory?

• refers to a group of people who exist outside of mainstream culture (e.g. criminals)

• might’ve started young by following parents before it turns to following peers

• they form their own cultural frameworks that normalise deviant behaviour (e.g. breaking windows, stealing)

what are the ideas of interactionism?

• focuses on the question ‘why are some actions seem as criminal/deviant in the first place and why are some individuals labelled as criminals’

• moves from focusing on crime to deviance

• moves from looking at criminal behaviour to looking at how society reacts

• focuses more on the subjective experience, how agents of social control identify and reinforce behaviours that are deviant

• suggests that being stereotyped or labelled as deviant or a criminal may in fact encourage them to reinforce the stereotype

what are the ideas of marxism/radical criminology?

• argues that the injustice of capitalism is a cause of crime and deviance 

• we should not label the crimes of the lower class, their actions are the result of the conditions they are forced to live with

• by identifying the crimes of lower class and allowing the media to create moral panic about it, it camouflages the crimes of the powerful (tax evasion, fraud)

• the criminal becomes a critic of society, rebelling against the injustice of the capitalist system by committing crimes  

what are the ideas of left realism?

• people often romanticise a crime/deviance (making criminals appear more relatable by exaggerating their struggles, shifting the focus from their actions or motives)

• many victims of crime are often working class (poor) or women, this could lead to people forgetting the victims 

what are the ideas of right realism?

• turned the question to ‘what can we do to try and control crime?’

• wilson & kelling ‘broken windows’ theory

• as fear builds up, informal social control goes down which allows petty crime to infiltrate

• suggests methods such as zero tolerance policy and situational crime prevention 

what does wilson & kelling state in ‘broken windows’ theory?

• crime and disorder are closely related, the physical environment had an impact on fear of crime and the sense of safety

• e.g. broken windows in houses → problem can escalate, leading to more serious crimes happening → a sense of unease from residents

what is the zero tolerance policy?

• remove any physical or social cues within environments that cause fear

• e.g. having harsh punishments for minor crimes such as graffitiing

what is situational crime prevention?

• manipulating spaces and reducing crime without having to deal with the underlying causes of crime 

• e.g. installing CCTVs, adding barbed wires / gates as a deterrence

what is a crime?