Chapter 5 - Recent Sociological Approaches to Crime (Midterm 2)

Who came up with The General Theory of Crime?

Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990)

What is crime according to the General Theory of Crime? (Gottfredson and Hirschi)

Rational and predictable.

According to the General Theory of Crime, criminal offenders are…

• Individuals predisposed to crime - this is constant throughout life

• Individuals who have low self-control, are impulsive, self-centered, active, physical, adventuresome

• Individuals whose level of self-control depends on quality of parenting received in the child’s formative years.

• Linked to childhood LEARNING

According to The General Theory of Crime, what is low self control the product of?

Low self control is the product of not being taught (learned) how to act in society with laws and order.

How are criminal offenders self-centered according to the General Theory of Crime?

They just do what’s good for them and act in their own self interest.

How ca individuals that are predisposed to crime be affected by this? (The General Theory of Crime)

A person predisposed to crime will be the type of person who has an unstable life, with no relationships and no jobs.

What is highlighted as a crucial component of criminal behavior? (The General Theory of Crime)

Highlight parenting as crucial.

• Lack of moral values and the risk of disappointing one’s parents makes it more likely for one to commit crimes.

According to the General Theory of Crime, crime is committed when there is a limited ________ of what and a high _______?

pain, reward

What are some ways to prevent crime according to the General Theory of Crime?

• Social services interfere

• Focus on parenting:

  • From pregnancy and onwards

  • How you should raise your kids: no hitting them. making sure they can enter society.

What are some criticisms of The General Theory of Crime?

• mixed results when put to empirical testing

• Tautological -) circular reasoning

• not that successful in predicting serious forms of violence like homicide

According to what recent sociological approach is crime a problem behaviour that is age-related and not constant?

The Life Course Perspective

According to the Life Course Perspective, crime increases during __________ and _____________ ________________, then declines. Why?

adolescence ; early adulthood

These are major turning points in their lives.

Life course data has demonstrated that some men desist from crime, why? (the life course perspective)

Life course data has demonstrated that men who desist from crime were rooted to strong social ties with family and community.

Because of social ties with family, and their careers, these men turn their attention to these things. It gives them something to lose.

What turning points does the Life Course Perspective focus on?

employment, marriage, close-call.

How do the different turning points in one’s life affect their sentences?

If, for example, we see that someone’s threat to society will diminish over time as they get older, and they’re very expensinve to keep in jail, we may let them free.

How is victimization being studied? (Life Course Perspective)

• being victimized by crime affects adult income

• timing of victimization is important

What are some impacts on your life course if you’re a victim of crime?

It seems to have a bigger ripple of crime. It has bigger effects if you’re an adolescent because you’re still in school. (timing of victimization is important) It is the developmental stage where things you’re working for can have major effects on your life.

What are the criticisms of the Life Course Perspective?

• More life course research needed re: females.

What did Tanner and colleagues (1999) find about the effects of delinquency status in adulthood?

It was more pronounced for males than for females. This was not because females were not affected by deliquency, but because there are other factors to take into account, like the glass ceiling and the range of labour market opportunities are more limited and generally less lucrative for women than they are for men.

What did Agnew say about General Strain Theory?

• Agreed with Merton that strain can incite criminal behaviour.

• Suggested that there are several types of strain that can lead to criminal behaviour

What types of strain did Agnew suggest could lead to criminal behaviour? Did it add or remove from Merton’s Strain Theory?

1. Inability to achieve positively valued goals

2. Removal or the threat to remove positively valued stimuli

3. Actual or anticipated negative or harmful stimuli

It added to Merton’s Strain Theory.

How did Agnew agree with Merton? (General Strain Theory)

He agreed that the frustration of not being able to meet society’s goals, would cause people to act as innovators and try to find different ways to meet these goals. He also agreed with him that many things affect how you deal with stress.

Which of the 3 types of strain are macro level? (General Strain Theory)

The inability to achieve positively valued goals.

Which of the 3 types of strain are micro level? (General Strain Theory)

• Removal or the threat to remove positively valued stimuli

• Actual or anticipated negative or harmful stimuli

Name some examples that match with this strain: removal or the threat to remove positively valued stimuli. (General Strain Theory)

When something you like in life has been removed or will be removed. Ex: Your parents are divorcing, meaning your family structrue breaks and you lose what you like. This is something positive in your life that you have lost, and can cause you stress.

ex: The loss of a boyfriend.

Give an example for this strain: actual or anticipated negative or harmful stimuli. (General Strain Theory)

Something bad could happen to you, or is happening to you.

“Give me your lunch money or I’ll beat you up”

What is a criticism of General Strain Theory?

• Strain is hard to quantify. “How do we measure Strain?”

What is an appealing aspect of General Strain Theory?

It explains strain as something both girls and boys experience.

What gender? (types of strain)

Concerned with creating and maintaining close bonds and relationships with others, thus lower rates of property and violent crime. (General Strain Theory)

Females

What gender? (types of strain)

Concerned with material success, thus higher rates of property and violent crime. (General Strain Theory)

Males

What gender? (types of strain)

"Failure to achieve goals may lead to self-destructive behaviour” (General Strain Theory)

Females

What gender? (emotional response to strain)

More likely to respond with depression and anger. Anger is accompagnied by fear, guilt, and shame. (General Strain Theory)

Female.

Which gender? (Emotional Response to Strain)

More likely to respond with anger. Anger is followed by moral outrage. (General Strain Theory)

Males

Which gender? (Emotional Response to Strain)

More likely to blame themselves and worry about the effects of their anger. Depression and guilt may lead to self-destructive behaviours (i.e., eating disorders). (General Strain Theory)

Females

Which gender? (Emotional response to Strain)

Quick to blame others and are less concerned about hurting others. Moral outrage may lead to property and violent crime. (General Strain Theory)

Males

According to Rational Choice Theory, criminals are…

rational actors

According to Rational Choice Theory, what is human behaviour?

The result of conscious decision-making.

What is the “expected utility” principle? (Rational Choice Theory)

Crime is assumed to be calculated and deliberate, that criminals are rational actors. Individuals are seen to make rational decisions based on the extent to which they expect the choice to increase their profits or benefits and reduce costs or losses.

According to Rational Choice Theory, crime is influenced in variatinos by which 4 factors?

1. opportunity

2. environment

3. target

4. risk of detection

Are there any similarities between Rational Choice Theory and the Classical School? If so, what is it?

Yes. Deterrence.

How does Rational Choice Theory focus on Deterrence?

It focuses on what we could do to make you aware that you will be caught.

How is crime perceived as calculated and deliberate in Rational Choice Theory?

People choose where to commit crimes and who to target as well. Ex: Car theft ring is made up of people who steal a bunch of cars and sell them, very methodical.

How is crime influenced by variations in opportunity? (Rational Choice Theory)

Are things available for us to do? Are we occupied? Do we have the opportunity to do crime?

What theory helps explain White-Collar and Organized Crime?

Rational Choice Theory

What are the criticisms of Rational Choice Theory?

• Critiqued for its assumptin that everyone is capable of making rational decisions.

• It’s better at explaining “instrumental” rather than “expressive” crimes.

• Doesn’t explain violent crimes very well.

  • Are more expressive crimes

What are instrumental crimes? (Rational Choice Theory)

Instrumental crimes involve some planning and weighing of risks and include offences such as breaking and entering, accounting fraud, and embezzlement.

What are expressive crimes? (Rational Choice Theory)

Expressive crimes are often impulsive and emotional such that people whon commit these acts are not likely to be concerned at the time of their commission with the future implications of these actinos.

ex: Non-premeditated murder and assault.

According to Routine Activity Theory, crime is most likely to occur when…

• There is a motivated offender

• There is a suitable victim

• in an environment that does not provide protection to the potential victim

According to Routine Activity Theory, a motivated offender could be…

• unemployed, because they lack economic means

• adolescent males

• addicts =) want drugs and need money.

According to Routine Activity Theory, a suitable victim/target is…

Suitable victim:

• Women

• Elderly

• People with disabilities

• Could be used for White Collar Crime as well since the police is not always watching it.

Suitable target: Is something you could pick up and grab to get away. It’s easy to get away with

• TVs, electronics

• Wallets, jewerly, cash

• Bicycles

• Shoes

According to Routine Activity Theory, what is a general increase in youth crime a result of?

• changes in education, work, technology

• rise in the number of temptations

• decline in parental controls

How did a change in education increase the likelihood of crime? (Routine Activity Theory)

The school day ending early frees up a period when parental supervision is absent, opening a vast opportunity for teenagers to do whatever they want.

What is Routine Activity Theory?

Routine activity theory is a theory that suggests that changes in levels of crime in society are closely associated with changing lifestyles.

How did a change in work roles increase youth crime? (Routine Activity Theory)

Since youths are no longer working at such an early age, they are not being monitored by the older generations. Since most of the work in this era took place close to or in the household youth were less able to stray from family settings, now this is no longer the case = more freedom, less parental supervision.

How does new technology lead to an increase in youth crime?

We have more things that we want and need, which means that more things are needed for earnings. That can also be a status symbol. This rise of new tech leads to a rise in the number of temptations available.

What are the criticisms of Routine Activity Theory?

• Opportunities to commit crime do not necessarily lead to crime even when controls are absent.

• What about crime displacement?

When does crime displacement occur? Why is it a criticism of Routine Activity Theory?

This occurs when increased guardianship in one area simply moves crime to another locale.

What is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design?

Crime can be prevented if the built environment is properly designed so that opportunities for motivated offedners to commit crime are removed.

What are the 4 main ideas of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design?

1. Natural surveillance

2. Natural access control

3. Territorial reinforcement

4. Maintenance

How is Natural Surveillance used in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design?

Natural design can allow for people to keep their eyes on one another. Focus on designs where a LOT of people can see you and others.

How does Natural access control help prevents environmental design?

Carefully placing where doors are, manipulating natural lighting, gardening =) changes areas that are available for ppl to hide behind, makes people more observed. Controlling this therefore makes it easier to prevent crime.

How can territorial reinforcement help prevent crime? (CPTED)

Putting things like fences help secure entry/exit points. Cameras help with surveillance. Since criminals are seen as rational actors, we can introduce surveillance.

In order for crime to occur, what is needed according to Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design?

1. Reason and motivation to commit crime.

2. People with the skill to commit crime.

3. Opportunity.

What are the criticisms of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design?

• Other crime prevention strategies are overlooked: like influence of others in societies.

• “Good citizens” versus “bad offenders” stereotypes =) pits people against each other

• Not based on an accurate risk assessment:

  • Sometimes targets of crimes are not supposed to be a target. ex: Burglar not planning on breaking into your house anyways.

  • Makes people feel safe

• “Responsibilization” of clients to become willing participants

  • Puts the responsibility on the people to protect themselves.

What is Risk and Actuarial Criminology?

Is skeptical about theories that claim to know the “truth” about naything, including crime, especially when it coems to explaining the causes of crime.

• Focus on understanding emerging forms of social control. (There are other types of consequences facing not necessarily legal or illegal)

  • We now live in a risk society =) risk of violence, family breakdown look at different types of social control. ex: Police forms, schools (student conduct policy is a own way of dealing with behavior).

• Power is now localized in a wide array of institutions each of which has specialized techniques for discipline. ex: Tiktok can ban you if you go against the guidelines.

• Corrections, risk

What are the criticisms of Risk and Actuarial Criminology?

Comprehension of the language used in this theory is problematic and is accessible to a relatively small group of experts in the area.

• graduate and post-graduate level of language.

There are not many practical explanations, so it’s only accessible small group, not wider people.