CRIME KEY TERMS

CRIME

act of breaking the law

DEVIANCE

act of breaking a social norm

SOCIAL ORDER

the means by which order is kept in society

INFORMAL SOCIAL CONTROL

unwritten sanctions that keep society in order (eg/media, peers, religion, education)

FORMAL SOCIAL CONTROL

Power given to individuals/ group allowing them to use sanctions to keep social control (eg/ police, court, judiciary system)

ZERO- TOLERANCE POLICING

style of policing which is severe on the smallest crimes to prevent bigger ones happening

COMMUNITY POLICING

style of policing in which police officers are highly visible + interactive to build good relationships with the community as well as provide a visible deterrent to crime

JUDICIARY SYSTEM

legal organisations that enforce the law

CONVICTION RATES

the number of people from certain groups charged and found guilty of crime

RECORDED CRIME

crime that has been officially logged by the police

REPORTED CRIME

crime that the police have been told about

OCCUPATIONAL CRIME

crime connected to your job

ANOMIE

a situation when social norms have broken down

COLLECTIVE SENTIMENTS

the feelings of society as a whole

CONFORMITY

when people behave as they are expected to by social norms

STATUS FRUSTRATION

a person’s anger or dissatisfaction at their position in society

WHITE COLLAR CRIME

offences committed by middle class usually linked to their jobs

TYPICAL OFFENDER

the image of a certain type of person who commits crime

MASTER STATUS

a label that is the most important fact that people notice about a person

THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE MODEL

the view that the media has a direct effect on how people behave

CHIVALRY THESIS

the idea that women are treated more favourably by the police and other people in authority

HIDDEN/ INVISIBLE CRIME

crime that is not known by most people

VICTIM STUDIES

research that finds out about crimes from the victims

SELF- REPORT STUDIES

research that asks people about the crimes they have committed

SCAPEGOAT

a person/group blamed for society’s problems/ they divert attention from the real causes

FOCAL CONCERNS

values in which young working-class boys are socialised into which makes them more exposed to crime and deviance

DEVIANCY AMPLIFICATION

the more the media reports it, the more the crime occurs