SOCL2301 - Williams Exam 2

What are the key characteristics of Structural Theory?

Focuses on the social structures that influence behavior, emphasizing the role of societal factors in shaping individual actions.

What are the key characteristics of Learning Theory?

Posits that behavior is learned through interactions with others and the environment, emphasizing the role of socialization.

What are the key characteristics of Control Theory?

Suggests that social bonds and relationships prevent individuals from engaging in criminal behavior.

What are the key characteristics of Life Course Theory?

Examines how individual behavior is influenced by life events and transitions over time.

What are the key characteristics of Critical Theory?

Critiques societal structures and power dynamics, focusing on issues of inequality and social justice.

What are the key characteristics of Classical Theory?

Emphasizes rationality and the idea that individuals make choices based on a cost-benefit analysis.

What is the core question of Classical Theory?

Seeks to answer how individuals make rational choices regarding criminal behavior.

What are the key concepts of Social Disorganization Theory?

Informal social control, cohesion, collective efficacy, and social organization/disorganization.

What is collective efficacy and how does it relate to crime?

Refers to the ability of a community to work together to achieve common goals, which can reduce crime rates.

What are third places and why are they important?

Informal public gathering spaces that promote social interaction and community cohesion.

What does Strain Theory seek to explain?

Seeks to explain the criminality of individuals who cannot achieve culturally prescribed goals through legitimate means.

What are the modes of adaptation in Strain Theory?

Include conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion.

What is General Strain Theory?

Expands on traditional strain theory by including various sources of strain beyond economic factors.

What are the three sources of strain proposed by Agnew?

The failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli, and the presence of negative stimuli.

What is the role of emotional responses in General Strain Theory?

Play a crucial role in leading individuals to engage in deviant behavior as a reaction to strain.

What is Institutional Anomie Theory?

Suggests that an imbalance between economic and non-economic institutions leads to higher crime rates.

What are the non-economic institutions in Institutional Anomie Theory?

Include family, education, and religion, which play a role in regulating behavior.

What is Differential Association Theory?

Posits that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others in social contexts.

What are the four key concepts of Differential Association Theory?

Frequency, duration, priority, and intensity of associations with others.

What is Social Bonding Theory?

Suggests that strong social bonds prevent individuals from engaging in criminal behavior.

What are the four elements of social bonds according to Hirschi?

Attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

What is Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control?

Emphasizes the importance of social bonds and turning points in an individual's life course in relation to crime.

What are turning points in Age-Graded Theory?

Significant life events that can alter an individual's trajectory towards or away from criminal behavior.

What are the critiques of Classical Theory?

Its oversimplification of human behavior and neglect of social factors influencing crime.

What are the critiques of Social Disorganization Theory?

Its focus on neighborhood characteristics while neglecting individual agency and broader societal factors.

What are the critiques of Strain Theory?

Its limited focus on economic strain and failure to account for variations in individual responses to strain.

What are the critiques of Differential Association Theory?

Its inability to explain why some individuals exposed to criminal influences do not engage in crime.

What are the critiques of Social Bonding Theory?

Its assumption that strong bonds always lead to conformity and its neglect of the role of social change.

What are the critiques of Age-Graded Theory?

Its focus on life course events while neglecting the impact of structural factors on crime.

What are turning points in desistance?

Significant life events or changes that influence an individual's decision to cease criminal behavior.

What are the three turning points highlighted in Sampson & Laub's study of Boston boys?

Marriage, employment, and military service, which are related to desistance by providing stability and social support.

Which turning point is most consequential for desistance?

Marriage is often considered as it provides emotional support and stability.

What is deviance according to Becker?

Behavior that violates social norms and is defined as such by society.

Which form of deviance is shaped by labeling?

Secondary deviance is shaped by labeling, as it occurs when an individual internalizes the label assigned to them.

What is the role of formal labeling in labeling theory?

Serves to categorize individuals as deviant, which can lead to stigma and reinforce deviant behavior.

How is formal labeling related to informal labeling?

Formal labeling often leads to informal labeling by society, reinforcing the deviant identity.

How does Becker's treatment of formal labeling contradict deterrence theory?

Argues that formal labeling can lead to increased deviance, while deterrence theory suggests that punishment should reduce crime.

What social groups are more susceptible to formal labeling?

Marginalized groups, such as racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged due to societal biases.

What is a deviant self-concept?

An individual's internalization of a deviant label, which influences their identity and behavior.

How does the deviant self-concept relate to examples from Breaking Bad and The Joker?

Both characters exemplify how a deviant self-concept can lead to further criminal behavior and reinforce their identities as outlaws.

How does labeling lead to rejection?

As society stigmatizes labeled individuals, causing them to be ostracized.

Why do labeled individuals withdraw?

Often withdraw due to fear of further rejection and stigma from society.

Why do labeled individuals often turn to deviant peer groups?

Acceptance and understanding, which can lead to further deviance.

Why didn't delinquent middle-class youth engage in further delinquency in adulthood according to Simon Singer's study?

Often had access to resources and support systems that deterred further criminal behavior.

What were the key findings of Devah Pager's study on criminal records, race, and employment opportunities?

Found that individuals with criminal records, particularly Black individuals, faced significant barriers to employment compared to their white counterparts.

What kind of discrimination does the Bryan & Williams study examine?

The study examines discrimination faced by individuals with felony records in housing and employment contexts.

What policy intervention is suggested to keep first-time offenders from re-offending according to labeling theory?

The suggested intervention is to provide support and resources that prevent labeling and promote positive identity formation.

What are the four pathways to felony court according to feminist theory?

Victimization, survival strategies, relational dynamics, and societal responses.

What is a key distinction between delinquent girls and delinquent boys according to Meda Chesney-Lind?

A key distinction is that girls often face harsher societal judgment for their behavior, which is often linked to their victimization.

What are the distinguishing characteristics of lynchings?

Public acts of violence committed by mobs, targeting individuals, primarily Black men, to enforce racial terror.

Who was Ida B. Wells?

An African American journalist and activist who played a crucial role in the anti-lynching movement.

Why were Anthony Crawford, Mary Turner, and Emmett Till lynched?

They were lynched due to racial violence and societal norms that devalued Black lives.

What roles did the communal nature of lynchings and the brutalization effect have on cultural orientations toward violence?

These roles contributed to normalizing violence within communities and perpetuating a culture of fear and aggression.

What was the key empirical finding of Messner's study?

Found a correlation between the legacy of lynching and contemporary violence in communities.

What is self-help violence?

Refers to individuals taking justice into their own hands, often linked to cultural legacies of violence.

What kind of contemporary violence does Peterson & Ward's study examine?

The study examines violence between racial groups, particularly in the context of historical legacies.

What serves as a link between the violence of the lynching era and contemporary violence according to Peterson & Ward?

The authors suggest that societal attitudes and systemic inequalities serve as a link between past and present violence.

What do the authors mean by intergenerational transmission?

Refers to the passing down of attitudes, behaviors, and trauma related to violence across generations.

What was the study's key finding regarding the link between historical lynching and police violence?

Significant correlation between areas with a history of lynching and higher rates of police violence.

Where is the effect of historical lynching strongest?

Areas with a high historical prevalence of lynching and racial violence.

What is the concept of Black criminal threat?

Societal perceptions of Black individuals as inherently criminal, influencing policing and justice practices.

What is redlining?

The discriminatory practice of denying services, typically housing loans, to residents of certain areas based on racial or ethnic composition.

What are the long-term effects of redlining on neighborhoods?

Economic decline, reduced property values, and increased crime rates in affected neighborhoods.

What is Sampson & Wilson's racial invariance thesis?

The thesis posits that the relationship between race and crime is consistent across different contexts, influenced by structural factors.

How does the Hate Crimes Sentencing Act address bias motivations?

Enhances penalties for crimes motivated by bias against certain characteristics, such as race or sexual orientation.

What groups were included in the Hate Crimes Prevention Act that weren't in the Hate Crimes Statistics Act?

Includes protections for individuals based on gender identity and disability.

What were the top three bias motivation categories of hate crimes in 2023 according to FBI data?

Race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion.

What is a gay panic defense?

Is a legal strategy that seeks to mitigate a defendant's culpability by claiming they were provoked by a victim's sexual orientation.

What is the key takeaway from Dancygier's study on anti-refugee violence?

Argues that hate crime is a collective phenomenon influenced by societal attitudes rather than solely individual deviance.

What is the most common offense type among hate crimes based on the past 10 years of FBI data?

Intimidation.

How does the social hierarchy shape the impact of hate crimes?

The relative standing of offenders and targets in the social hierarchy can amplify the societal implications of hate crimes, reinforcing historical injustices.

How common is physical assault by a male partner among US women?

Approximately 1/5 or 1/3 women experience physical assault by a male partner in their lifetime.

What share of female homicide victims are killed by a male intimate partner?

About 50% of female homicide victims are killed by a male intimate partner.

What are the key characteristics of intimate terrorism?

Involves a pattern of controlling behavior and violence, often leading to severe injuries and fatalities.

Which type of intimate partner violence is most common?

Situational Couple Violence

What characterizes the carceral feminist approach to IPV?

Advocates for increased criminal justice intervention in cases of intimate partner violence.

What are mandatory arrest laws in the context of IPV?

Require police to arrest individuals suspected of IPV, regardless of the victim's wishes.

What are the three main critiques of mandatory arrest laws?

Include potential escalation of violence, increased incarceration rates, and the impact on victims' autonomy.

What is the effect of mandatory arrest laws on IPV at the population level?

Mandatory arrest laws do not significantly decrease IPV rates and may even increase them in some contexts.