AC 2.3 desrcibe sociological theroies

Describe Durkheims functionalist theory

He argued that crime is inevitable and has its own function in society

The standards are so high that even a tiny slip up would be seen as a serious offence

What 4 functions of crime does Durkheim say there is

Boundary maintenance

Social change

Safety valve

Warning light

What’s boundary maintenance

When a crime is committed + punished, it reminds the rest of society what is right and wrong

What is social change

For society to progress, existing norms and values must be challenged

What’s safety valve

Ways to help the problem

Warning light

High rates of crime can act as a warning that a specific part of society is malfunctioning

What happens if crime gets to high or to low according to durkheim

It cannot serve its function

Whats collective conscience

The shared beliefs, morals, attitudes and ideas that bind a society together, creating social solidarity and guiding behaviour

What’s value consensus

A shared, widespread agreement among members of a society regarding core values, beliefs and principles

Whats social solidarity

Sense of unity, shared values and mutual support that holds a society or group together, making people feel connected and responsible for one another

Individuals in society share norms and values, what do these make up according to durkheim

Collective conscience

Value consensus

Social solidarity

Describe Mertons strain theory

Functionalist perspective that explains why people in lower class positions are more likely to turn to crime

Mertons says society encourages us to aspire to goals of material success, but not everyone can achieve this

Social structure doesn’t give everybody the same means

What’s durkheims theory, anomie

Where there are periods of time where norms and values of society are unclear, people become confused about how to behave

5 ways people adapt to pressure from society

Conformity

Innovation

Ritualism

Retreatism

Rebellion

Whats a conformist

The individual accepts the means/goals. They work hard in low paid jobs to try and succeed

Not likely to commit crime

What’s an innovator

Individual accepts goals of wealth but uses illegal means (like theft) to get there

Likely to commit crime

Whats a ritualist

When an individual gives up on the goal of being rich but continues to follow the rules and keep their job out of habit

Not likely to commit crime

Whats a retreatist

An individual who rejects both goals and means. They drop out of society

Likely to commit crime

Whats a rebel

An individual that rejects the current goals and means and tries to replace them with new ones

Likely to commit crime

Describe feminist theory

Argues society is patriarchal

Men have more power over women

Feminists note that most crime is committed by men

They say men are more risk taking while women are nurturing

2 ways women are expected to conform to societal norms

Class deal

Gender deal

Whats the class deal

Women go to work in exchange for money which is spent on their children

Whats the gender deal

Women have a relationship with a man for exchange of protection and security

What’s double deviance according to feminist theory

Many feminists believe that women are doubly punished

Not only for the crime they commit but also for their deviance

Describe Marxism theory

Believes capitalism is the route cause of crime

Capitalism encourages us to value material goods, those that cannot afford it turn to crime

Capitalist society is divided into 2 classes according to Marxism

What are they

Bourgeoise

Proletariat

Who are the bourgeoise

Rich upper class

Who are the proletariat

Working class

What’s selective laws enforcement according to Marxism

The police and justice system focus heavily on the working class

They are more likely to investigate and prosecute street crime

They ignore white collar crimes committed by bourgeoise

What’s manipulation of statistics according to Marxism

Crime statistics are manipulated to make the working class look more criminal

Creates fear in the public

Bourgeoise use this to justify harsher laws

Describe labelling theory

Labelling theory states that no act is deviant or criminal in itself, only becomes one when people of power create rules and apply them to others

A labelled person is more likely to be marginalised by society and join subgroups that engages in deviant behaviour

When someone is labelled as criminal or deviant this label can stick

What’s the self fulfilling prophecy according to labelling theory

If someone is labelled they may start to internalise it

They might begin to see themselves as a criminal because that’s how everyone else treats them

This leads them to act in ways that fit the label, may drop out of school or commit more crimes

Whats the deviance amplification spiral according to labelling theory

Explains how trying to control a small amount of deviance can actually make it worse

What’s the master status according to labelling theory

When the label of criminal becomes the persons main identity, overriding everything else

Describe left realism theory

They see inequality in a capitalist society as the cause of crime

They aim to reduce crime and make society fairer and more equal

What’s relative deprivation according to left realism

The feeling someone feels in relation to others compared to their own expectations. Having less then u deserve or less then others

2 factors that increase peoples sense of relative deprivation

The media continually put out messages that urges everyone to aspire for material life

Society is becoming more unequal due to cuts in benefits employment rates

Whats a subculture according to left realism

Groups of people whose norms and values are different

Left realists see a subculture as a group way of solving relative deprivation

Some turn to crime to fix it

What’s marginalisation according to left realism

Where people lack the power or resources to fully participate in society

Describe right realism

The best way to deal with crime is through control and punishment rather than tackling the cause of crime

They view crime as a serious problem caused by individual choices and poor socialisation

Right realism argue that crime is a product of 3 factors

What are they

Biological differences

Inadequate socialisation

Rational choice

What’s biological differences according to right realism

Biological differences make people more likely to commit crime

Traits like aggressiveness and lower intelligence are innate

What’s inadequate socialisation according to right realism

They believed the immediate family is the best environments for teaching children self control

In these families it is argued that there is a lack of father figures so boys have a lack of discipline

Leading them to look up to role models in street gangs