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Crime

Behaviour that breaks the law.

Deviance

Behaviour that violates social norms, which may not be illegal.

Social control

Ways society regulates behaviour, both formal and informal.

Durkheim's view on crime

Crime is inevitable and functional, serving purposes like boundary maintenance and allowing for adaptation and change.

Anomie

A state of normlessness or breakdown of social norms, as described by Merton in Strain Theory.

Adaptations in Strain Theory

Conformity, Innovation (crime), Ritualism, Retreatism, and Rebellion.

Cohen's theory

Working-class boys experience status frustration, leading to the formation of delinquent subcultures with alternative values.

Cloward & Ohlin's subcultures

Different subcultures based on opportunity: Criminal, Conflict, and Retreatist.

Labelling Theory (Becker)

Crime is socially constructed and depends on labels applied by powerful groups.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A prediction that causes itself to become true by the very terms of the prophecy.

Marxist view on laws

Laws serve the interests of the ruling class and often ignore elite crime.

Chambliss's perspective

Law protects capitalism and private property.

Left Realism causes of crime

Includes relative deprivation, marginalisation, subcultures, and a focus on victimization.

Right Realism view of crime

Crime results from poor socialization and weak control, advocating for zero tolerance and harsh punishment.

Social Distribution of Crime

The analysis of crime rates across different social groups such as class, ethnicity, gender, age, and locality.

Gilroy's assertion about crime

Crime can be seen as a form of resistance to racism.

Chivalry thesis

The idea that women are treated more leniently than men in the criminal justice system.

Victimisation Surveys

Surveys that reveal unreported crime but are still limited by factors like memory and sample bias.

Strengths of Official Statistics

They are reliable and easy to compare trends over time.

Limitations of Official Statistics

Include the dark figure of crime, policing bias, and changes in law and recording practices.

Reasons for youth crime

Peer pressure, status frustration, and labelling by police and media.

Link between locality and crime

Higher crime rates are found in urban, deprived areas linked to social disorganization and lack of community cohesion.