Eco theory, interactionalism

Ecological theory

Crime is about place - the influence of neighbourhoods on crime is big and researchers found that in poorer neighbourhoods, where families are moving around a lot and there are more lone-parent households, there are higher crime rates. These theorists blame the residents themselves for not effectively organising to achieve their goals due to their chaotic conditions

Shaw and Mckay - social disorganisation (eco theory)

They found a geographical pattern to offenders. They divided Chicago into 5 zones, each with a different economic and social profile. The poorer areas around the central business zone were 'zones of transition' where it was assumed people would move outwards towards poorer zones. Offending was highest in this zone, even as the population changed, so linked with the turnover and poor housing creating disorganisation, this led to crime

Felson - routine activity theory (eco theory)

For crime to happen there must be a motivated offender, suitable target, absence of ‘capable guardian’

Brantingham and Brantingham - environmental criminology (eco theory)

Although people live in the same place, each carries a different perception of the area depending on their home and their routes around the area - this is cognitive mapping. Offenders are more likely to commit in places familiar to them, and a study by Wiles and Costello found that offenders only travelled about 2 miles to commit their offences, and was within their cognitive maps

Piliavin and Briar - physical cues (interactionalism)

Police choose to arrest young people based on physical judgements, such as their manner and dress. They are also influenced by gender, class, ethnicity and context - this has been shown to be unfairly used on ethnic minorities

Becker - labelling (interactionalism)

A deviant is someone who a label has been successfully applied on - moral entrepreneurs lead a campaign to change the law but creates 'outsiders' where police impose labels

Cicourel - typifications (interactionalism)

These are basically stereotypes, they lead to concentration on those 'types' and are often discriminatory as WC areas fit police stereotypes more. This meant that police were looking for crime in those areas and so found more there. Probation officers believed juvenile delinquency was caused by poverty and broken homes so were less likely to support non-custodial sentences for the young who they assumed would be deviant

Lemert - primary and secondary deviance (interactionalism)

Primary deviance are acts that aren't publically labelled, and are very widespread and small, for example taking the last chocolate bar.

Secondary deviance are bigger acts that lead to labelling and shaming. These labels become one's master status, it is all they are seen as e.g. 'pedo' - these individuals are also seen as 'outsiders'

Triplett - punishing the young (interactionalism)

Trying to control young offenders can lead to an increase in deviance as there is more tendency to see the young as evil, and people are less tolerant of small acts - in order to reduce deviants, logically we should enforce fewer rules for people to break, for example legalising soft drugs would decrease criminal convictions and therefore decrease the risk of secondary deviance

Douglas - meaning of suicide (interactionalism)

Official stats are misleading as they only accept suicide if there was a note. Relatives could also feel guilty for failing to stop the death and want the verdict to be accident. To understand the meanings, we must use qualitative methods, analysing the notes of unstructured interviews with friends or survivors etc.

Atkinson - coroners (interactionalism)

Official stats are only a record of the coroners verdict, so if suicide was a sin in their religion etc. they might look for other causes - they sent a case study to catholic coroners, the verdict was death by misadventure. The same was sent to protestants, who called it suicide