sociology of crime

define crime

punishable offense against society

define deviance

violation of social norms

who are formal agents of social control

police, courts, prisons

who are informal agents of social control

parents, religion, peers.

what can formal agents of social control do

they have power because government laws enabled them

what can informal agents of social control do

these groups can exclude you, spread gossip, physical violence- forms of peer pressure

define historical crime

crimes depend on time period

define cross cultural crimes

crimes depend on place

what are the two approaches to explaining how social order works in our society

consensus and conflict

what is the consensus approach to social order

stability depends on co-operation between individuals and groups who work together for the same thing

what is the conflict approach to social order

societies have ways of making their members conform to norms and values, achieved by enforcing sanctions

what does durkheim argue

crime exists in all societies, it is necessary because it performs key functions

name durkheims 5 functions of crime

reaffirms boundaries, safety valve, warning device, builds employment, allows society to adapt and change

what is meant by crime reaffirms boundaries

peoples behaviour is governed by positive and negative sanctions,

what is the effect of crime reaffirming boundaries

it reinforces value consensus and creates social solidarity

what is meant by crime acts as a safety valve

suggests deviance allows people to let off steam in a relatively harmless way

what is the effect of crime acting as a safety valve

allows people to de-stress and remain functional eg. prostitutes

what is meant by crime acting as a warning device

when crime/ deviance occurs it sends a message to the government that social order is breaking down

what is the effect of crime acting as a warning device

prompts governments to do something about the problem eg. vandalism in a certain area

what is meant by crime builds employment

creates employment in the police and judicial system

what is the effect of crime building employment

useful for individuals, families, and society as a whole

what is meant by crime and deviance allows society to adapt and change

all change starts with an act of deviance

what is the effect of crime allowing society to adapt for change

there must be some scope within society to allow for change eg. the suffragettes

who does merton suggest

strain theory

what is the strain theory

belief that everyone wants the american dream

acronym for strain theory

RRRIC

RRRIC

rebellion, retreats, ritualism, innovation, conformist

what is meant by rebellion

people who have rejected the american dream and don't identify with western ideals

example of rebellion

terrorism

what is meant by retreatist

they have moved on from the american dream and retreated from mainstream society to deviant behaviour

example of retreatists

drug taking, alcoholism

what is meant by ritualism

given up on american dream and lack wanting to better themselves (lack ambition)

example of ritualism

people dissatisfied with their jobs

what is meant by innovation

they want the american dream via illegal methods

example of innovation

fraud, drug taking

what is meant by conformist

they want the american dream and will follow the rules

example of conformists

law abiding citizens

criticism to strain theory

assumes everyone wants american dream, doesn't consider difference in gender/ethnicity/age,

define anomie

state of not knowing where you fit in (normlessness)

how does feminism explain crime and deviance

women are perceived to be either made, sad, or bad

what is the chivalry thesis

women are treated with more leniency within the criminal justice system

define double deviance

the criminal justice system punishes women more harshly because they have not only broken the law, but the norms governing behaviour

what does Heindensohn believe

there are three spheres of control over women's lives that limits their ability to commit crime

what are the three spheres

workplace (status held by men), homelife (maternal role), public spheres (harrassment)

AO2 for crime

Vanessa George

what does becker argue

there is no such thing as deviant acts. instead we should explore the interaction between those who commits an act and those who react

what does becker suggest about the factors relating to crime

time and place, who commits the act and who feels harmed by it

example of becker and master status

Amy Winehouse

define white collar crime

refers to crime committed by the middle classes within their occupation

example of white collar crime

Harold Shipman

who was Harold Shipman

oversubscribed medication to elderly patients and oversaw the slow death of many elderly women

what do Marists say about crime

its inevitable because we live in a capitalist society of material goods, consumerism, and competition

define corporate crime

crimes committed by a whole organisation eg. nike exploitation of workers

law creation theory

laws are created to benefit the beorguoisie (the punishment benefits those who can afford it)

what are the two main ways crime is measured

surveys of the public, official statistics recorded by the police

what is a victim survey

asks people about their experience of crime

advantage of victim surveys

allows trends in particular crimes to be identified

what is a self report study

asks people about their offending

advantage of self report study

by asking people, it provides information on offenders not necessarily dealt with by the police or courts

disadvantage of self report study

doesn't question those living in communal establishments eg. student halls, care homes, and prisons

why are police statistics not reliable

if a crime had not been reported/ discovered it cannot be reported to the police

why do victims not report crimes to the police

afraid of the consequence, embarrassed, think police won't do anything

why may police not record crime

too trivial, they doubt the honesty or the report, not enough evidence

statistic on increase in female crime

between the years 2005-2009 there is an increase of 27000 female arrests

how have the position of women changed in society

more independance, gaining equality in the workplace, less restricted and controlled

what is the adler- liberation theory

only when female crime rates match men's will we have a truly equal society (80 percent of all crimes are committed by men)

what is carlens theory

control theory- that people are more likely to conform when they feel the rewards are worth it

define class deal

offers material rewards such as consumer goods if they work for a wage

define gender deal

offers the material and emotional rewards if women live with a male breadwinner

what is meant by a rise of ladette culture

there is a subculture of women acting in a more masculine way

criticism for rise of ladette culture

women are not acting like the 'perfect housewife' so deviant for what men do?

why are BAME doing more crime

media labelling, poverty, secondary socialisation

general population 2011

white 91 percent, black 3 percent

prison population 2011

white 81.5 percent, black 11 percent- 4x higher than population

police officer statistics 2017

6 percent black police officers, only 2 percent employed as chief officers

what is meant by institutional racism

when an organisation promotes or does not challenge race action/ discrimination

define canteen culture

colloquial name for discriminatory attitudes held by the police force who resist change

what does walklate argue

some people are more likely than others to become victims of crime

statistics of people more likely to commit crimes

40 percent of black people live in social housing

acronym for understanding crime

ISLARM

ISLARM

inadequate socialism, subcultures, labelling, american dream, relative deprivation, marxism

inadequate socialism

single parent families

subcultures

status frustration

labelling

SFP, master status, folk devils, hoodie culture

american dream

strain theory

relative deprivation

BAME, girls, working class

marxism

white collar crime, corporate crime

reason for peak age of offending being 17

peer pressure, more time, less to lose, relative deprivation

why people post 17 commit less crime

less time, security, responsibilities, less socially acceptable

define deviance amplification

the media plays a role in exaggerating + distorting what actually happens

define moral panic

the further exaggeration of stories to create a feeling of fear

define folk devil

the group that gets stigmatised and blamed for social problems

who discusses the role of media

cohen

what is meant by agenda setting

media decides focus of public debates- public can see particular issues as social problems

what is meant by gatekeepers

journalists, editors etc decide what to cover and how to present it

what is meant by news values

editors allocate staff, space, and time to topics according to such values

what is meant by media amplification

the term used to describe how the media exaggerate the importance of an issue by over- reporting it (over represent women and old people as victims)

what are public concerns

the lack of clarity about the sentencing policy, prison regime and sentencing are not tough enough, whether particular groups who haven't committed serious offences should be imprisoned

issues about prisons

overcrowding, cuts in prisons staff, increase in levels of suicide + self- harm among prisoners

anti- social behaviour orders

policies such as ASBOs were created to reduce anti- social behaviour however these can be counter productive as can be a status symbol among young people