CRIME & DEVIANCE SURVEILLANCE BOOKLET 22

STARTER

Was was surveillance link in the 14th century? What was it surveying?

Communities nominated an individual to monitor and record spread of plague

What is surveillance in modern day society?

Sophisticated technology, inducing CCTV, biometric scanning, automated number plate recognition (ANPR) and databases

What else does modern day technology track?

• phones are listening to conversations

• track searching habits - algorithm pushes these out

• spending patterns (loyalty cards)

Who came up with the concept of surveillance?

Foucault

Which group does Foucault belong to?

Post modernist

Foucault wrote a book, the Birth of Prison - he focuses on 2 forms of punishment, what are they?

• sovereign power

• disciplinary power

What is sovereign power?

When the monarch had power over people and their bodies

What is disciplinary power?

Seeks to control the body, and the mind or soul

What do public executions do?

• act as crime prevention

• boundary maintenance

• warning light (something needs to change)

• social solidarity (condemn the condemner)

Why were public executions abolished?

As this did not help the criminal to learn and reflect on their wrong doings

How often does Foucault believe people are watched and under surveillance?

Every day (it is a normal part of everyday life)

What does Foucault believe people do if they believe they are being watched? What is this called?

Start to regulate/change their actions - this is called self discipline

Give an example of surveillance in a classroom?

If SLT walked into the classroom, teachers and students would immediately act differently

Why do people adjust their behavior?

To avoid being judged, punished, or seen as breaking the rules

What does cameras in shopping centers do?

Might stop someone from stealing because they don't want to get caught

Do people change their behavior even if no one is actually watching?

Yes - the idea that someone might be watching is enough to influence behavior

Who came up with the idea of The Panopticon?

Jeremy Bentham

What is The Panopticon?

A building designed to allow officers to observe all prisoners without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched - makes them change their behavior

Why do prisons put all the "worst" prisoners together?

So they don't teach the less serious criminals their bad ways

What is this called? (where criminality is taught/learnt)

Differential socialization theory

As the prisoners changed their behavior, what does this type of surveillance become?

Self surveillance (and self discipline)

What does disciplinary power involve?

Monitoring the individual with the view of rehabilitating them

Would this be an effective way of rehabilitating offenders?

No - when they get out, they know they are not being watched so resort to old ways (dosent get rid of the problem), as they have suppressed these feelings for so long - only useful is prison

What is the modern version of the panopticon?

Electronic Panopticon - uses modern technology to monitor us (phones/laptops/smartwatches/loyalty cards)

What has Foucault been accused of doing?

Exaggerating the extent of control

Overestimating the power of surveillance to change behavior

How are CCTV cameras a form of Panopticism?

We are aware of their presence, but we don't know if they are recording us

Are CCTV cameras effective in preventing crime?

No, it may also cause displacement

What did Gill & Loveday find about CCTV?

Fewer robbers, burglars, shoplifters or fraudsters were put off by CCTV

It also reassures the public about their security

What types of crime is CCTV especially ineffective with?

Corporate and white collar crime

How does feminists Koskela criticize CCTV?

It acts an extension of the 'male gaze' as it makes women feel less secure

How does CCTV make women less secure?

Men use CCTV to follow attractive women (makes women feel objectified by women)

How does 'the male glaze' link to education?

Male teachers may favor female students, allowing them to get away with certain behaviors

Matthiessen argues that Foucault account of surveillance is only half the story of modern day society - why?

The media allows the many to see the few

What does Matthiessen call it where everybody watches everybody?

Synopticon

Who do people watch and comment on constantly?

Celebrities

Politicians/governments

POLICE

Thompson believes that powerful groups, such as politicians fear the media's surveillance - why?

As it may uncover damaging information and about (acting as a form of social control over their activities)

Would the idea of being in the media for the crimes committed stop further crimes taking place? Explain

No - some people may want to be in the media (want the attention), want to gain status

Yes - false representation - damage reputations, could create moral panics/folk panics

What is an example of synoptic surveillance?

Where the public monitor each other (such as video cameras)

Who may be filmed through widespread camera ownership?

Filming police wrongdoings (control the controllers)

What does Mann et al call this idea of filming police?

Sousveillance

Feeley & Simin argued that a new technology of power is emerging through the justice system - how does this differ from Foucault disciplinary power? (3)

1. It focuses on groups rather than individuals

2. It is not interested in rehabilitating offenders, but preventing them from offending

3. It uses calculations of risk or ‘actuarial analysis’

Who else uses calculations of risk?

Insurance companies (young drivers having a car accident)

What do these risk calculations consist of for crime?

• who is most likely to be a victim

• who is most likely to be an offender

How do the police categorize potential criminals?

Males, young, ethnic minorities, working class

What does Circourel call sterotypes?

Tippifications

What data do airport security screening checks collect?

Age, sex, religion, ethnicity

Airports create a profile, and then what?

People are then given a risk score

What happens to those with higher risk scores?

They are then stopped and searched/questioned

Why do people actually get stopped/searched?

Purely based off appearances (over surveillance by police - feel targeted)

What is the aim of surveillance?

Prevent future offending

What is the aim to of disciplinary power?

Correct, treat, rehabilitate

Is this a fair method? (basing risk of appearances)

No, someone who doesn’t fit the “risk profile” may get away

Emphasizes moral panic

What could this labelling of specific individuals do?

• create a self fulfilling prophecy

• may also cause them to retaliate

• change public perception of certain groups

What does Lyon suggest the purpose of ‘social sorting’ is?

To categorize people so that they can be treated differently according to the level of risk they pose

In 2010, West Midlands Police wanted to introduce a counter-terrorism scheme surrounded muslims suburbs on Birmingham, what may this be an example of?

Islamophobia

What is a problem with actuarial justice?

A self fulfilling prophecy

Offenders are complied using data from official statistics - what is the problem with this?

They are socially constructed (doesn’t necessary reflect the truth)

If the data shows that young black inner city males are most likely to be found carrying a weapon, what may the police do?

Be more likely to stop and search these members

Which groups actually have the same likelihood of carrying a weapon?

All

What may CCTV operators make?

Discriminatory judgements - focus on certain people

What groups did Norris & Amrstrong found were disproportionately targeted?

Young black males

What crimes are ignored? (when focusing on young black males who are criminalized)

Motorists not paying road tax