Theories and patterns of crime and deviance

Crime convictions data suggestions

Young, male and working class

Rosenbaum 6 reasons on problem communities

Poverty, poor housing conditions, low income

Poor schools, active drug use,limited community control

What was Webster and kingstons research

A study between poverty and crime

The social exclusion unit views on prisoners

. Would’ve beeen in care system

. Traunted and excluded from school

. Experienced lon term unemployment

. Experienced mental or substance abuse

Reasons why middle class crimes are less likely to be recorded

Victims unaware

Deal with matters internally due to wanting to avoid publicity

What does haste suggest

That middle class have moral codes that include environmentalism but will be involved in crimes against businesses

What are the 3 types of middle class crimes

1) corporate crime illegal crimes carried out by companies to maximise profit

2)white collar/ occupational crimes carried out by workers

3) Ponzi schemes, where people ask others to invest in a business but spend money instead

How are kids treated in the court

Under age on 10 and until 18th birthday they are treated by youth courts and given diff sentencing

Youth offending data

Kids aged 15 and 17 make up 80% of offending population.

Ways to prevent arrests and stop offfenders from repeating

Anti social behaviour orders issued by police

2) reprimands/ warning and cautions by the polic

3) on the spot fines or penalty notice for disorder

4) triage schemes operated by police

Owen and coopers report

Most first offenders carried out. Y young people were either theft or robberies. 21% being violence

Data stats for adults crimes 30-39

67% end in fines, 12% end in community services

How do functionalists view society

As a stable system based on shared values but crime and deviance disrupts the stability

How functionalists view deviance

As inevitable and functional to society

What does social control mean

Mechanisms which include rewards for conformity and punishments for deviance

What is Durkheim view on society

Crime is inevitable and universal.

Durkheim views on why crime is inevitable

Not everyone is equally socialised

I modern complex societies there is a diversity of lifestyle an values

What does anomie/ normlesseness mean

Rule governing behaviour becomes weaker because society has a more complex division of labour

What does the collective conscience mean Durkheim

Basis of society is set on shared values that guide our actions

Boundary maintenance ( functionalist, functions of crime)

Crime producing a reaction from society which helps reinforce existing values

Examples of boundary maintainance

2011 uk riots ( people comin together to clean up streets after riots)

Adaptation and change (Durkheim)

All change starts with acts of deviance,so individuals wit new ideas must be willing to show

Examples of adaptation and change ( functions of crime)

Natasha’s law , law protecting allergy sufferers

Suffragettes, led to gradual reforms like equal pay

Gay right movement,

Evaluation of boundary maintainance

Ignores how crime and deviance affects individuals

Evaluation of adaptation and change

Society requires a certain amount of deviance to function successfully

Safety light Davis

Argue that prostitution acts as a safety value for men to release sexual frustrations

Examples of safety value

Polsky, argues that pornography helps channel variety of sexual desires away from adults

Evaluation of safety value

Doesn’t explain why some people commit crimes and others dont

Warning light Cohen

Argues that deviance indicates wen an institution is malfunctioning

Examples of warning light

Truancy, high rates indicate there’s a problem with education system

Evaluation of warning light (Marxism)

Assumes that norms and was reflect wishes of population

What is Morton’s strain theory (American dream)

That no matter the background anyone can make it.

Strain theory argument

That crime occurs when there aren’t enough legitimate opportunities to get successful

What are the two elements that the strain theory combines

Structural factors- unequal opportunities

Cultural factors- strong emphasis on success and weaker emphasis on how to legitimately make it

Responses to Morton’s strain theory

Conformity

Innovation

Ritualism

Retreatism

Rebellion

What do the responses to Merton mean ( conformist)

Typical law abiding citizens that accept (materialistic and legal) way of making money

What does Mertons response (innovation) mean

Those at lower end of class structure (accept materialistic goal but reject legal ways of making money)

Mertons ritualism response

Typical lower middle class in dead end routines (reject materialistic but accept legal ways of making money) attached to legitimaket

Mmerton retreatist response

Drop out rate chase(failures) reject both materialistic and legitimate money making ways

Mertons rebellion responses

Eco terrorist

Equation/ strength of Mertons responses

Shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from same mainstream goals

Evaluation/ weakenesses of Mertons response

Only account for utilitarian crime for monetary gain( and not crimes of violence, vandalism)

Sees crime as w/c phenomenon

Control theories argument Hirschi

That all human beings suffer from weaknesses which make them unable to resist temptation and turn to crime.

The four bonds of attachment( Hirschi)

Attachment

Commmitment

Involvement

Belief

What does attachment mean for Hirschi

How much we care about what other think

What does involvement mean to Hirschi

How involved we are with society

What does belief mean to Hirschi

Belief of law and religion

What does this control theory suggest about those that are more likely to commit a crime

Those with no family, work, school or a clear moral code.

Strengths of Hirschi

Help introduce wys of preventing crime

Criticism of Hirschi

Doesn’t address issue of why some have secure bonds of attachment and why others are marginalised

Name the two functionalists of subcultural theories

Cohen

Cloward & Ohlin

Cohen (Functionalist) why does crime occur

W/c boys ar cultural deprived and lack skills to achieve leaving them at botttom of hierarchy and suffer status frustration . The resolve this by rejecting mainstream M/c values and form a subculture which provides illegitimate opourtuinties. And can win status through delinquent acts

Evaluation of Cohen (functionalist )

Ores elation of non utilitarian deviance but assumes that we boys accept mc goal and reject them when the fail

Cloward and Ohlin why crime occurs (functionalist)

They note that not everyone adapts to a lack of legitimate opouunitie by turning to (utilitarian crimes)

The three subcultures of Cloward& Ohlin

Criminal Subculture (professionals)

Conflict subculture (gangs)

Retreatist subculture (dropouts)

What does the criminal subculture men (Cloward and Ohlin)

Ofer apprenticeship in utilitarian crime, hierarchy of adult crime and provide opourtunities of criminal career ladder

Conflict subculture (Cloward and Ohlin)

Illegitimate opportunities in loosel organised gangs status is earned by wining turfs

Retreatist subculture ( Cloward and Ohlin)

Focus activities on substance abuse, lack opportunities in adult crimes, double failures fail in both legitimate and illegitimate ways

Miller focal concerns

Working class culture had a different set of values and norms

Miller focal concerns values 5 of working class culture

Toughness and trouble

Excitement

Smartness

Fatalism

Autonomy

Autonomy miller

Reject people in authority

Fatalism miller

An acceptance of fate and that future cant be changed

Smartness miller

Looking good

Excitement miller

Looking for kicks a desire for fun and thrill

Toughness and trouble miller

Violence is part of life and you need to be able to look after yourslef

Criticisms of focal concerns miller

Not found within working class subculture (rugby is a violent game)

Toughness found in other subcultures not just w/c

What do Marxists think about crime and deviance

As a conflict theory they argue that some groups in society have more power and status than others

Why does crime happen Marxists views

Criminogenic capitalism

What is criminogenic capitalism

Crime is believed to be inevitable and exploits working class, working class commit crime as a way t survive

What does capitalist Gordon say about crime

Crime is a rational response to exploitation and capitalism

What are examples of criminogenic capitalism

Primary cry for help label

Google evasion tax

What are some evaluation points for criminogenic capitalism

Marxisms are deterministic and not al por people commit crimes

Another example of why crime happens - Marxist

Ideological functions of crime

How does ideological functions of crime lead to crime and deviance

Pearce says that some laws are created to protect the wc but instead ie the cruel nature of capitalist [workpace laws]

Gordonargue that society places a large importance on benefit fraud and burglary while they hide the effects o white collar crimes

Another way which Marxists believe crime and deviance happen

Biased law creations

How does bias law creations cause crime and deviance to occur

Chambliss- introductions of English laws into African colonies [payments neeed so people Need to wok to have money and lad to intensive labour]

Compulsory purchase orders- council can force you out of your home and set a price

What are white collar crimes

An individual committing crimes against their employer, corporate crimes involve organisations committing crimes costing billions

Examples of white collared crimes

Shells activity in Niger delta- toxic dumping

Crimes against employees- sexual and racial discrimination

What are some examples of Marxists subcultural theories

Teddy boys

Skinheads

Punk rockers

What are teddy boys according to Marxists Jefferson

Claimed that adoption of some dress code showed working class contempt and a way to ridicule the middle class

What are skin heads accoring to Marxist cohen

Proposed that skinhead style was a reaction to the decline of w/c communities, and through their dressings and behaviour [being racist] wee demonstrating their symbolic resistance to social change

Critisms of Marxists subcultural thoery

Neglects gender and ethnicity as influences on youths subcultures.

Wha are new radical views on why crime happens

-effects of labeling

• act itself

• Wilder origins of deviant act [ crime occurs due to unequal distribution of power]

What are the statistics on ethnicity and crime

Men from mixed ethnic backgrounds more likely to be victims of a crime than other men from other ethnic groups

Give 3 impacts of race and crime data

• cjs may be institutionally racist

What doers glory say about myth of black criminality [neo marxists]

Created by racist stereotes and ethnic minorities do crime as a form of political resistance

What does hall say about policing the crisis- neo Marxists

Hall says due to crisis in hegemony [ ability to dominate] British people began to question and reject governments authority, but due to moral panic [ media instilling fear of a particular group] of black muggers, helped served the interested of capitalist

What is the canteen culture By Reiner

Suspicion of ethnic minorities, encouraging racist stereotypes.

What are ethnic differences between south Asian [mawby and batta]

Low crime rates in areas of high Asian and this was argued that Asian people didn’t wat to compromise izzat therefore staying away from crime.

What are the 3 reasons why left realist lead and young think black males most likely to entertain crime

Relative deprivation [ ace high levels of unemployment so turn to other means]

Marginalisation [ lack representation within the government which can lead to frustrations which are crimes]

Subcultures [ofer alternative statuses and value systems to the mainstream law abiding cultures

What does mead say about the self concept

Basing self perceptions on how people view us.

What does iteractionalist Lemert say about primary and secondary deviance.

Primary deviance- deviant acts that have not been defiantly labelled by the public,

Secondary deviance- deviance that is labelled and results in societal reactions

What does interactionalist cicorel say about differential enforcement

Police use typification of typical deviant- judges may use stereotypes of typical delinquents

What does interactionalist cohen say about deviancy amplification spiral

Cohns study of mods and rockers , media exaggerated image and lead to a moral panic with public concern

Ao3 of interactionalist views

• reject deterministic assumptions

• Having criminal record becomes master status which leads to a deviant career.

What des matza say about the drift theory [interactionalist]

Argued that delinquency wasn’t wasn’t exciting but that young people drifted into criminal action because they

What does matza say about subculturalist

That they over predict delinquency and although w/c face Naomi and status frustration most don’t form anti social groups or join gangs

Give 4 ways in which matza talks about neutralisation [justification] of actions

• deny responsibility

• Deny they hurt the victim- staling from Tesco wouldn’t hurt as they have insurance

• Deny the victim rights- he got what he deserved

• They make a moral appeal- sticking up for a mate

Give some statistics on crime relating to gender

Serious crimes were linked to masculinity and only 75% of convictions were male