Crime control

What is meant by patterns and trends of victimisation?

Sociologists want to better understand why some groups in society are more likely to be victims of crime and whether certain characteristics make people more, or less, vulnerable to becoming a victim of crime

Positivist victimology

It believes people contribute to their likelihood of becoming a victim through their own behaviour and/or certain characteristics

What would positivist victimology say about people that are victims of crime?

Young people are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviour which means they are more likely to be a victim of crime as they get drunk etc

EVAL for positivist victimology

Evidence of victim blaming, e.g. “why were you out at night?”. Led to postmodernist feminist ‘slut walk’ protest. Criminals are responsible for their actions regardless of being provoked by potential victims

What would critical victimology say about people that are victims of crime?

Looks at social groups in society that are more at risk of being victims and suggests this is related to the structure of society. Some groups are more vulnerable than others in society, e.g. homeless people

Which features of the Crime survey of England and Wales results show links to the structure of society increasing victimisation?

unemployed, those living in deprived areas

EVAL for critical victimology

Women are a more vulnerable group in society, however men are at slightly higher risk of being victims of crime. However, there are certain types of crimes where women are significantly more likely to be victims e.g. sexual assault and domestic violence.

How do we control people’s behaviours?

Informal and formal control

How did Althusser explain social control?

Repressive state apparatus and Ideological state apparatus

Conflict policing

Marxist perspective. The police’s presence is aggressive. The belief that the police are working directly in the interests of the bourgeoise and against the interests of the proletariat.

Consensus policing?

Functionalist perspective. The police’s presence is welcoming and reassuring. Left realists think this is an ideal model of policing, not necessarily a reality. The police work on behalf of the community.

Impact of conflict policing

It causes individuals to go against the police and feel that they’re not helpful towards them, so they may be less likely to contact them. The working class may feel like they’re not valued by the police and therefore go against them. Makes society more hostile towards the police and commit more crime/deviance. Fear surrounding the police, this could lead to less crime, but people may not want to report crime due to a lack of trust.

Impact of consensus policing

Individuals may get justice for crimes. Crimes aren’t taken as seriously, therefore they get away more. Individuals may feel more inclined to speak to officers, breaking down stereotypes about them

Reiner (Marxist) three types of police discretion:

Individual discretion: individual police will use their own discretion. This may not reflect the culture of the police or its role in society. Cultural discretion: the canteen culture of the police impacts discretion so the police may be suspicious towards certain groups. Structural discretion: the police represent the interests of the bourgeois and enforce laws to protect their interests.

What impact would individual discretion have on relationships with the general public?

some may like it because serious crimes would be handled. Others may not like it as they believe it’s unfair because some individuals may be punished whilst others are not.

What impact would cultural discretion have on relationships with the general public?

groups who are targeted may go against cultural discretion so they rebel against them.

Critical views of the CJS - ethnicity

Phillip and Bowling suggest that the CJS operates on processes and procedures that disadvantage minority groups. Evidence of institutional racism found in McPherson report, while Lammy report found 25% of those in custody were minority groups.

Critical views of the CJS - Gender

Traditional views found that the CJS to be patriarchal in nature and protective over women. Changing social attitudes have found women treated more harshly for ‘masculine’ offences like drug dealing. Women made up less than 5% of prisoners in the UK in June 2020

Do we need CCTV: YES

Helps people feel safe, may cause less crime, it’s easier to identity criminals

Do we need CCTV: NO

No evidence shows that it actually reduces crime. Missed out on important crimes like domestic abuse and cyber crime. Expensive. Lots of CCTV cameras aren’t being used to prevent crime, instead many are private and some are used for marketing researching.

Foucault - internalised surveillance

Even when there is no surveillance, we are so used to being watched that we still behave in a socially desirable manner (or pretend to). We fear judgement from formal agencies

Environment crime prevention:

Wilson ‘Zero tolerance policy’. Broken window theory. Stresses the need for social control to prevent criminal situations. E.g. curfews, no-alcohol zones, security guards.

Social and community crime prevention (left realist)

Identifying groups/individuals most at risk of committing crimes and intervening in some way, e.g. pre school classes, parenting classes, family and relationship counselling. EXAMPLE: troubled families programmes launched by the conservative coalition government. Programme aimed to support ‘troubled families’ with the aim of reducing crime.