SO240 Theorizing Crime L2 (3)

Key Figure: Stuart Hall
Movement from casual analysis to understanding the social construction of crime and deviance.
Emphasizes the distribution of resources and incorporates views on class, gender, and ethnicity within a neo-Marxist perspective.
Explores how moral panics distract from structural inequalities.
Examines justice concepts and ideological roles in defining crime/deviance.

Key Figures: E.G. Lea & Young (1984)
Responds politically to Thatcher's conservative approach and the escalation of police powers.
Context of the deindustrialization in Northern UK and financial advantages in the Southeast.
Critiques neo-Marxists for overlooking the reality of working-class crime — not merely labeling.
References: Jewkes (2015), Carrabine (2008).

Focuses on victims of crime, including women, the poor, and inner-city residents
Asserts crime should not be viewed as solely a right-wing issue.
Identifies poverty, resentment, and media influence as crime drivers.
Utilizes surveys and official statistics for data-driven insights.
Advocates addressing structural issues contributing to crime.
Emphasizes local democratic responses to crime.
Focus on street crime with limited discussion on corporate crime.

Associated Figures: Jock Young, Stanley Cohen
Definition of Moral Panic: A situation where a person or group is defined as a societal threat, often exaggerated by media portrayal.
Key Quote: "... its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media" (Cohen, 1972).
Discusses the collaboration between politicians and media.
Importance of framing narratives through supportive stories, slang, and a youth-centric focus.

Influences from the Chicago School, Hall, and critical criminology.
Views crime as acts of resistance against authority.
Stresses that crime is not only about acquisition but also about cultural expression.
Focuses on representation, image, and style in relation to crime.

Crime as Culture: Highlights subcultural conventions and aesthetics (e.g., rioters, graffiti artists).
Culture as Crime: Examines the criminalization of various cultural activities (e.g., art, obscenity).

Discusses the "carnivalesque" nature of rioting and disorder.
Investigates how crime representation affects public perception and policies.
Emphasizes the emotional allure and the complexity of transgression in understanding crime.
Contrasts statistical approaches by prioritizing meaning and personal narrative through ethnography.

Criticisms include a focus on masculinity and thrill-seeking behavior (adrenaline).
Points out the neglect of structural factors in understanding crime.

Incident analyzed through a cultural criminology lens.
Drew Harris attributes the rioting to a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology."
Explores motivations that led to disorder, including far-right/anti-immigration beliefs and recreational rioting.