Age and Crime Flashcards
Why do young people commit more crime?
Status fustration, peer pressure, more likely to be out a night, relative deprivation, marginalisation, labelling, unemployed.
Why do young peopleappear more in OCS?
Police labelling - stereotypes, typifications, image of typical criminal. Media - moral panic, ‘Mods and Rockers’ - folk devils. Types of crimes commited by young people are more likely to be reported to be police, e.g.theft.
What does OCS show about criminality and age?
OCS show by age mose convictions are for people aged 16-25. Young people are the most criminal in society. As people age, criminality sharply declines.
What is the age of criminal responsibility?
10 - following the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
What is juvenile delinquency?
Refers to deviant and criminal behaviour of young people.
What is the fastest growing age of the prison population?
60+
Why are older people becoming violent according to Graef?
Fustration of being old - social services cut, lonely, breakdown of the social contract, increasing life expectancy (more active, more healthy) - more crime. Romanticise the elderly - see them as vulnerable, but now as they are fit and healthy - don’t fit the stereotype.
What is the evaluation of Graef’s theory on age and crime?
Statistics show an increase in crime, doesn’t mean the elderly are more criminal. It is just that their crime is actually being recorded now.
What does OCS and self-report surveys indicate abour age and crime?
Most offences are commited by young people - teenagers and young adults in their early 20s. The highest rate of offending for men is at the age of 19 and for women 15. Theft is the most common crime committed by young people, followed by drug offences, violence against a perosn and burglary.
What is the evaluation of OCS?
The types of crime committed by young people are more likely to be reported the police. So they may be over-represented in OCS. Older people’s crimes such as WCC are not reported.
What is the evaluation of self-report surveys?
Traditionally. they focused the questions on male juvenile delinquency such as street crime. This ignores crimes committed by all age groups such as domestic or child abuse and fraud. Therefore, the criminality of young people is over-represented in self-report surveys beacuse of the way they are designed.
How do Functionalists explain youth crime?
A.Cohen - young, w/c, status fustration.
Cloward and Ohlin - young, w/c, males - blocked legitimiate opportunities so join subcultures.
How do Right Realists explain youth crime?
Young, m/c, males - poor socialisation.
How do Left Realists explain youth crime?
Young, w/c - most likely to be marginalised, etc. unemployed.
How do Neo-Marxists explain youth crime?
Young, e/m - rebellion against racism in society.
