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criminology paper 2 > AC2 > Flashcards

AC2 Flashcards

1
Q

biological theories

A
  • physiological
  • genetic
  • brain injuries and disorders
  • biochemical explanations
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2
Q

physiological theories

A
  • lombroso
  • sheldon
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3
Q

lombroso outline

A
  • suggest born criminal can be determined by the physical shape of their head and face
  • criminality was heritable and those who committed offences had atavistic and primitive features
  • tattoos- insensitve to pain- violent crimes
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4
Q

lombroso findings

A
  • examined facial and cranial features
  • 383 dead, 3839 live criminals
  • 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for atavistic characteristics
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5
Q

lombroso idea criminal

A
  • enormous jaws
  • high cheek bones
  • handle-shaped ears
  • eyebrow arch
  • long arms
  • large eye-sockets
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6
Q

lombroso postives

A
  • his work heralded the beginning of offender profiling
  • labelled prisons as ‘criminal universities’ and suggests criminals came out worse than when they went it, today’s recidivism rate reflects and supports this
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7
Q

lombroso negatives

A
  • lacked a control group - so no comparison can be made
  • not everyone with atavistic features is a criminal
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8
Q

Sheldon - somatotypes theory outline

A
  • criminality is linked to physical form
  • 3 fundamental body types
  • mesomorphic most likely to commit aggressive and violent acts
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9
Q

Sheldon - somatotypes theory
body types

A
  • ectomorph - thin/ fragile - introverted/ restrained
  • endomorphic - fat/soft - sociable and relaxed
  • mesomorphic - muscular/hard - aggressive, adventurous, domineering
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10
Q

Sheldon - somatotypes theory
findings

A

400 bodies analysed from different angles

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11
Q

Sheldon - somatotypes theory
positives

A
  • Putwain and Sammons 2002 - there is a small association between bodily builds and criminality
  • Glueck - sample of delinquents 60% were mesomorphs, non delinquents sample only 31%
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12
Q

Sheldon - somatotypes theory
negatives

A
  • not explain how ectomorphs and endomorphs can be criminals
  • doesn’t show that peoples body type can change
  • judical system could treat these more harshly- more likely to be labelled - self-fulfilling prophecy
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13
Q

biological/ genetic theories

A
  • Jacobs XYY
    -twin study
  • adoption studies
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14
Q

Jacobs XYY outline

A
  • presence of extra Y chromosome is thought to create criminality
  • chromosome abnormality
  • usually have 46 chromosomes, 2 determine sex
  • XYY - super males, seen as more aggressive and violent
  • very tall, well built, low intelligence
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15
Q

Jacobs XYY findings

A
  • studied psychiatric hospitals
  • higher proportion of inmates tended to have XYY syndrome
  • 15/1000 prisons
  • 1/1000 general population
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16
Q

Jacobs XYY positives

A
  • found association between XYY offender in prison
  • Price and Whatmore found a link between XYY and impulsive, property crimes
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17
Q

Jacobs XYY negatives

A
  • fails to explain female criminality, XYY is only present in males
  • XYY is a rare condition, cant explain all criminal behaviour - only 15/1000 had it
  • cant be sure that XYY is the only reason that caused it, could be other factors
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18
Q

neural explanations of criminality

A

-raine
- serotin

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19
Q

Raine 1994

A
  • used pre-frontal cortex scans to study the brains of murderers and found they had less brain activity in the grey matter of the PFC
    -PFC is responsible for decision making,logic,impulse control
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20
Q

serotonin

A
  • neurotransmitter, chemical that travels between neurons
  • has an influence on emotion and mood stability
  • lower levels of serotonin have been linked to higher levels of aggression
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21
Q

twin studies Lange (1929)
outline

A
  • investigated 13 MZ and 17 DZ twins
  • if one twin is criminal the other one is thought to be one too
  • both twins developed from the same fertalised egg
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22
Q

twin studies Lange (1929)
findings

A
  • MZ- 10/13 also had a twin in prison
  • DZ- 2/17 also had a twin in prison
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23
Q

Monozygotic twin

A

share 100% of DNA

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24
Q

dizygotic twin

A

share 50% of DNA

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25
Q

twin studies Lange (1929)
positive

A
  • Christiansen - found higher concordance rates in MZ twins and criminality suggesting a genetic element
  • because MZ are gentically identical it is logical to examine whether their offending behaviour is also identical
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26
Q

twin studies Lange (1929)
negative

A
  • unrepresentative - sample sizes were small, difficult to generalise to wider population
  • lack of control in early twin studies- Lange, was based on appearance rather than DNA, may had led to inaccurate/ invalid results
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27
Q

adoption studies Mednick (1975)
outline

A
  • compare adopted children to their birth and adopted parents
  • significant correlation between number of criminal convictions of biological parents and offspring
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28
Q

adoption studies Mednick (1975)
findings

A
  • sons more likely (20%) to have criminal record if birth parent also gad a record
  • 14.7% had a criminal record if their adoptive parent had one
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29
Q

adoption studies Mednick (1975)
positive

A
  • different environment - separate genetic and environment, allows usto see the relative importance of nature vs nurture
  • large sample - more representative
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30
Q

adoption studies Mednick (1975)
negative

A
  • adopted children may have had environmental influences from biological parents, age of adoption- if adopted later had biological environmental
  • adoption process may not be random- may be placed in a similar environment
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31
Q

individual theories

A

learning through observation and imitation, imbalances in the unconscious mind and development of ‘criminal’ personality

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32
Q

individual theories

A
  • learning theories
  • psychodynamic
  • psychological
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33
Q

social learning theory

A

bandura

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34
Q

Bandura overview

A
  • people learn by watching the behaviours of others
  • if a person watches someone get rewarded for behaviour they are more likely to copy this
  • known as vicarious reinforcement
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35
Q

bandura bobo doll

A
  • adults modelled aggressive behaviour towards doll in front of child (10 minutes)
  • child observes and copy aggressive behaviour
    3 different groups
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36
Q

bandura 3 different groups

A

1 - aggressive behaviour rewarded
2- aggressive behaviour punished
3- control group, aggressive behaviour

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37
Q

bandura findings

A

group 2 least likely to copy behaviour

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38
Q

strength of SLT

A
  • supported by Bandura doll, showed the effect that a role model an have on influencing aggressive/violent behaviour
  • applied to real life criminal behaviour - explains copy cat crime, may also explain reoffenders
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39
Q

weakness of SLT

A
  • artificial study- took place in lab (controlled environment) may not reflect real life situations of imitating criminal behaviour
  • underestimates the role of free will of the criminal, assumes behaviour is pre-determined by our role models, some observed behaviour is not imitated - some individuals actively choose not to imitate criminal behaviour
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40
Q

sutherland

A

people learn their values and techniques for criminal behaviour from those around them, their associations

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41
Q

why are prisons university of crime

A

surrounded by criminals and can easily learn new criminal behaviour

42
Q

Osborn and West

A
  • father had conviction- 40% sons had one by 18
  • father had no conviction- 13% sons had one
43
Q

operant learning theory
skinner

A
  • if a particular behaviour results in a reward, likely to be repeated
  • behaviour that results in punishment, unlikley to be repeated
44
Q

psychodynamic theory

A
  • freud
45
Q

freud overview

A
  • mind can be broken into consious, preconscious, unconscious
  • focused on childhood experiences and how these influenced personality and adulthood
  • structure of the mind containing our personality divided into 3 parts (Id, ego, superego) (tripartite personality)
46
Q

Id

A
  • instincts
  • primitive, present from birth
  • instant gratification
47
Q

ego

A
  • reality principle
  • resolves conflict between superego and Id
  • uses defense mechanisms
48
Q

superego

A
  • internalised sense of right and wrong
  • morality principle
  • developed by identification with same-sex parent
  • punished with guilt
49
Q

weak superego

A
  • individual feels less guilt about crime
  • less inhibitation about acting on Id selfish/aggressive urges
  • no socialization (absent same-sex parent)
    -Id wins
50
Q

super harsh superego

A
  • creates deep-seated guilt feelings in individual
  • craves punishment as release of feelings
  • reoffending to be punished
  • strict same-sex parent
51
Q

deviant superego

A
  • child successfully socialised but into deviant moral code
  • deviant behviour without guilt
52
Q

bowlbys material deprivation

A
  • link material deprivation and deviant behaviour
  • child needs close relationship with primary care giver from birth to 5 to develop normally
  • if mother-child attachment is broken can leave child unable to form meaningful emotional relationship with others - affectionless psychopathy- lead to criminal behaviour
53
Q

psychodynamic positives

A
  • demonstrates the importance of early socialization on later behvaiour/ adult personality
  • bowlby research into 44 thieves supports the idea of maternal deprivation impacting later offending- 39% of thieves had experienced maternal deprivation
54
Q

psychodynamic negatives

A
  • not all offenders have experienced childhood trauma, not all those experience offend- other factors
  • no longer accepted, outdated, due to difficulty of testing psychodynamic concepts,
55
Q

psychological theories

A

eysenck

56
Q

eysenck criminal personality

A
  • personality types are the reason for criminal behaviour
  • questionnaire to assess personality of 700 soldiers
  • all being treated for neurosis in hospital
  • identified 2 dimensions of personality
  • we learn through conditioning, but some inherit NS that causes them to develop criminal presonalities
57
Q

eysenck overview

A
  • most people have personalities near the middle of both
  • criminals score high on E and N
58
Q

neuroticism

A

over reactive NS, quick to react/respond, slow to learn from mistakes

59
Q

extraversion

A

seek stimulated, thrill-seaking, carefree

60
Q

introverted

A

reliable, and have control of emotions

61
Q

extrovert, neurotics, psychotics

A

difficulties controlling impulsive behaviour- engagein thrill seaking behaviours, unable to accept rules of society, slow to learn concequences of behaviour

62
Q

eysenck strength

A
  • his personality testing has formed the basis of many modern personality tests that try to predict many peoples behaviour in different situations. DeYoung suggets link between P,E,N scores and brain processes, such as release of dopamine being linked to E, and high levels of testosterone to psychoticism
  • eysenck study showed criminals had higher levels of PEN compared to rest of population
63
Q

eysenck limitation

A
  • personality types may not be stable, theory doesnt suggest this, effected by other variables
  • came from questionnaires may not produce valid results - participants could have lied
64
Q

sociological theories

A
  • functionalism
  • interactionism
  • marxism
    -right realism
    left realism
65
Q

Interactionism overview

A
  • Becker - labelling theory to explain criminality
  • Official statistics and crime are socially constructed
  • Crime is a subjective concept; agents of social control (police) label certain acts and behaviour as criminal or deviant
  • Once act has been labelled as deviant, deviant person starts to view themselves as deviant, becomes their master status and can lead to SFP.
  • Media can contribute towards this - demonise people who have been socially labelled as deviant, creating moral panic and making those labels appear as folk devils - deviancy amplification
  • making it harder for the victim to be able to change public opinion of them
66
Q

interactionism positive

A
  • shifts focus on how the police create crime by applying labels based on their stereotypes of ‘typical offender’, this selective law enforcement may explain why working class and minority are over-represented
  • shows how attempts to control deviance can trigger a deviance amplification spiral and create more deviance
67
Q

interactionism negative

A
  • wrongly applies once labelled a deviant career is inevitable - determinism
  • fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place, before they are labelled
68
Q

marxists overview

A
  • capitalism is unequal and undemocratic being based on the exploitation of the working class by the bourgeoisie
  • crime as inevitable in a capitalist society
  • institutions such as the police are they to encourage you to conform and punish those who don’t
  • crimes committed by the bourgeoisie are ignored
  • crimes committed by proletariat are focused on and are seen as more serious
  • social classes are policed differently, proletariat are heavily policed with the expectation they will commit more crimes.
  • Believe 42% of statistics presented by government are false and misleading.
69
Q

marxist positive

A
  • poverty and inequality cause working class crime
  • capitalism promotes greed, encourages upper class crime
  • law making and enforcement bias towards upper class
  • chambliss - laws to protect rich
70
Q

marxist negative

A
  • focuses on class, ignores relationship between crime and other factors (gender, ethnicity)
  • over predicts working class crime - not all poor turn to crime
71
Q

functionalists

A
  • Durkheim
  • Merton
  • cohen
72
Q

functionalist theory

A

see structure of society as being the underlying cause of crime

73
Q

Durkheim

A
  • see society as stable structure based on shared norms, values and beliefs
  • most people conform to societies shared norms and dont deviate
  • crime is inevitable because some people are inadequately socialized
74
Q

Durkheim functions of crime

A
  • boundary maintenance
  • social change
    -safety valve
  • warning light
75
Q

Durkheim functions of crime
boundary maintenance

A
  • reminds society of the boundary between right and wrong
76
Q

Durkheim functions of crime
social change

A
  • for society to progress, people need to challenge existing norms and values
  • eg Nelson Mandela
77
Q

Nelson Mandela

A
  • jailed in south africa for opposing apartheid
  • evntually apartheid was overthrown and was elected south africa first black president
78
Q

Durkheim functions of crime
safety valve

A
  • way for people to express their unhappiness
  • Davis - prostitution helps men release sexual frustration without threatening the nuclear family
79
Q

Durkheim functions of crime
warning light

A
  • indicates that an institution in society isn’t functioning properly
  • eg - high truancy rates could indicate problem with education system
80
Q

Durkheim weakness

A
  • crime isnt functional for the victims
  • claims society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but offers no way of knowing what the right amount is
81
Q

Durkheim strength

A
  • first to recognize crime can positive effects on society
82
Q

Merton strain theory

A
  • root of crime is the unequal structure of society
  • American society values ‘money success’ which people should achieve through legitimate means such as hard work
83
Q

merton strain theory
blocked opportunity

A
  • not everyone has equal chance of achieving success
  • opportunities for working class often blocked by poverty and inadequate schools
  • creates strain between goal society says they should achieve and legitimate means of doing so
84
Q

merton 4 deviant ways of adapting to strain

A
  • innovation
  • ritualism
  • retreatism
  • rebellion
85
Q

merton
innovation

A
  • accept goal but find illegal ways of achieving it by committing utilitarian crimes
86
Q

merton
retreatism

A
  • drop outs who reject both goals and means
  • drug addicts
87
Q

merton
ritualism

A
  • give up on success
  • plod along in dead-end jobs
88
Q

merton
rebellion

A
  • reject existing goals and means, replacing them with new ones with the aim of changing society
89
Q

merton strength

A
  • explains patterns in official statistics, most crime is property crime, society views wealth so high, working class crime is higher as they have less opportunity to obtain wealth legitimacy
90
Q

merton weakness

A
  • ignores crime of wealthy and over-predicts amount of working class crime
  • focuses on utilitarian crime (theft), ignoring crimes with no economic motive (vandalism)
91
Q

cohen status frustration

A
  • subcultural deviance as a group response to failure
  • focuses non non-utilitarian crime
  • most working class boys end up at bottom of schools official status hierarchy due to labelling
  • suffer from status frustration - feeling worthless because of their status
  • turn to subcultures to gain status
92
Q

Cloward and Ohlin
3 subcultures

A
  • criminal subcultures
  • conflict subcultures
  • retreatist subculture
93
Q

cohen strength

A
  • show how subcultures perform a function by offering a solution for failure to achieve mainstream goals legitimately
  • Cloward and Ohlin show how different types of neighbourhood give rise to different illegitimate opportunities and different subcultures
94
Q

cohen weakness

A
  • ignore crimes of the wealthy and over-predict amount of working class crime
  • assume everyone starts with mainstream goals and turn to subculture when they fail to achieve them but some people dont share the same goals, may be attracted to crime for other reasons
95
Q

right realism

A
  • crime is a product of…
  • biological differences between individuals- personality traits associated with criminality eg. aggressiveness, risk taking or low intelligence
  • inadequate socialisation - lack of role models eg. absent fathers mean boys lack discipline and male role model - as a result boys turn into delinquents - gain status through crime.
  • offending is a rational choice - if the rewards outweigh the risks/punishments - more likely to offend
96
Q

right realism strength

A
  • Rettig - students were given a scenario where they had the chance to commit a crime, the level of punishment influenced whether they chose to commit the crime or not
  • may some opportunities petty crimes such as theft
97
Q

right realism weakness

A
  • Rettig study was experiments, the results may not apply to real offenders
  • not all crimes are a result of rational decisions, violent crimes are often impulsive
98
Q

left realism

A
  • Lea and Young found 3 causes of crime…
  • relative deprivation - subjective feelings of being deprived compared to other people - made worse by the government and media - they feel worse off, not having as many materialistic objects
  • subculture - provides a solution to relative deprivation and inequality, joining a criminal subculture to access materialistic possessions through crime
  • marginalisation - people feel powerless, forgotten and disconnected from society - they turn to crime as a vent for frustration
99
Q

left realism strength

A
  • highlights the importance of poverty, inequality and relative deprivation as the underlying structural causes of crime
  • draws attention to reality of street crime and its effects, especially on victims from deprived groups
100
Q

left realism weakness

A
  • over-predicts the amount of working class crime: not everyone who experiences relative deprivation and marginalization turns to crime
  • focuses too much on street crime committed by deprived groups, doesn’t explain crimes committed by the wealthy

criminology paper 2 (3 decks)

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