Crime Flashcards by Anas Dayeh

Durkheim

Functions of Crime

Functionalist

Crime is inevitable
Crime has beneficial functions such as strengthening collective values, enabling societal change, acting as a ‘safety valve’ and acting as a warning device.

Evaluation: Ignores the victims of crime.

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Merton

Causes of Crime

Functionalist

Strain theory
Mismatch between cultural values (American dream) and structural reality •Deviant adaption to strain (innovators)

Evaluation: focuses only on individual deviance + doesn’t explain non-utilitarian crime

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Cohen

Causes of crime

Functionalist

Status frustration
Alternative status hierarchy found in subcultures

Evaluation: he assumes that WC boys start with MC values + only sees one type of subculture + only focuses on boys (feminist)

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Cloward and Ohlin

Causes of Crime

Functionalists

Lack of access to illegitimate opportunity structure
3 types of subculture (Criminal, conflict and retreatists)

Evaluation: draws the boundaries too sharply between the subcultures + Matza: delinquency drift

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Miller

Causes of crime

Interactionist

This is an evaluation of subculture theory

•Lower class has its own independent subculture with its own values > subculture doesn’t value success in the first place > members are not ’frustrated’ by failure

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Hirschi

Causes of crime

Functionalists

Why people do not commit crime > social control
Identifies 4 bonds of attachment > attachment, commitment, involvement and belief

Evaluation: doesn’t explain why some people have different levels of bonds > This may be a case of blaming the victim – We need to look at structural factors that lead to family breakdown (poverty, long working hours, unemployment.)

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Gordon

Causes of crime

Marxist

Capitalist society being criminogenic
Crime is a natural outgrowth in a capitalist society

Eval: Too deterministic + Not capitalist societies have high crime rate

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Chambliss

Causes of Crime

Marxist

• the CJS disproportionally focuses on the actions of the proletariat in order to control their actions > bourgeoisie acts are ignored > selective law enforcement

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Snider

Causes of crime

Marxist

Laws are only passed to appease the working class (Health and safety)
Laws act as a ‘smoke screen’

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Becker

Causes of crime

Interactionist

Labelling theory
Crime is socially constructed > moral entrepreneurs dictate what is seen as criminal or not
‘Outsiders’ by labelling process

Evaluation: implies that without labelling, crime would not exists + it recognises the role of power, but fails to recognise the source of it (Marxists do)

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Cicourel

Causes of Crime

Interactionist

Typification (stereotypes) by Social Agencies
Class Bias
Justice is not fixed, but negotiable

Eval: gives the offender a victim status

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Lemert

Causes of crime

Interactionist

Primary (Deviance that hasn’t been labelled)
Secondary (Deviance that is labled as criminal)
Secondary = master status and deviant career

Eval: Fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place + too deterministic

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Stanley Cohen

Causes of Crime

Interactionist/Marxist

Positive: the only theory which recognises the role of power in creating deviance

Folk Devils and Moral Panic
Deviance amplification spiral (Media reaction to deviance can cause further deviance)

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Lea and Young

Causes of crime

Left Realism (causes)

Crime is caused by relative deprivation
Paradox where society gets richer but there’s more crime = higher expectation for material possession
Increase subculture and marginalisation

Eval: relative deprivation cannot explain crime, not all those who experience It commit crime

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Young (1999, 2003)

Causes of crime

Left Realism (causes)

Changes in late modernity > greater relative deprivation
Growing contrast between cultural inclusion and economic exclusion

Eval: Marxist > corporate crime is more harmful in late modernity

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Wilson & Hernstein

Causes of crime

Right realism (causes)

Biological predisposition and social factors > crime
low Intelligence levels > crime

Eval: Lilly et al > IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending

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Murray

Causes of Crime

Right realism (causes)

Socialisation among the ‘underclass’
Blames dependency culture = growth of lone parents & men not taking responsibility

Eval: Victim Blaming + ignores structural causes > poverty

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Cornish and Clarke

Causes of crime

Right realism (causes)

Rational Choice theory
Criminals make cost/benefit analysis of crime
Low deterrence = crime

Eval: Overstates rationality > doesn’t explain impulsive and violent crime

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Wilson and Kelling

RR Solutions

Right realism (causes)

Broken window theory
A bad neighbourhood, less social care > more crime

Eval: overemphasises control of disorder rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline > lack of investment

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Pollak

Gender

Chivalry thesis
CJS is more lenient towards women

Criticism: evidence suggests that women are not sentenced less

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Heidensohn

Gender

Feminist - the study of criminology is ‘malestream’

•’Patriarchal control’ leads to women committing less crime > this is done at home, work and public

Criticism: too deterministic + underplays free will and choice

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Carlen

Gender

Feminist

Class and gender deals > WC women are generally led to conform in order to receive rewards
Class deal = decent standards of living
Gender deal = emotional and material rewards through family life
If not available^^ crime more likely

Eval: the sample size was small + outdated > now women work

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Parsons

Gender

Functionalist

Sex role theory
Different socialisation leads to different crime
^^^ caused by biology

Eval: Walklate > criticise the biological function

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Sharpe

Gender

Feminist

Bias towards women in the CJS due to double standards
Women judged more on sexual activity where men are not

Eval: it is criticism of Chivalry thesis

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Adler Gender

Feminist * Liberation thesis \> as women become more liberated from patriarchy \> they commit more crime * Supports Heidensohn patriarchal theory Eval: Female crime rate began to rise long before liberation

Messerschmidt Gender

Feminist/Postmodernist •Masculinity is a cause of crime \> it’s used to achieve masculinity for men Eval: if true, all men would commit crime \> overemphasises the role of masculinity

Winlow Gender

Postmodernist •Masculinity was expressed through the use of violence as industrial jobs decreased

3 functions of crime to according to functionalists

1. Boundary maintenance \> commit crime \> punished by the CJS \> reminds other citizens of value consensus 2. Warning device \> when society needs to adapt and change as a result of a crime 3. Safety Valve \> Davis \> maintenance of social order \> prostitution \> men release sexual tension

Box Crime

Marxist - Laws are written by the bourgeoisie \> only reflects their interests - 'ideological law making'

Pearce Crime

Marxist - Caring face of capitalism - health and safety regulations \> rarely enforced \> benefit bourgeoisie as a happy and healthy workforce are more productive and obedient

Braithwaite labelling

- labelling can be used to reintegrate offenders, rather than marginalise them - 'reintegrative showing' \> focuses on the act, not the individual

3 causes of crime according to Left Realist

1. Relative deprivation \> Young 2. Marginalisation 3. Subculture \> Lea and Young

3 causes of crime according to Right Realist

1. Biological differences \> Wilson & Hernstein 2. Cultural deprivation \> Murray 3. Rational Choice theory \> Cornish and Clarke

# reversed Functionalist * Crime is inevitable * Crime has beneficial functions such as strengthening collective values, enabling societal change, acting as a ‘safety valve’ and acting as a warning device. Evaluation: Ignores the victims of crime.

Durkheim Functions of Crime

Functionalist * Strain theory * Mismatch between cultural values (American dream) and structural reality * Deviant adaption to strain (innovators) Evaluation: focuses only on individual deviance + doesn’t explain non-utilitarian crime

Merton Causes of Crime

# reversed Functionalist * Status frustration * Alternative status hierarchy found in subcultures Evaluation: he assumes that WC boys start with MC values + only sees one type of subculture + only focuses on boys (feminist)

Cohen Causes of crime

# reversed Functionalists * Lack of access to illegitimate opportunity structure * 3 types of subculture (Criminal, conflict and retreatists) Evaluation: draws the boundaries too sharply between the subcultures + Matza: delinquency drift

Cloward and Ohlin Causes of Crime

# reversed Interactionist This is an evaluation of subculture theory •Lower class has its own independent subculture with its own values \> subculture doesn’t value success in the first place \> members are not ’frustrated’ by failure

Miller Causes of crime

# reversed Functionalists * Why people do not commit crime \> social control * Identifies 4 bonds of attachment \> attachment, commitment, involvement and belief Evaluation: doesn’t explain why some people have different levels of bonds \> This may be a case of blaming the victim – We need to look at structural factors that lead to family breakdown (poverty, long working hours, unemployment.)

Hirschi Causes of crime

# reversed Marxist * Capitalist society being criminogenic * Crime is a natural outgrowth in a capitalist society Eval: Too deterministic + Not capitalist societies have high crime rate

Gordon Causes of crime

# reversed Marxist • the CJS disproportionally focuses on the actions of the proletariat in order to control their actions \> bourgeoisie acts are ignored \> selective law enforcement

Chambliss Causes of Crime

# reversed Marxist * Laws are only passed to appease the working class (Health and safety) * Laws act as a ‘smoke screen’

Snider Causes of crime

# reversed Interactionist * Labelling theory * Crime is socially constructed \> moral entrepreneurs dictate what is seen as criminal or not * ‘Outsiders’ by labelling process Evaluation: implies that without labelling, crime would not exists + it recognises the role of power, but fails to recognise the source of it (Marxists do)

Becker Causes of crime

# reversed Interactionist * Typification (stereotypes) by Social Agencies * Class Bias •Justice is not fixed, but negotiable Eval: gives the offender a victim status

Cicourel Causes of Crime

# reversed Interactionist * Primary (Deviance that hasn’t been labelled) * Secondary (Deviance that is labled as criminal) * Secondary = master status and deviant career Eval: Fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place + too deterministic

Lemert Causes of crime

# reversed Interactionist/Marxist Positive: the only theory which recognises the role of power in creating deviance * Folk Devils and Moral Panic * Deviance amplification spiral (Media reaction to deviance can cause further deviance)

Stanley Cohen Causes of Crime

# reversed Left Realism (causes) * Crime is caused by relative deprivation * Paradox where society gets richer but there's more crime = higher expectation for material possession * Increase subculture and marginalisation Eval: relative deprivation cannot explain crime, not all those who experience It commit crime

Lea and Young Causes of crime

# reversed Left Realism (causes) * Changes in late modernity \> greater relative deprivation * Growing contrast between cultural inclusion and economic exclusion Eval: Marxist \> corporate crime is more harmful in late modernity

Young (1999, 2003) Causes of crime

# reversed Right realism (causes) * Biological predisposition and social factors \> crime * Intelligence levels \> crime Eval: Lilly et al \> IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending

Wilson & Hernstein Causes of crime

# reversed Right realism (causes) * Socialisation among the 'underclass' * Blames dependency culture = growth of lone parents & men not taking responsibility Eval: Victim Blaming + ignores structural causes \> poverty

Murray Causes of Crime

# reversed Right realism (causes) * Rational Choice theory * Criminals make cost/benefit analysis of crime * Low deterrence = crime Eval: Overstates rationality \> doesn’t explain impulsive and violent crime

Cornish and Clarke Causes of crime

# reversed Right realism (causes) * Broken window theory * A bad neighbourhood, less social care \> more crime Eval: overemphasises control of disorder rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline \> lack of investment

Wilson and Kelling RR Solutions

# reversed * Chivalry thesis * CJS is more lenient towards women Criticism: evidence suggests that women are not sentenced less

Pollak Gender

# reversed Feminist - the study of criminology is 'malestream' •'Patriarchal control' leads to women committing less crime \> this is done at home, work and public Criticism: too deterministic + underplays free will and choice

Heidensohn Gender

# reversed Feminist * Class and gender deals \> WC women are generally led to conform in order to receive rewards * Class deal = decent standards of living * Gender deal = emotional and material rewards through family life * If not available^^ crime more likely Eval: the sample size was small + outdated \> now women work

Carlen Gender

# reversed Functionalist * Sex role theory * Different socialisation leads to different crime * ^^^ caused by biology Eval: Walklate \> criticise the biological function

Parsons Gender

# reversed Feminist * Bias towards women in the CJS due to double standards * Women judged more on sexual activity where men are not Eval: it is criticism of Chivalry thesis

Sharpe Gender

# reversed Feminist * Liberation thesis \> as women become more liberated from patriarchy \> they commit more crime * Supports Heidensohn patriarchal theory Eval: Female crime rate began to rise long before liberation

Adler Gender

# reversed Feminist/Postmodernist •Masculinity is a cause of crime \> it’s used to achieve masculinity for men Eval: if true, all men would commit crime \> overemphasises the role of masculinity

Messerschmidt Gender

# reversed Postmodernist •Masculinity was expressed through the use of violence as industrial jobs decreased

Winlow Gender

# reversed 1. Boundary maintenance \> commit crime \> punished by the CJS \> reminds other citizens of value consensus 2. Warning device \> when society needs to adapt and change as a result of a crime 3. Safety Valve \> Davis \> maintenance of social order \> prostitution \> men release sexual tension

3 functions of crime to according to functionalists

# reversed Marxist - Laws are written by the bourgeoisie \> only reflects their interests - 'ideological law making'

Box Crime

# reversed Marxist - Caring face of capitalism - health and safety regulations \> rarely enforced \> benefit bourgeoisie as a happy and healthy workforce are more productive and obedient

Pearce Crime

# reversed - labelling can be used to reintegrate offenders, rather than marginalise them - 'reintegrative showing' \> focuses on the act, not the individual

Braithwaite labelling

# reversed 1. Relative deprivation \> Young 2. Marginalisation 3. Subculture \> Lea and Young

3 causes of crime according to Left Realist

# reversed 1. Biological differences \> Wilson & Hernstein 2. Cultural deprivation \> Murray 3. Rational Choice theory \> Cornish and Clarke

3 causes of crime according to Right Realist

Crime Flashcards

(66 cards)