Crime and deviance

Question 1

What is crime?

Answer 1

any behaviour which breaks the criminal law of society (formal legal law)

Question 2

What is deviance?

Answer 2

Any behaviour which breaks the norms of society

Question 3

What is legal deviance?

Answer 3

breaking the social norms of society, but not the law

Question 4

What is illegal deviance?

Answer 4

breaking the norms of society which have been written as laws

Question 5

What is social order?

Answer 5

How society is stable and ordered, and how people cooperate

Question 6

What does indictable mean?

Answer 6

Can carry a prison sentence

Question 7

What does non-indictable mean?

Answer 7

does not carry a prison sentence

Question 8

What is formal social control?

Answer 8

control usually dealing with illegal deviance or deviance which poses a threat to society. It can involve using force,

Question 9

What is informal social control?

Answer 9

carried out by family, media, religion, the education system etc. (through socialisation). It operates through people showing praise or disapproval

Question 10

What is morality of the future?

Answer 10

actions of deviants/criminals that contribute to change in societies values

Question 11

What is boundary maintenance?

Answer 11

Boundary maintenance reminds us what is appropriate behaviour

Question 12

What is a safety valve?

Answer 12

A way of letting of steam against society without threatening is stability

Question 13

What is a warning function?

Answer 13

when crime shows that an element of the social structure isn’t working and needs to change

Question 14

What is social solidarity?

Answer 14

a sense of togetherness

Question 15

what is anomie?

Answer 15

when norms and values become unclear and break down

Question 16

what is the legitimate opportunity structure?

Answer 16

when society provides the legal means of achieving cultural goals

Question 17

what is strain?

Answer 17

a feeling one gets when the legitimate opportunity structure doesn’t provide enough means for people to reach the cultural goals set by society

Question 18

RESPONSE TO STRAIN - what is conformity?

Answer 18

individuals accept the goal and strive to achieve them legitimately

Question 19

RESPONSE TO STRAIN - what is innovation?

Answer 19

individuals accept the goal but use illegitimate means to achieve it

Question 20

RESPONSE TO STRAIN - what is ritualism?

Answer 20

individuals give up trying but have internalised the legitimate means so follow rules for their own sake

Question 21

RESPONSE TO STRAIN - what is retreatism?

Answer 21

individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts

Question 22

RESPONSE TO STRAIN - what is rebellion?

Answer 22

individuals reject society’s existing goals and means, but replace them with new ones to try and bring about revolutionary change/a new society

Question 23

What is a manifest function?

Answer 23

the obvious and indented functions of crime/deviance

Question 24

What is a latent function?

Answer 24

the unintended function that crime/deviance performs

Question 25

what is status frustration?

Answer 25

a sense of frustration/strain with not being given any status within school

Question 26

what is alternative status hierarchy?

Answer 26

when someone turns to a different way of gaining status and power

Question 27

what is the illegitimate opportunity structure?

Answer 27

the opportunities that exists to allow people to commit crime

Question 28

what is a criminal subculture?

Answer 28

working class, organised criminal networks which provide a learning environment for young criminals, like a business (members work up the crime career ladder), largely concerned with utilitarian crime

Question 29

what is a conflict subculture?

Answer 29

developed in areas with little organised adult crime. They focus on gaining respect through gang violence

Question 30

What is a retreatist subculture?

Answer 30

comprised of people who have failed to succeed in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures (they are double failures). This mainly focuses around illegal drug abuse

Question 31

What are focal concerns?

Answer 31

Working class values

Question 32

Who came up with the idea of focal concerns?

Answer 32

Miller

Question 33

FOCAL CONCERN - trouble

Answer 33

when someone enjoys conflict with other people

Question 34

FOCAL CONCERN - toughness

Answer 34

showing physical strength

Question 35

FOCAL CONCERN - smartness

Answer 35

being well dressed and verbally sharp

Question 36

FOCAL CONCERN - excitement

Answer 36

being thrill seekers

Question 37

FOCAL CONCERN - fate

Answer 37

feeling a lack of control over their future. They don't fear punishment

Question 38

FOCAL CONCERN - autonomy

Answer 38

not wanting to be told what to do

Question 39

What is the 'magical' solution?

Answer 39

Mike Brake used the term 'magical' to explain these working class solutions to their problems as they don't do anything to solve the class structure of society - rebellion simply makes them feel better

Question 40

what is resistance through rituals?

Answer 40

use of style, language and behaviour as a symbolic form of rebellion

Question 41

What are socially approved values?

Answer 41

values that we are happy to express publicly

Question 42

What are subterranean values?

Answer 42

values that are not socially approved of, e.g. racist and sexist values

Question 43

What are techniques of neutralisation?

Answer 43

justifications/excuses for why delinquents did something. They include: - denial of responsibility - denial of victim - denial of injury - condemnation of the condemners - appeal to higher loyalties