Crime and Deviance

Question 1

Describe Miller’s ideas about working class subcultures

Answer 1

He believes that the lower class process their own cultures and values.

Question 2

What does Miller believe the focal concerns of working-class subcultures are?

Answer 2

1. Toughness
2. Smartness
3. Excitement
4. Fate

Question 3

Describe Cloward and Ohlin’s theory about subcultures

Answer 3

They focused on how people’s opportunity to be deviant are different, (based on where they live and the opportunity structure available). Not everyone has the same chances to be successful criminals.

Question 4

What is the criminal subculture?

According to Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 4

Provides a learning environment for young criminals from criminal role models. They have access to an illegitimate opportunity structure.

Question 5

What is the conflict subculture?

According to Cloward + Ohlin

Answer 5

These tend to commit violent crimes to release frustrations in areas that have little social unity or informal social control.

Question 6

What is the retreatist subculture?

According to Cloward + Ohlin

Answer 6

Have failed to succeed in both the legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures and therefore are double failures. Resort to drug use.

Question 7

Describe Matza’s Drift Theory

Answer 7

Drift in and out of deviant subcultures, no strong commitment to our subcultures.
May turn to criminal behaviour to satisfy a behaviour at that time such as needing status or excitement but can easily return to normal society.

Question 8

What do realists say about crime?

Answer 8

They view…

• Crime as a real problem
• Crime causes fear
• Focus on the victims
• Try to offer realistic solutions

Question 9

When did right realism emerge and who under?

Answer 9

In the 1970s-80s when New Right Conservative governments came to power- Thatcher

Question 10

When did left realism emerge and who under?

Answer 10

Emerged in the 1990s-2000s, in response to New Right/Conservative attitudes. Under Blair.

Question 11

What did right realism believe in?

Answer 11

Emphasis on being tougher on the criminals than on the causes of the crime.

Question 12

What did left realism believe in?

Answer 12

‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’

Question 13

What did right realists believe the 3 causes of crime to be?

Answer 13

• Bio social
• Inadequate socialisation and the under class
• Rational choice

Question 14

What did left realists believe the 3 causes of crime to be?

Answer 14

• Marginalisation
• Relative deprivation
• Subcultures

Question 15

How do marxist views differ from realism?

Answer 15

• See criminals as the victim

- Rid capitalism, rid deviancy. Not a practical solution.

Question 16

How do functionalist views differ from realism?

Answer 16

• Offer no explanations of the causes of crime
• Ignores widespread fear/victim of crime
• No solutions to fix problems as it is healthy

Question 17

Describe Merton’s strain theory

Answer 17

Crime and deviance were evidence of a strain between the socially accepted goals of society and the socially approved means of obtaining those desired goals. Not everyone has the same access to opportunities to achieve these goals.

Question 18

What are the 5 responses to the strain between goals and means according to Merton?

Answer 18

1. Conformity
2. Innnovation
3. Ritualism
4. Retreatism
5. Rebellion

Question 19

Define Rebellion

Answer 19

Both socially sanctioned goals and means are rejected, and different ones are substituted. Political activist or religious fundamentalist who believes society no longer works and there needs to be radical change.

Question 20

Define retreatism

Answer 20

The individual fails to achieve success and rejects both goals and means. The person drops out.

Question 21

Define ritualism

Answer 21

A ritualist is someone who immerses themselves in the daily routine of their job but has lost sight of the goal of material success.

Question 22

Define conformity

Answer 22

The individual continues to adhere to both goals and means despite the limited likelihood of success

Question 23

Define innovation

Answer 23

The person accepts the goals of society but uses different ways to achieve them.

Question 24

Criticise Merton’s strain theory

Answer 24

• Stresses the existence of common goals but society has became fragmented.
• Overestimates w/c crime and underestimates m/c
• Fails to explain crimes that do not produce material reward

Question 25

What did Wolfgang's study of 588 homocides in Philadelphia (1958) find about homocides?

Answer 25

26% of homocides involved Victim Precipitation – the victim triggered the events leading to the homicide.

Question 26

Define secondary victimisation

Answer 26

In addition to the impact of the crime itself, individuals may suffer further victimisation from the criminal justice system.

Question 27

Give an example of secondary victimisation

Answer 27

A 2018 rape trial in Ireland, a 17 year old was raped by a 27 year old man and the lawyer said 'you have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front.'

Question 28

What is the impact of crime on society?

Answer 28

- Fear of crime | - Secondary victimisation

Question 29

What does radical victimology believe about crime and victims?

Answer 29

Structural Factors such as patriarchy and poverty, which place powerless groups such as women and the poor at greater risk of victimisation. The State’s power to apply or deny the label of victim: Victim is a social construction in the same way that “Crime” and “Criminal”. Through the criminal justice system the state applies the label of victim to some but withholds it from others

Question 30

What does Christie (1986) believe about victimology?

Answer 30

The concept of a “Victim” is a social construction. The stereotype of the “ideal victim” favoured by the media, public and criminal justice system is weak, innocent and blames individual – such as the elderly or a small child – who is the target of a strangers attack.

Question 31

What did Hans Von Hentig (1948) identify about victims?

Answer 31

13 characteristics of victims. The implication being that the victim somehow invites victimisation by being the kind of person that they are.

Question 32

What does Reiner (2007) identify as the 3 main trends of media reportage of crime

Answer 32

1) It accentuates the negative 2) It highlights victim culture: audiences are positioned to identify with the victims whose innocence and vulnerability is emphasised. 3) Law and order solutions (forceful solutions and tough punishments) are portrayed as the only way to tackle a frightening and out of control crime wave that requires an even greater emphasis on security.

Question 33

Describe Young's idea of new inclusionism

Answer 33

Reintegrate the excluded back into society. | Tackle inherited wealth, discrimination & end massive difference in wages.

Question 34

What do the 2013 statistics say about ethnicity and crime?

Answer 34

Black people make up just 2.8% of the population, but 13% of the prison population.

Question 35

Explain Reiner's idea of canteen culture (2000)

Answer 35

Canteen culture amongst the police, including: suspicion, macho values and racism, which encourages racist stereotypes and a mistrust of those from non white backgrounds.

Question 36

What did Bowling and Philips (2000) find about identifying victims?

Answer 36

White victims ‘over-identify’ blacks | Guessing the offender was black even when they haven’t seen their face

Question 37

What is risk of people from ethnic backgrounds being a victim of crime compared to white people?

Answer 37

People from mixed ethnic backgrounds have a 36% risk of being a victim than whites with only a 24% risk.

Question 38

Garland identifies three types of displacement. What are they?

Answer 38

Spatial, temporal, target, tactical

Question 39

Define spatial displacement

Answer 39

moving elsewhere to commit the crime

Question 40

Define temporal displacement

Answer 40

committing the crime at a different time

Question 41

Define target displacement

Answer 41

choosing a different victim

Question 42

Define tactical displacement

Answer 42

using a different method

Question 43

There are three types of crime preventions. What are they?

Answer 43

situational, environmental and social crime prevention

Question 44

Target hardening methods are situational crime prevention. Describe target hardening

Answer 44

Increase the effort and difficulty, increase the risk, reduce the rewards

Question 45

What's an example of situational crime prevention?

Answer 45

Felson, New York Bus Terminal Poorly designed, opportunity for crime e.g the toilets were a setting for luggage theft, rough sleeping, drug dealing etc

Question 46

How did the New York Bus terminal design out crime?

Answer 46

They reshaped the physical environment

Question 47

Describe Foucault's idea of surveillance

Answer 47

Disciplinary power through fear and uncertainty | We live in a ‘prison-like culture’ constantly monitored… or think we are

Question 48

Explain the POMO idea of liquid surveillance

Answer 48

Postmodernists believe society is fluid and constantly changing. Technology has allowed this to speed up. We are watched constantly and monitored over 300 times a day!

Question 49

What are the four forms of punishment?

Answer 49

Detterance, rehabilitation, incapication, retribution

Question 50

Define detterence

Answer 50

Punishment stops future offending – ‘Made an example of’

Question 51

Define Rehabilitation

Answer 51

Reform or change offenders

Question 52

Define Incapacitation

Answer 52

Remove the offenders capacity to offend again.

Question 53

Define Retribution

Answer 53

‘Pay back’ This DOES NOT aim to reduce future offences – it is simply there to PUNISH!

Question 54

Dalton (1964) argues that...

Answer 54

hormonal and menstrual factors of women that can influence a minority to crime in certain circumstances

Question 55

Explain Smart and Carlen's mad and bad theory

Answer 55

Labelled as mad and bad when women commit crimes that go against their gender roles

Question 56

Why does Otto Pollack (1950) argue women have an advantage in the CJS

Answer 56

Women are naturally deceptive because they are skilled in it | E.g hiding periods

Question 57

Explain Otto Pollack's chivalry thesis

Answer 57

Chivalry thesis suggests that officials in the CJS are predominately men and are more inclined to let women off, or to punish them less severely than men. Chivalry suggests men are socialised to be softer and protective towards females whilst being harder on men.

Question 58

Describe Heidensohn's (1985) double deviant theory

Answer 58

Women are treated badly when they deviate from norms and values associated with femininity Seen as double deviants, breaking norms of society and gender norms

Question 59

How does sex role theory explain women committing less crime?

Answer 59

Parsons, women learn from the expressive role therefore they are kind and caring <3

Question 60

Describe masculinity and the thrill of crime, Katz

Answer 60

Men commit crime out of pleasure and excitement. Different crimes = different thrills Shoplifting = sneaky thrill Murder = righteous slaughter

Question 61

Explain messerschmidt's idea of normative masculinity

Answer 61

normative masculinity exists in society and is highly valued by men. Normative masculinity is the socially approved idea of what a real man is. Masculinity = difference from and desire for women. Normative masculinity is not something that is normal but a state that males only achieve as an accomplishment

Question 62

Give examples of normative masculinity

Answer 62

business man = control in workplace | less powerful man = turns to domestic violence

Question 63

What does winlow say about why men commit crimes

Answer 63

Men commit crimes in order to achieve success and masculine status

Question 64

Describe the 2007 study of Sunderland bouncers

Answer 64

Bouncers = attractive job to reassert masculinity, can engage in profitable criminals activities e.g drug dealing

Question 65

Explain Lombrosso and Ferrero's theory

Answer 65

Criminality is innate and very few are born female criminals. Higher levels of testosterone in males accounts for gender differences

Question 66

Explain Heidensohn and Carlen's theory of women as guardians of domestic morality

Answer 66

Females have more to lose if they turn to crime. They are guardians of domestic morality and have to set a good example therefore they cannot take risks.