Crime Control, Prevention, Punishment, Surveillance And Victims Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is situational crime prevention?
A crime prevention strategy that Instead of focusing on the criminal’s background, it focuses on changing the environment to:
Increase the risks of getting caught (e.g., better lighting, CCTV cameras).
Reduce the rewards of crime (e.g., property marking, secure locks).
Remove opportunities for crime (e.g., controlling access to buildings).
Increase the effort needed to commit crime.
The idea is that by managing situations where crime happens, you can prevent it from occurring in the first place.
What is environmental crime prevention?
Broken window theory- by maintaining the urban environment crime can be prevented.
Visible signs of disorder (like broken windows, graffiti, litter) encourage more crime because they signal that no one cares or enforces rules.
By quickly fixing small problems and cracking down on minor offenses, communities create an environment that discourages criminals.
This helps prevent serious crime by maintaining social order and community control.
What is social and community prevention?
focuses on reducing crime by improving social relationships, community ties, and collective efficacy—that is, the community’s ability to work together to maintain social order.
Key ideas include:
Strengthening social bonds between neighbors so they look out for each other.
Encouraging community involvement to identify and solve local problems.
Promoting informal social controls, like adults supervising youth and discouraging deviant behavior.
Creating environments where people feel responsible and empowered to prevent crime.
What are the functions of punishment?
Reinforces Social Solidarity: Punishment reminds people of the shared values and norms that bind society together, strengthening social cohesion.
Affirms Collective Conscience: By punishing offenders, society expresses its moral outrage and reaffirms what is considered right and wrong.
Deters Crime: Punishment serves as a warning to others not to break the rules.
Maintains Social Order: It helps keep people in line and prevents chaos by showing that deviance has consequences.
Expresses Moral Boundaries: Punishment marks the limits of acceptable behavior, helping to maintain a clear moral code.
What is mass incarceration?
Mass incarceration refers to the large-scale imprisonment of people, particularly in countries like the United States, where prison populations have grown dramatically over recent decades.
It reflects a culture of control and affects the marginalized disproportionately.
What is restorative justice?
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime rather than just punishing the offender.
Involves bringing together victims, offenders, and the community to talk about the crime and its impact.
Aims to heal relationships, encourage offenders to take responsibility, and make amends.
Focuses on restoring trust and social harmony instead of just retribution.
Can reduce reoffending by addressing the underlying causes and involving everyone affected.
What is surveillance in terms of crime prevention?
The ways societies monitor and control individuals’ behavior to maintain order and discipline.
In society today people behave as they are always being watched reducing there opportunities to commit crime.
This is called panopticon.
What is synoptic surveillance?
the few watching the many, while the many watch the few.”
It means that while authorities or elites surveil the general population, the public also watches and monitors those in power, such as politicians, police, or media figures.
This creates a kind of mutual surveillance or a “surveillance of the surveillers.”
It also discourages powerful elites from committing crime due to fear of societal criticism.
What is actuarial justice?
a form of justice that focuses on predicting and managing risk rather than judging individual guilt or innocence in the traditional sense.
Key points:
It uses statistical data, risk assessments, and probabilities to identify who is likely to commit crimes.
The justice system then focuses on preventing future crimes by monitoring or controlling “high-risk” individuals.
This approach often leads to measures like surveillance, risk profiling, and preemptive interventions.
It shifts the focus from punishment for past actions to managing potential future harm.
What is positivist victimology?
an approach that studies victims to understand why some people are more likely to become victims of crime.
“ideal victim”—someone society sees as a legitimate victim deserving sympathy (e.g., innocent, weak, and blameless).
What is critical victimology?
It argues that victimization is shaped by power relations—who has the power to define someone as a victim.
Victims may be ignored, blamed, or marginalized because of their social status (e.g., gender, class, race).
The criminal justice system and media often fail to recognize or support certain victims, especially those from disadvantaged groups.
Critical victimology looks at structural causes of victimization, such as poverty, inequality, and social injustice.
It emphasizes listening to victims’ voices and understanding their experiences beyond stereotypes.
What are the role of agencies of social control?
The agencies of social control are institutions or groups that regulate behavior, enforce norms, and maintain order in society. Their main roles include:
1. Enforcing laws and rules: Police, courts, and prisons punish those who break laws to maintain social order.
2. Socializing individuals: Schools, families, and religious institutions teach people norms, values, and acceptable behavior.
3. Monitoring behavior: Agencies observe and supervise to prevent deviance (e.g., surveillance by police or community groups).
4. Resolving conflicts: Legal systems and community organizations mediate disputes and restore harmony.
5. Protecting society: They work to keep citizens safe by preventing crime and disorder.
6. Maintaining social order: By encouraging conformity, they help societies function smoothly.
Examples include the police, courts, prisons, family, schools, media, and religious institutions.
What does Clarke talk about?
Situational crime prevention
What does Wilson and Kelling talk about?
Environmental crime prevention
What does felson talk about?
Social and community prevention
What does Durkheim talk about?
Functions of punishment
What does garland talk about?
Mass incarceration
What does braithwait talk about
Restorative justice?
What does Foucault talk about?
Surveillance
What does mathiesen talk about?
Synoptic surveillance
What do feely and Simon talk about?
Actuarial justice
What does Christie talk about?
Positivist victimology
What do Mawby and Walklate talk about
Critical victomology
What do bowling and Phillips talk about?
The role of social agencies or social control
