Module 8: sociological theories of crime

Question 1

Durkiem and Anomie theory

Answer 1

societies could be placed along a continum ranging from mechanical to organic.

Question 2

Durkiem and Anomie theory: Mechanical societies

Answer 2

primitive, consisting of many small, isolated social groups who are self sufficient

Question 3

Durkiem and Anomie theory: Organic societies

Answer 3

highly complex work and social relationships, specialised forms of labour exist, along with highly interactive relationships

Question 4

Durkiem and Anomie theory: Mechanical societies: solidarity

Answer 4

solidarity achieved through uniformity of members, with members exerting pressure on each other to conform

Question 5

Durkiem and Anomie theory: Organic societies: Solidarity

Answer 5

law serve to regulate interactions between groups

Question 6

Anomie

Answer 6

the breakdown of social norms

- exists when social norms no longer control the activity of group members, can lead to many consequences like deviance

Question 7

Durkheim Positive crime theory

Answer 7

that crime is normal in societies and has positive benefits such as it shows unacceptable behaviours, highlights social causes of crime and creates solidarity

Question 8

Sociological ecology of crime

Answer 8

uses durkheim theory
focuses on the effects of mass immigrations and consequent disorder upon crime
states that each city is characterised by concentric zones

Question 9

Sociological ecology of crime - inner zones

Answer 9

found that inner zones 1 and 2 have the highest crime rates as immigration disrupted usual processes of social control resulting in disorganization

Question 10

Sociological ecology of crime - outer zones

Answer 10

people in outer zones are more law abiding and more organised

Question 11

Merton and Structural strain

Answer 11

using durkheims theory
focuses on social system and how it produces social norms
argues that society emphasises certain goals and these goals are attained be either legitimate or illegitimate ways
focuses on economic crime rather than violent crime

Question 12

Merton and Structural strain - primary goal

Answer 12

wealth and financial success, emphasised by society

Question 13

Merton and Structural strain - legitimate ways of achievement

Answer 13

through education and employment

Question 14

Merton and Structural strain - anomie

Answer 14

results from imbalance between societal goals and the means of acheiving them resulting in strain and deviance

Question 15

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response

Answer 15

members of society employ several different methods in response to anomie 
conformity 
ritualism 
retreatment 
rebellion 
innovation

Question 16

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response - conformity

Answer 16

accept the cultural goals and means of attaining them, most common

Question 17

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response - ritualism

Answer 17

accepts means, but rejects cultural goals

Question 18

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response - retreatment

Answer 18

rejects both cultural goals and means ( outcasts, drunks and drug addicts)

Question 19

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response - rebellion

Answer 19

rejects goals and means and substitutes with new ones (bikies)

Question 20

Merton and Structural strain - adaption response - innovation

Answer 20

goals are important but the means of attaining them arent

most important adaption as people adopting non socially approved means of meeting cultural (stealing and fraud)

Question 21

Social control theories

Answer 21

focus on why people dont commit crime
argues that society places restraints upon behaviour and when social restriants break down that is when criminal behaviour occurs

Question 22

Social control theories - conformity

Answer 22

the more tightly people are tied to community the less likely they are to commit a crime

Question 23

Social control theories - social bond controls

Answer 23

social bonds consist of 4 types of control

• attachment
• commitment
• belief
• involvement

Question 24

Social control theories - social bond controls - attachment

Answer 24

attachment to other members of society facilitates internalising of society norms

Question 25

Social control theories - social bond controls - commitment

Answer 25

commitment to culturally approved goals

Question 26

Social control theories - social bond controls - belief

Answer 26

belief in societies rules

Question 27

Social control theories - social bond controls - involvement

Answer 27

involvement in conventional activities, constrains opportunties to commit crime and strengthens social bonds

Question 28

conflict theories

Answer 28

emerged in 1960's recognises that there are various groups in society and that they have conflicting interests, needs and values conflict therefore arises when groups are in competition for power or resources

Question 29

Conflict theory - Pluralist theories

Answer 29

recognises society is composed of different groups that compete for power and resources to advance or maintain their interests

Question 30

Conflict Theory - class conflict theory

Answer 30

originates from work of Karl Marx capitalist society structured into capitalist class and workers class derive power from owning means of production and exploit labour of workers uneven distribution of wealth and power seen as source of conflict

Question 31

Conflict theory - reiman theory

Answer 31

``` applied Marx analysis lower socioeconomic classes are the ones who are charged, arrested and imprisoned for street crime upper class offending is treated less severely if a behaviour is committed predominantly by middle and upperclass. it is less likely to be criminalised ```

Question 32

Feminist theories

Answer 32

origins in conflict theory, examines importance of gender emerged 1970 argues that women are afforded less power in society and structural disadvantaged focuses on how gender impacts female offenders and victims and institutionalised inequality and discrimination towards women

Question 33

Symbolic interaction- central premise

Answer 33

interactions we have with others influence how we see each other

Question 34

Symbolic Interactions

Answer 34

people act towards things on the basis of meanings they have for that thing meanings are formed and shaped through interacting with other people meanings are handled and modified through an interpreative process

Question 35

George herbert Mead:

Answer 35

behaviour is the productive of social circumstances and how the person understands those circumstances

Question 36

Interactionist Approaches

Answer 36

``` 4 approaches differential association social learning theory labelling Neutralisation ```

Question 37

Differential Association

Answer 37

sutherland 1939 had 9 propositions of differential association

Question 38

Differential Association - 1

Answer 38

criminal behaviour is learned

Question 39

Differential Association - 2

Answer 39

Criminal behaviour is learned in interactions with other people in a process of communication

Question 40

Differential Association - 3

Answer 40

the principal part of learning of criminal behaviour occurs within intimate personal

Question 41

Differential Association - 4

Answer 41

when criminal behaviour is learned, the learning includes (a) technique of committing the crime, which sometimes is very complicated, sometimes very simple. (b) the specific direction of motives \, drives, rationalisations and attitudes

Question 42

Differential Association - 5

Answer 42

the specific direction of motives and drives is learnt from definitions of the legal codes as favourable or unfavourable

Question 43

Differential Association -6

Answer 43

a person becomes deliquent because of an excess of definitions favourable to violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law

Question 44

Differential Association - 7

Answer 44

Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity

Question 45

Differential Association - 8

Answer 45

the process of learning criminal behaviour by associations with criminal and anticriminal patterns involves all the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning

Question 46

Differential Association - 9

Answer 46

while criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values, since non criminal behaviour is an expression of the same needs and values

Question 47

Social learning theory

Answer 47

examines both the content and process of what is learned extended sutherlands work incorporated concepts from operant conditioning and classical conditoning

Question 48

Labeling

Answer 48

criminal behaviour results from negative social reactions to behaviour deemed criminal 2 forms - primary and secondary

Question 49

Labeling - primary deviance

Answer 49

initial criminal/ deviant behaviour

Question 50

Labeling - secondary deviance

Answer 50

reaction to primary deviance, particular by powerful others, leads to further criminal behaviour

Question 51

Neutralisation

Answer 51

people engage in crime when they can temporarily drift form, and can neutralise social controls and expectations requires some interactions with delinquent others to learn techniques of neutralisation

Question 52

% techniques of neutralisation

Answer 52

``` denial of responsibility denial of injury denial of victims condemnation of condemers appeal to higher loyalites ```

Question 53

Integrating theories

Answer 53

no single theory can account for the all offenders and all types of offending behaviour

Question 54

Cesare Beccaria

Answer 54

argued that the most effective response to crime was punishment as people have free will and act rationally to maximise pleasure and minimize pain, crime becomes attractive when it requires less work effort than lawful means of attaining pleasure

Question 55

pathological perspective

Answer 55

criminals could be identified by physical traits that in part explained their life of crime

Question 56

Functionalism

Answer 56

framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability each social structure has social functions or consequences

Question 57

Functionalism - 5 social structure

Answer 57

``` religion family economy politics education ```