Topic 9 - Control, Punishment and Victims Flashcards
(25 cards)
1
Q
What situational crime prevention ?
A
- Focuses on reducing opportunities to commit crime, not fixing society or social conditions.
- Aims to increase the effort and risk of committing crime and reduce rewards.
- Involves managing the immediate environment to make crime harder.
2
Q
What are features of situation crime prevention ?
A
- Directed at specific crimes (e.g. theft).
- Alters the immediate environment (e.g. CCTV, better lighting).
- Discourages crime through target hardening (e.g. stronger locks, pre-paid meters).
- Based on Rational Choice Theory: Offenders weigh up the costs vs. benefits before committing a crime.
- Suggests crime is mostly opportunistic and preventable.
3
Q
What is criticisms of situation crime prevention ?
A
- SCP may not stop crime but just move it elsewhere.
- Types of displacement:
- Spatial – different location
- Temporal – different time
- Target – different victim
- Tactical – different method
- Functional – different crime
4
Q
What is evaluation of situational crime prevention ?
A
- ✅ Strengths: Can reduce some types of crime, especially petty theft and vandalism.
- ❌ Limitations: Doesn’t address root causes of crime like poverty or poor upbringing.
- Ignores white collar and state crime (which are often more serious).
- Assumes criminals are rational, which may not be true (e.g. violent or drug-influenced crimes).
- Likely to lead to displacement of crime rather than its elimination
5
Q
What is the environmental crime prevention ?
A
- a way to prevent crime by fixing the physical environment of a neighbourhood.
- Based on Wilson & Kelling
- uses the broken windows, which described signs of disorder such as vandalism
- These send a message that no one cares, encouraging more deviance.
- Lack of formal control (police ignore minor disorder) + weak informal control (residents feel powerless) leads to neighbourhood decline.
- Area becomes a magnet for criminals, while respectable residents move out.
6
Q
what is the environmental crime prevention solution ?
A
- Environmental improvement – fix broken windows, remove abandoned cars, clean graffiti quickly.
- Zero tolerance policing – tackle even minor disorders (like begging or fare dodging) before they escalate into serious crime.
7
Q
What is an example of zero tolerance policing ?
A
- In New York
- Cracked down on fare evasion, graffiti, squeegee men (window washers), etc.
- Claimed results (1993–1996): Crime rate fell, Homicide halved and Subway graffiti was largely eliminated.
- However there could have been other reasons for the crime drop such as 7000+ extra officers being hired, or that the that there was an economic recovery and new jobs from 1994
8
Q
What is social and community crime prevention ?
A
- Prevent people becoming criminals in the first place
- Tackles root causes like poverty, unemployment, poor housing, and bad parenting.
- Seen as a long-term solution compared to SCP or zero tolerance policing.
- An example of this is the Perry Pre-School Project (USA) , where disadvantaged black children got a 2 year enrichment programme and this as a result led to fewer arrests by the age of 40 amongst them and more graduated from high school and more were employed
9
Q
What do most policies miss ?
A
- Most policies ignore serious crimes like: Corporate crime, state crime and environmental crime
- Policies reflect government and police priorities (e.g. focusing on street crime, not pollution).
- for example in the North West of England many crime policies ignore pollution and industrial harm
- Whyte argues these should also count as crime but are left out of local crime agendas.
10
Q
what is surveillance ?
A
- means watching and monitoring people’s behavior to: Control their actions, Stop them from committing crime and encourage them to follow rules
- examples today include of CCTV cameras, electronic tagging and face recognition
11
Q
What does Foucault distinguish between ?
A
- the different ways that societies control people
- He argues that is has changed overtime
- Sovereign Power (Before 1800s) which referred to power that was held by the king or state. Control was done through the body for example harsh punishments: torture, public executions, branding The aim was to show power through violence
- Disciplinary Power (From 1800s onwards) which refers control is now through the mind (“soul”), not the body Uses surveillance and discipline to change people’s behaviour. Less visible violence, more quiet control
12
Q
What is Foucault’s concept of panopticon ?
A
- uses the Panopticon as a metaphor for modern surveillance:
- Prison where inmates are always visible to a central watchtower, but inmates can’t see if they’re being watched
- So they act as if they are always watched
- This leads to self-surveillance → people control themselves out of fear
- Foucault says this kind of control is now everywhere:
- In schools, factories, hospitals, workplaces, People like teachers, social workers, police, doctors watch and manage others
- This forms a “carceral archipelago” – society is full of mini prisons
13
Q
what are the criticisms of Foucault ?
A
- Too extreme – not all punishment is about control or surveillance
- Some people resist being watched (e.g., Goffman shows prisoners fight back)
- CCTV isn’t always effective, may just move the crime somewhere else (displacement)
- Feminist view – surveillance (like CCTV) might actually make women feel less safe
- Because they’re more visible to male security staff but not necessarily protected
14
Q
What are other examples of surveillance theories since Foucault ?
A
- Synoptic Surveillance – Mathiesen, Synopticon = many watch the few (e.g. the public watching politicians via media) For example: Politicians fear media exposure ➝ behave better. Public also monitor each other (e.g. dashcams, helmet cams)
- Sousveillance – Mann et al. The public can watch those in power (e.g. filming police) But police can still confiscate footage, keeping power in their hands
15
Q
What do Haggerty and Ericson argue ?
A
- Surveillance today isn’t just about physical bodies, but digital data
- Different technologies now combine (e.g. CCTV + facial recognition)
- Together they create a “data double” – a digital version of a person used to track and control them
16
Q
What is emerging throughout the justice system ?
A
- According to Feeley and Simon a new technology of power is emerging throughout the justice system
- And that it differs from Foucault’s disciplinary power in 3 ways
- Surveillance now focuses on managing risk (not rehabilitating)
- Uses data to predict and prevent crime before it happens
- Targets groups not individuals (e.g. young men, Muslims at airports)
17
Q
What does Lyon state ?
A
- People are sorted into groups based on how risky they seem
- Whole categories (like Muslims, young black males) can be treated as suspicious
- This is called “categorical suspicion” (Marx, 1988)
- Example: In 2010, police put 150 cameras around Muslim areas in Birmingham
- Made whole communities feel criminalised
18
Q
How to CCTV operators create a self fulfilling prophecy ?
A
- CCTV operators often choose who to watch based on stereotypes
- Example: They ignore tax-dodging motorists but focus on young black males
- This leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy:
- More black youth are stopped ➝ more are caught ➝ they appear more in crime stats ➝ the stereotype is “proven”
19
Q
What are the one justifications for punishment ?
A
- Reduction, Punishment reduces future crime by :
- Deterrence this discourages offenders and the public
- Rehabilitation: Reforming offenders through training, education, therapy
▸ Example: Anger management or job skills programmes - Incapacitation: Removes the ability to reoffend
▸ Examples: Prison, execution, chemical castration, “Three strikes and you’re out” in the US
20
Q
What is another justification for punishment ?
A
- Retribution, which means paying back
- Based on the idea that offenders deserve to be punished and that society is entitled to take its revenge on the offender for having breached its moral code
21
Q
What is the functionalist view on punishment ?
A
- Durkheim, believes Punishment helps maintain social solidarity and reinforce shared values.
- It is mainly expressive, meaning it shows society’s outrage and emotional response to crime.
- Public rituals like trials and punishments help society come together and feel united around moral values.
22
Q
What are the two types of justice according to Durkheim ?
A
- Retributive Justice, found in traditional societies. People have similar roles and beliefs (strong collective conscience). Crime is seen as a personal attack on shared values. Punishment is harsh, emotional, and expressive – driven by a desire for revenge.
- Restitutive Justice, Found in modern societies. People are more specialised and interdependent. Crime disrupts this interdependence and needs to be repaired.
Punishment is focused on restoring balance – for example, through compensation.
23
Q
Marxist view on punishment
A
- Punishment protects ruling-class power & property. Part of the Repressive State Apparatus
- For example Thompson found that there were harsh punishments such as hanging for the poor people in the 18th century
- Melossi & Pavarini argue prison mirrors capitalism:
Workers sell their time → prisoners “do time” Both involve discipline and control
24
Q
how has the role of prison changed ?
A
- Pre-Industrial Ere, Punishments included banishment, flogging, execution
Prison was just for holding people before punishment - Enlightenment Era ➝ Prison becomes punishment
Belief in reform through hard work, religion, discipline
25
What does Garland argue ?
