unit two ac3.2 (sociological)

Question 1

what are the strengths of functionalism theory

Answer 1

• Durkheim was the first to recognise that crime can have positive functions but offenders no way of knowing how much is the right amount

Question 2

what are the limitations of functionalism theory

Answer 2

• Durkheim claims society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but offers no way of knowing how much is the right amount
• while crime might be functional for some, it is not functional for victims

Question 3

what are the strengths of mertons strain theory

Answer 3

• Merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour arise from the same goals, conformists and innovators both pursue ‘money success’ but by different means
• explains the patterns shown in official statistics, most crime is property crime because society values wealth so highly, because they have less opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately

Question 4

what are the limitations of mertons strain theory

Answer 4

• merton ignores crimes of the wealthy and over-predicts the amount of working-class crime #
• he sees deviance soley as an individual response, ignoring the group deviance of delinquent subcultures
• merton focuses on utilitarian crime, ignoring crimes with no economical motive

Question 5

what are the strengths of interactionism and labelling theory

Answer 5

• labelling theory shows that the law is not a fixed set of rules to be taken for granted, but something whose construction we need to explain
• shifts the focus on how the police create crimes by applying labels based on their stereotypes of the ‘typical criminals’, selective law enforcement may explain why the working class and minority groups are over-represented in crime stats
• shows how attempts to control deviance can trigger a deviance amplification spiral and create more deviance

Question 6

what are the limitations of interactionism and labelling theory

Answer 6

• it wrongly implies that once someone is labelled a deviant career is inevitable
• its emphasis on the negative effects of the labelling gives offenders a ‘victim’ status, ignoring the real victims
• it fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place, before they are labelled
• doesnt explain where the power to label comes from, focuses on officials such as the police who apply the labels, rather than on the capitalist class who make the rules
• it fails to explain why the labels are applied to certain groups, but not to others

Question 7

what are the strengths of marxism theory

Answer 7

• shows how poverty and inequality can cause working-class crime and how capitalism promotes greed and encourages upper-class crime
• shows how both law-making and law enforcement are biased against the working class and in favour of the powerful

Question 8

what are the limitations of marxism theory

Answer 8

• focuses on class rather and largely ignores the relationship between crime and other inequalities, such as gender and ethnicity
• it over-predicts the amount of working-class crime, not all poor people turn to crime
• not all capitalist societies have high crime rates, Japan’s homicide rate is only about a fifth of the USA’s

Question 9

what are the strengths of right realism theory

Answer 9

• several studies support RCT, rettig gave students a scenario of an opportunity to commit a crime, he found that the degree of punishment determined whether they chose to commit the crime
• Feldman found that people made rational decisions, if the rewards were high and risks low, they said the crime was worth committing
• Bennet and Wright interviewed convicted burglars, the burglars considered the potential reward, difficulty of breaking in and risk of being caught, risk was the most important factor influencing their decision to commit crime
• right realism may explain some opportunistic petty crimes such as theft

Question 10

what are the limitations of right realism theory

Answer 10

• Rettig and Feldman’s studies were experiments, the results may not apply to real offenders
• Bennet and Wright studied unsuccessful burglars, we dont know if successful burglars also think in this way
• not all crimes are the result of rational decisions, violent crimes are often impulsive, offenders under the influence of drugs or alcohol may also be unlikely to calculate the risks and rewards before offending

Question 11

what are the strengths of left realism theory

Answer 11

• draws attention to the importance of poverty, inequality and relative deprivation as the underlying structural causes of crime
• draws attention to the reality of street crime and its effects, especially on victims from deprived groups

Question 12

what are the limitations of left realism theory

Answer 12

• Henry and Milovanovic argue that left realism accepts the authorities’ definition of crime as just being the street crimes of the poor, it fails to explain white collar and corporate crime and ignores the harms done to the poor by the crimes of the powerful
• over-predicts the amount of working-class crime, not everyone who experiences relative deprivation and marginalisation turns to crime
• focus on high-crime inner-city areas gives an unrepresentative view and makes crime appear a greater problem than it is