What is Crime? How is it measured and distributed? Flashcards
(44 cards)
What was the pre-modern spiritual explination of why people committed crimes?
Demonology, which was characterised by the harsh and inconsistent penalties.
What happened in the modern era of criminology
industrialization and de-emphasis of the church
What was the classical school of thoughts idea on crime?
Humans are self-interested and crime is a product of free-will
What was Postivism’s take on crime and why it was committed?
It’s the age of science so everything is pre-determined
What is the late modern/postmodern perspective?
That crime is a social construct and that it is pre-determined by those in power.
How many factors of crime are there and what are they?
- Single factor, multiple factors, reduced to a single discipline and intergrated and inter-disciplinary approaches
how many levels of explanations are there and what are they?
- Individual level theories, social process theories and social structural theories
What is a consensus perspective?
A consensus perspective agrees that crime violates a collectively agreed upon norm, agrees that violations of norms should be justifiably punished.
What is conflict perspective?
Assumes that society doesnt agree with how they should behave (laws) Laws are created by the powerful groups, that there is a class struggle and that punishment reflects the interests of the powerful groups
how is deviance defined?
Deviance is, according to COHEN, the behaviour that violates the normative rules, understandings or expectations of social systems
What are the four types of social norms?
Folkways - non binding social conventions
Mores- strong conviction about right and wrong
Taboo- prohibition of socially offensive acts
Laws - strongest norms, written in formal decree
What is the definition of crime?
Defined by the state, proscribed by criminal law and subject to sanction
What is necessary for something to be a crime?
it must have an act or omission and there must be intent.
At what age is Legal personhood noted at?
Anyone from 14+ can be said to have the mental capacity to make judgement and take responsibility of their actions
What two ways can be measure crime? What are some of the benefits and costs of these measures
Administrative data: coverage (census), can compare across jurisdictions and over times — changing legal and social conditions
Self-report studies (offending or victimisation): good at finding data for ‘private crimes’ — limited and possible bias
Who is Stanley Cohen?
Stanley Cohen created the moral panic theory through his look at Mods and Rockers
What is moral panic?
An episode, condition, person or group of persons that has been defined as a threat to societal values and interests
what are the elements of moral panic?
- moral entrepreneurs
- folk devils
- deviance amplification spiral
What is needed to create a moral panic?
- a suitable enemy
- a suitable victim
- consensus that the act was not an isolated event
When can a moral panic occur?
During periods of social change or when moral boundaries have been uncertain
What are some critiques of Moral Panic Model?
Moral panics aren’t discreet, mass media isnt monolithic, journalists themselves can be folk devils
What is the magic bullet theory?
That the media dominates the masses and that the messages ‘fires’ from media ‘gun or cannon’ and lodges like a ‘bullet’ in the brain of the audience, guiding their actions
What is the filtering theory?
That society exercises own decision-making power. audience choose what they do and dont believe
What is the “depends who you are” theory?
Our perceptions of crime can be influenced by our own opinions and characteristics
