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crime and deviance easy a UNIT2 FIRST SET

Racheal RELTON English 81 cards

Cards in this deck (81)

  1. 1what is Social SolidaritySocial solidarity is essentially where we, as a society, are unified by our shared norms and values. Which means as a collective conscience, we stand as one big interconnected community.
  2. 2define a crime?An act which breaks the criminal laws of society.
  3. 3Define what Deviance is?Refers to the behaviour which is disapproved of by most people in society and which does not conform to society's norms and values.
  4. 4Durkheim's functionalist theory:Socialisation and Social control are two key mechanisms which allow social solidarity to occur in society.
  5. 5Durkheim's functionalist theoryFunctionalism is a ‘structural-consensus theory’.
    The ‘structural bit’ means that Functionalists argue that there is a social structure that shapes individual behaviour through the process of socialisation.
    The ‘consensus bit’ means that Functionalists believe that a successful society is based on ‘value consensus’ – people agree around a set of shared norms and values. This value consensus enables people to co-operate and to work together to achieve shared goals.
  6. 6The inevitability of crime:Functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society.
    They also see crime as inevitable and universal- Durkheim, 'crime is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies.'
    There are two reasons why C&D are found in all societies; 1.Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values. 2. Different groups develop their own subculture and what the members of the subculture regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant.
  7. 7inevitability of crimeDurkheim also discusses that in modern societies there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessness). The diversity of modern societies means that the collective conscience is weakened, and this results in higher levels of C&D.
  8. 8The positive functions of crime:For Durkheim, crime also fulfils two important functions; boundary maintenance and adaptation.
  9. 9positive functions of crimeBoundary Maintenance- In Durkheim's view, the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society's shared rules and reinforces social solidarity, this is done through the rituals of the courtroom which dramatizes the wrongdoing and stigmatises the offender. This reaffirms the values of the law-abiding majority and discourages others from rule breaking.
    Adaptation- For individuals that want change, there must be some scope for them to challenge and change existing norms and values which is deviance. However, in the long run their values may give rise to a new culture and morality. If those with new ideas are suppressed, society will stagnate and be unable to make necessary adaptive changes. Thus for Durkheim, neither a very high nor a very low level of crime is desirable.
  10. 10albert cohenCohen identifies another function of deviance; a warning that an institution is not functioning properly. Functionalists such as Erikson build on Durkheim's point and argue that if crime and deviance perform positive social functions, then perhaps it means society is actually organised so as to promote deviance.
  11. 11criticisms of functionalism on crime and devianceDurkheim doesn't explain how much of deviance is needed for society to function successfully.
    It can be argued that functionalists explain the existence of crime in terms of its supposed function but this doesn't mean society actually creates crime in advance with the intention of strengthening solidarity.
  12. 12criticism of functionalism on crime and devianceFunctionalism looks at what functions crime serves for society as a whole and ignores how it might affect different groups or individuals within society. - Is solidarity reinforced within the victim?
    Crime doesn't always promote solidarity. It may have the opposite effect leading to people becoming isolated e.g. forcing women to stay indoors for fear of attack.
  13. 13Hirschi: 'Control Theory'Developed Durkheim's idea of shared values into the idea of social bonds.
    According to Hirschi, there are four types of social bonds:
  14. 14Hirschi: 'Control Theory'Attachment- we care about others?
    Commitment- what would we lose?
    Involvement- has time for crime?
    Belief- believes in obeying rules?
  15. 15Hirschi, control theoryIf shared bonds are not strong, it will lead to crime and deviance.
    According to Hirschi, the family is crucial in developing the strength/weakness of social bonds. This was reinforced by the study conducted by Farrington and West.
  16. 16Hirschi, control theoryThey carried out a longitudinal study of working class males between 1953 to the late 1980s. 6% of their sample did 50% of the crime.
    There as a direct correlation between crime and poor parenting, with the parenting more likely to be both poor and single parent.
  17. 17Merton's strain theory:Strain theory argues that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means. Merton adapted Durkheim's concept of anomie to explain deviance. Merton's explanation combines two elements:
  18. 18mertons strain theoryStructural factors- society's unequal opportunity structure.
    Cultural factors- the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them.
  19. 19merton strain theoryFor Merton, deviance is the result of a strain between two things; 1. The goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve. 2. What the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately.
  20. 20the American dreamThe ideology of the 'American Dream' tells Americans that their society is a meritocratic one where there is opportunity for all. However, in reality many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities e.g. inadequate schooling.
  21. 21the American dreamThe resulting strain produces frustration and this in turn creates a pressure to resort to illegitimate means such as crime. Merton calls this pressure to deviate, the strain to anomie. The pressure to deviate is further increased by the fact that American culture puts more emphasis on achieving success at any price that upon doing it by legitimate means.
  22. 22the American dream summaryTo summarise, the goal creates a desire to succeed, and lack of opportunity creates a pressure to adopt illegitimate means, while the norms are not strong enough to prevent some from succumbing to this temptation.
  23. 23Deviant adaptations to strainMerton argues that an individual's position in the social structure affects the way they adapt and respond to the strain to anomie. Logically, there are five different types of adaption:
  24. 24Deviant adaptations to strainConformity- Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately. This is most likely amongst the middle class.
    Innovation- Individuals accept the goals of money success but use ‘new’, illegitimate means such as theft to achieve it.
  25. 25deviant adaptations to strainRitualism- Individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals, but have internalised the legitimate means and so they follow the rules for their own sake.
    Retreatism- Individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts.
  26. 26deviant adaptations to strainRebellion- Individuals reject the existing society’s goals and the legitimate means, but replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society.
  27. 27evaluation of mertons theoryHe explains patterns shown in official crime statistics; e.g. most crime in property crime because American society values material wealth so highly.
    His theory is criticised as it takes official statistics at face value. These over-represent working-class crime, so Merton sees crime as a mainly working-class phenomenon.
  28. 28evaluation of mertons theoryMarxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich.
    It assumes there is value consensus- that everyone strives for ‘money success’ – and ignores the possibility that some may not share this goal.
  29. 29evaluation of mertons theoryIt only accounts for utilitarian crime for monetary gain, and not crimes of violence, vandalism etc. It is also hard to see how it could account for state crimes such as genocide.
    It explains how deviance results from individuals adapting to the strain to anomie but ignores the role of group deviance, such as delinquent subcultures.
  30. 30subculture theoriesSubcultural strain theories see deviance as a product of a delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society.
  31. 31A.K. Cohen: Status Frustration:Cohen agrees with Merton that deviance is largely a lower-class phenomenon. However, Cohen criticises Merton’s explanation of deviance on two grounds:
  32. 32albert cohen1. Merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain, ignoring the fact that much deviance is committed in or by groups, especially among the young.
    2. Merton focuses on utilitarian crime committed for material gain. He largely ignores crimes such as assault, which may have no economic motive.
  33. 33cohenIn Cohen’s view, they resolve their frustration by rejecting mainstream middle class values and they turn instead to other boys in the same situation, forming or joining a delinquent subculture.
  34. 34albert cohenCohen focused on deviance among working class boys and argued that they faced anomie because of a middle class dominated school system. Their inability to succeed in this middle class world leaves them at the bottom of the status hierarchy.
  35. 35Alternative status hierarchy:According to Cohen, the delinquent subculture inverts the values of mainstream society- turns them upside down.
  36. 36CohenHowever, Cohen assumes that working class boys start off sharing middle-class success goals, only to reject these when they fail. He ignores the possibility that they didn’t share the goals of the middle class and so never saw themselves as failures.
  37. 37CohenA strength of Cohen’s theory is that it offers an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance among the working class. Cohen’s ideas of status frustration, value inversion and alternative status hierarchy help to explain non-economic delinquency such as vandalism.
  38. 38CohenThe subculture praise what society condemns. The subculture’s function is that it offers the boys an alternative status hierarchy in which they can achieve, having failed in the legitimate opportunity structure.
  39. 39Cloward and Ohlin: three subcultures:Cloward and Ohlin agree with Merton that working class youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve ‘money success’, and that their deviance stems from the way they respond to this situation.
  40. 40Cloward and Ohlin: three subcultures:Cloward and Ohlin attempt to explain why different subcultures respond in different ways to a lack of legitimate opportunities. In their view, the key reason is not only unequal access to the legitimate opportunity structure but unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures.
  41. 41Cloward and Ohlin: three subcultures:Cloward and Ohlin argue that different neighbourhoods provide different illegitimate opportunities for young people. They identify three types of deviant subcultures that result:
  42. 42cloward and ohlinCriminal subcultures provide youths with an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime. They arise in neighbourhoods where there is a longstanding and stable local criminal culture with an established hierarchy of professional adult crime.
  43. 43Cloward AND oHLinConflict subcultures arise in areas of high population turnover. This results in high levels of social disorganisation and prevents a stable professional criminal network developing. Its absence means that the only illegitimate opportunities available are within loosely organised gangs.
  44. 44Cloward and ohlinRetreatist subcultures- ‘Double failures’- those who fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures. According to Cloward and Ohlin, many turn to a retreatist subculture based on illegal drug use.
  45. 45evaluation of cloward and ohlinThey agree with Merton and Cohen that most crime is working-class, thus ignoring crimes of the wealthy. Their theory is too deterministic and over-predicts the extent of working class crime. They ignore the wider power structure, including who makes and enforces the law.
  46. 46evaluation of cloward and ohlinThey provide an explanation for different types of working-class deviance in terms of different subcultures. However, they draw the boundaries too sharply between the different types. In Cloward and Ohlin’s theory, it would not be possible to belong to more than one of these subcultures simultaneously e.g. some ‘retreatist’ users are also drug dealers making a living from this utilitarian crime.
  47. 47evaluation of cloward and ohlinStrain theories have been called reactive theories of subculture. This is because they explain deviant subcultures as forming in reaction to the failure to achieve mainstream goals. Such theories have been criticised for assuming that everyone starts off sharing the same mainstream success goal.
  48. 48evaluation of cloward and ohlinMatza claims that most delinquents are not strongly committed to their subculture, as strain theories suggest, but merely drift in and out of delinquency.
  49. 49example of social solidarityExample:crime and punishment, the judiciary system of punishing deviants encourages social solidarity, because all of the non-deviants collectively condemn the wrongdoer, which re-affirms societal values and further strengthens the solidarity of society
  50. 50Drift theoryYoung people feel like they lack control. They do not feel the constraining bonds of society. At this stage, young people will drift in and out of crime. They are susceptible to peer pressure. It doesn't mean you'' have a deviant career and settle into normal jobs and become less law abiding adults.
  51. 51TOPIC 2: LABELLING THEORYThe social construction of crime:
    For Becker, a deviant is simply someone to whom the label has been successfully applied, and deviant behaviour is simply behaviour that people so label.
  52. 52TOPIC 2 LABELLING THEORYThis leads labelling theorists to look at how and why rules are made. They are particularly interested in the role of moral entrepreneurs. These are people who lead a moral ’crusade’ to change the law in the belief that it will benefit those to whom it is applied.
  53. 53TOPIC 2 LABELLING THEORYHowever, Becker argues that this new law invariably has two effects:
    The creation of a new group of ‘outsiders’- outlaws or deviants who break the new rule.
  54. 54TOPIC 2 LABELLING THEORYThe creation or expansion of a social control agency (police) to enforce the rule and impose labels on offenders.
    Becker notes that social control agencies themselves may campaign for a change in the law to increase their own power.
  55. 55TOPIC 2 LABELLING THEORYThus it is not inherent harmfulness of a particular behaviour that leads to new laws being created but rather the efforts of powerful individuals and groups to redefine that behaviour as unacceptable.
  56. 56The effects of labelling Primary and secondary deviancePrimary deviance refers to deviant acts that have not been publicly labelled. Lemert argues that it is pointless to seek the causes of primary deviance since it is so widespread that it is unlikely to have a single cause.
  57. 57The effects of labelling Primary and secondary devianceSecondary deviance is the result of societal reaction- that is, of labelling. Once an individual is labelled, others may come to see him only in terms of the label. This becomes his master status or controlling identity, overriding all others.
  58. 58EFFECTS OF LABELLINGThis may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the individual acts out or lives up their deviant label, thereby becoming what the label says they are. Lemert refers to the further deviance that results from acting out the label as secondary deviance.
  59. 59EFFECTS OF LABELLINGSecondary deviance is likely to provoke further hostile reactions from society and reinforce the deviant’s ‘outsider’ status. This may lead to the individual joining a deviant subculture that offers deviant career opportunities and role models, rewards deviant behaviour, and confirms his deviant identity.
  60. 60EFFECTS OF LABELLINGThe work of Lemert illustrates the idea that it is not the act itself, but the hostile societal reaction by the social audience, that creates serious deviance. Ironically, therefore, the social control processes that are meant to produce law abiding behaviour may in fact produce the very opposite.
  61. 61DEVIANCE AMPLICATIONThe deviance amplification spiral is a term used to describe a process in which the attempt to control deviance leads to an increase in the level of deviance.
  62. 62Deviance amplificationThis leads to greater attempts to control it and, in turn, this produces yet higher levels of deviance. More and more control produces more and more deviance, in an escalating spiral or snowballing feedback process.
  63. 63DEVIANCE AMPLIFICATIONThe example of Mods and Rockers can be used to explain deviance amplification spiral
  64. 64DEVIANCE AMPLIFICATIONA moral panic which received press exaggeration lead to growing concern with moral entrepreneurs calling for a ‘crackdown’. The police responded by arresting more youths and imposing higher penalties.
  65. 65DEVIANCE AMPLIFICATIONThis seemed to confirm the truth of the original media reaction and provoked more public concern, in an upward spiral of deviance amplification.
  66. 66DEVIANCE AMPLIFICATIONAt the same time, the demonising of the mods and rockers as ‘folk devils’ caused further marginalisation and resulted in more deviant behaviour on their part.
  67. 67DEVIANCE AMPLIFICATIONAt the same time, the demonising of the mods and rockers as ‘folk devils’ caused further marginalisation and resulted in more deviant behaviour on their part.
  68. 68Labelling and criminal justice policyLabelling theory has import policy implications. They add weight to the argument that negative labelling pushes offenders towards a deviant career. Therefore logically, to reduce deviance, we should make and enforce fewer rules for people to break.
  69. 69LABELLING THEORY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICYLabelling theory implies that we should avoid publicly ‘naming and shaming’ offenders, since this is likely to create a perception of them as evil outsiders and, by excluding them from mainstream society, push them into further deviance.
  70. 70Reintegrative shamingBraithwaite identifies a more positive role for the labelling process. He distinguishes between two types of shaming (negative labelling):
  71. 71Reintegrative shamingDisintegrative shaming, where not only the crime, but also the criminal, is labelled as bad and the offender is excluded from society.
  72. 72Reintegrative shamingReintegrative shaming, by contrast labels the act but not the actor- as if to say, ‘he has done a bad thing’, rather than ‘he is a bad person’.
  73. 73Reintegrative shamingThe policy of reintegrative shaming avoids stigmatising the offender at the same time as making aware of the negative impact of their actions upon others and then encourages others to forgive him and accept them back into society.
  74. 74Reintegrative shamingThis makes it easier for both offender and community to separate the offender from the offence and re-admit the wrongdoer back into mainstream society
  75. 75Reintegrative shamingBraithwaite argues that crime rates tend to be lower in societies where reintegrative rather than disintegrative shaming is the dominant way of dealing with offenders.
  76. 76Evaluation of labelling theory:It tends to be deterministic, implying that once someone is labelled, a deviant career is inevitable.
  77. 77Evaluation of labelling theory:Its emphasis on the negative effects of labelling gives the offender a kind of victim status.
  78. 78Evaluation of labelling theory:Realist sociologists argue that his ignores the real victims of crime.
    By assuming that offenders are passive victims of labelling, it ignores the fact that individuals may actively choose deviance.
  79. 79Evaluation of labelling theory:It fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place, before they are labelled.
  80. 80Evaluation of labelling theory:It implies that without labelling, deviance would not exist. This leads to the strange conclusion that someone who commits a crime but is not labelled has not deviated.
  81. 81Evaluation of labelling theory:It fails to analyse the source of power in creating deviance. For example, Marxists argue that it fails to examine the links between the labelling theory and capitalism.

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Flashcards on crime and deviance easy a UNIT2 FIRST SET, created by Racheal RELTON on 16/05/2019.
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