Police & Policing

• What is the main topic area within the study of crime and deviance discussed in the material?

  Police and Policing
• How do sociologists view the role of police in society?

  As agents of social control
• What are the two broad approaches to studying police and policing in sociology?

  Consensus policing and conflict policing
• What is the perspective of functionalist sociologists on police?

  • Police come from the community
  • Work on behalf of the community
  • General agreement on law and order
  • Police presence is reassuring
• What do left realists recognize about the reality of policing?

  It differs from the ideal model
• What is the Marxist perspective on conflict policing?

  • Police are a hostile outside force
  • Not part of the community
  • Serve the interests of the ruling class
  • Oppose the interests of the proletariat
• Which studies support the conflict policing model?

  Studies by Young (1984) and Scraton (1985)
• What was evident in policing during the 1980s according to the conflict policing perspective?

  Military style policing
• What are "no go areas" in relation to policing?

  Neighborhoods where police presence is limited
• How do police typically appear in neighborhoods considered "no go areas"?

  In large numbers with armored vehicles
• How does the conflict policing perspective view the relationship between police and the proletariat?

  Police work against the interests of the proletariat
• What is the role of police discretion in crime measurement?

  It affects how crime is reported and recorded
• How do police statistics influence the understanding of crime?

  They shape perceptions of crime rates