crim- sociological theories

• Durkheim

  Social solidarity:

  to achieve social solidarity, society has two key mechanisms, Socialisation: to all share the norms and values of our culture

  •This means we feel that it is right to act in the way that society requires.

  Social control: society has positive rewards (positive sanctions) for conformity and punishments (negative sanctions) for deviance, These help to ensure that individuals behave in the way society expects.
• 4 functions of crime

  Boundary Maintenance, safety valve, warning light, social change
• Durkheim

  crime is inevitable
• Strain Theory

  Robert K. Merton's theory that predicts that criminal behavior is likely to occur when individuals are unable to achieve social and material goals because of insufficient access or resources
• Merton


  CIRRR
• innovation

  accept goal but find new ways (illegally) of getting them
• ritualism


  give up, plod along in life, can't be bothered to meet goals
• retreatism

  dropouts, reject goals and means - drug addicts, vagrants.
• rebellion


  reject existing goals and means, replaces them with new ones, aim to change society.
• conformists

  achieve goals legitimately.
• status frustration

  Cohen - results from lower class failure, seek alternative status hierarchy, can find it through a criminal career - think Mafia working their way up.
• Cloward and Ohlin


  3 subcultures criminal conflict retreatist
• Functionalism

  Durkheim
• Functionalism

  Merton
• Functionalism

  Cloward and Ohlin
• Functionalism

  Cohen
• Interactionism

  Labelling theory - being labelled as criminal, links to self fulfilling prophecy.
• Labelling theory

  Primary and secondary deviance
• Differential enforcement of the law

  Police have criminal typifications based on class, manner, gender, ethnicity, time and place, how they speak.
• Piliavin and Briar

  Differential enforcement of the law
• labelling theory-Primary deviance

  the first act of rule breaking that may incur a label of "deviant" and thus influence how people think about and act toward you
• labelling theory-secondary deviance

  in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant
• master status

  a status that cuts across the other statuses that an individual occupies - criminal
• labelling theory-Deviancy amplification spiral

  In attempt to control deviant behaviour, police crack down, leads to increasing crime as a result. EG Mods and rockers.
• labelling theory-Deviancy amplification spiral

  Mods and Rockers - media exaggeration, moral entrepreneurs called for a crackdown, negative labelling occurred.
• Left realism

  Approach that sees crime as a function of relative deprivation under capitalism and favors pragmatic, community-based crime prevention and control, caring
• left realism

  crime occurs because of relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation
• right realism

  Sees crime, especially street crime, as a real and growing problem that destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens society. Offer practical solutions to the problem of rising crime.
• right realism


  approach to crime deriving from the right wing theories of James Q. Wilson and emphasising "zero tolerance"
• Right realism

  Causes of crime = biological differences, inadequate socialisation, it is a rational choice.
• Marxism and crime

  Marxists believe that capitalism creates crime
• Marxism

  exploitation of the WC, pushes consumer goods at the poor so they turn to crime to get them, inequality causes frustration resulting in violence and vandalism.
• marxism-making the law

  Chambliss - reflects the interests of the ruling class, protection of private property the main concern.
• Marxism


  Chambliss
• marxism-Selective law enforcement

  the police under-enforce some laws and over-enforce other laws
• Marxism


  Selective law enforcement and law making.
• functionalism-Durkheim also believes in:

  The inevitability of crime: social solidarity should mean that we don't commit crime However, Functionalists believe crime is inevitable (it will happen)

  •Durkheim argues that crime is inevitable because, Individuals are exposed to different circumstances which influence their norms and values, Different subcultures in society have their own norms and values, it cannot be expected that everyone accepts societies norms, values and expectations.
• functionalism-durkheim-boundary maintenance

  •Crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members in disapproval of the criminal.

  •This is known as social cohesion and occurs in time of crisis

  •Crime reinforces the societies norms and values

  •For Durkheim this explains the function of punishment

  •It is not necessarily for the wrongdoer to suffer, nor to remove crime from society.

  •Instead it is to reaffirm societies shared values on what is right and wrong and reinforce social
• functionalism-safety valve

  Davis (1976)

  •Deviance can act as a 'safety valve'

  •Releasing stresses in society, to stop bigger problems taking place in society.

  •For example, prostitution allows men to release their sexual frustrations without threatening family life. If men were promiscuous, it would create a strain in society.

  •Other types of 'safety valve's might include sport, gambling and so on.
• functionalism-warning device

  Cohen (1955)

  •Crime and Deviance acts as a 'warning device' for society

  •To show that something is not working correctly, and change needs to happen.

  •For example, high levels of truancy indicates problems in the education system.