CRIMINOLOGY Brief overview of sociological approaches

• Who is the main functionalist we look at?


  Durkheim
• What does Durkheim say about crime?


  That it is inevitable and that it has 3 positive functions
• What is social change?


  For society to progress existing norms and values must be challenged. This occurs via functional rebels that act in deviant ways ton encourage changes in laws etc eg:Fathers4Justice
• Who came up with subcultural theory?


  Merton
• What does Merton suggest everyone is encouraged to strive towards?


  The American dream of a big house, lots of money and fast cars
• Why does not everyone have an equal chance of achieveing success legitimately?


  Because society is unequal
• Why are opportunities of working class people often blocked?


  Poverty and inadequate schools
• There is a strain between what society encourages people to do and .......


  The lack of legitimate means to do so
• Subcultures offer a solution in the form of an alternative status hierarchy. What does this mean?


  It is where they can get recognition and status from their peers for engaging in deviant acts
• What do Cloward and Ohlin say?


  Different neighbourhoods give rise to different deviant subcultures
• What are the three different deviant subcultures?


  Criminal subculture, conflict subculture and retreatist subculture
• What are the names of the two different classes in society that are in conflict?


  The rich and upper class bourgeoisie and the working class called the proletariat
• How does capitalism cause crime?


  Capitalism encourages us to value material goods, those that cannot afford these consumer goods turn to crime to obtain them
• What do the bourgeoisie do to the proletariat that causes them to have to commit crime?


  Keep them on low wages
• What does capitalism promote and what type of crime does it explain?


  Capitalism promotes greed and explains white collar/corporate crime
• How do the proletariat feel about their position in society and what does it cause them to do?


  The proletariat feel alienated and frustrated and so they turn to non utilitarian crime to act out their frustrations. Some examples are vandalism and violence
• Who are the laws made by and as a result who do they protect?


  The laws are made by the bourgeoisie and so they protect the bourgeoisie
• How are laws enforced differently?


  Penalties are more lenient for working class crime compared with white collar crime. This gives the impression that crime is a working class problem
• Some laws exist to give the false impression that capitalist society cares. What is an example of this?


  H&S laws to protect workers suggest they are cared for however, H&S breaches are rarely prosecuted
• It is not the act that is deviant but..........


  Societys reaction to the act
• what is crime?


  A social construct
• what is secondary deviance?


  Results from labelling. Once someone has been labelled deviant further deviance is likely
• What happens once a individual is labelled as a criminal?


  They internalise the label and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy (they live up to this label).
• What do the media contribute by doing?


  Demonising labelled groups. Moral panic, deviancy amplification and stereotypes
• What do realist theories say?


  Crime is a real problem and not a social construction
• What is rational choice?


  Deciding to commit a crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the consequences. Do the costs of committing crime outweigh the benefits or not?
• What is inadequate socialisation?


  Effective socialisation reduces the chances of engaging in crime. Murray says that welfare dependent lone parents fail to adequately socialise their children and increase the risk of them offending.
• What do left realists say are the 3 causes of crime?


  Marginalisation, relative deprivation and subcultures
• What is marginalisation?


  People on the margins of society are not supported or represented and therefore more likely to engage in crime
• What is relative deprivation?


  People recognise that they are less well off in comparison to others and may turn to crime to close the deprivation gap
• What is subcultures?


  Those who cannot achieve in mainstream society will turn to a subculture. However, this is not always a deviant subculture, it may be a religious subculture that provides an explanation for their deprivation.