theories of crime

Created by

Sophia Lynch

Cards (27)

Durkheim and crime
crime is inevitable
too much crime = threatens to tear the bonds of society apart
too little crime = society is controlling its members too much
What are the positive functions of crime according to Durkheim
Boundary maintenance = function of punishment
adaptation and change = social change starts with an act of deviance
Evaluation of Durkheim's view on crime 
he doesn't offer how much crime is the right amount
ignores how crime affects people differently
Merton strain theory
deviance is a result of the strain between :
the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately
Evaluation of Merton's strain theory
it takes official crime statistics to face value
Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class
Cohen = status frustration 
focuses on deviance among working class boys
they suffer from cultural deprivation and lack the skills to achieve
this leads to them being unable to achieve status
Evaluation of Cohen
he assumes that working class boys start off sharing middle class success goals, only to reject these when they fail
Cloward and Ohlin - functionalism 
three subcultures - criminal, conflict and retreatism subcultures
they argue that working class youths are denied legitimate opportunities
Evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin
unlike Cohen they provide an explanation for different types of working class deviance but they draw the boundaries too sharply between the different types
Right realist idea of crime
they see crime as a real and growing problem that destroys communities and undermines social cohesion
Underclass - right realism
a social class made up of people who are poor and have very little power or chance to improve their lives
Right realism and tackling crime
main focus is control, containment and punishment
crime prevention policies - 'target hardening' = greater use of prison
zero tolerance policies
Right realism and causes of crime
Herrnstein and Murray - biological differences = crime is caused by low intelligence
Murray - socialisation and underclass = crime is increasing because of the growing underclass
Evaluation of right realism
they ignore the wider structural causes such as poverty
it ignores corporate crime as it is too focused on petty street crime
Left realism view on crime
they argue that crime is a real problem and one that particularly affects the disadvantaged
causes of crime - left realism
Lea and Young
relative deprivation
subcultures
marginalisation
Late modernity, exclusion and crime - left realism
Young (2002)
we are now in a stage of late modern society where instability, insecurity and exclusion make the problem of crime worse.
more diversity = less consensus on right and wrong
Late modernity and relative dep- left realism
relative deprivation became generalised throughout society rather than being confined to those at the bottom
Evaluation of left realism
they rely on quantitative data from victim surveys so they cannot explain offenders motives
Criminogenic capitalism - marxism
Gordon- argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and that is why it is found in all social classes
State and law making - marxism
Chambliss - argues that laws to protect private property are the main part of the capitalist economy = in favour of middle class
Ideological functions of crime
Pearce - argues that such laws often benefit the ruling class = false class consciousness
Evaluation of traditional Marxism approach
it ignores the relationship between crime and inequalities like gender and ethnicity
it is too deterministic and over predicts the amount of crime in the bourgeoise
Neo Marxism and critical criminology
Taylor et al - they see crime as a meaningful action and conscious choice by the offender
argues that traditional Marxism is too deterministic
A fully Social Theory of Deviance (Neo Marxism)
Taylor et al - a comprehensive understanding of crime that would help change society for the better
6 aspects of the fully social theory of deviance
the wider origins of the deviant act
the immediate origins of the deviant act
the act itself
the effects of labelling
the wider societal reaction
the immediate origins of social reaction
Evaluation of Neo-Marxism
feminists criticise them for being 'gender blind'
left realists argue that critical criminology romanticises criminals as 'robin hood' figures