Crime and Deviance

• Functionalism on crime and deviance

  1. Crime can be a positive function for society

  2. It reminds us of norms and values

  3. It helps us understand situations where crime is more likely to occur

  4. It can lead to changes in laws for the better (e.g. civil rights movement)
• Functionalism sees crime as having a boundary maintenance function, reinforcing societal norms
• Crime could be functional positive for society by


  Reaffirming norms and values (Durkheim's boundary maintenance)
• Durkheim refers to this as boundary maintenance - knowing where the boundaries like them and what is and what isn't it successful in society
• When a bad crime happens it reminds us of what is wrong and it helps to strengthen our society through people having a collective sense of what is right or wrong
• Durkheim said that too much crime in society is not functional because we can't control it, but too little crime is not functional because we have no sense of shared norms and values
• Merton's concept of strain


  The gap that exists between an individual's desires/goals and their likelihood/means of achieving those goals
• Merton's 5 reactions to strain

  • Conformity
  • Ritualism
  • Innovation
  • Retreatism
  • Rebellion
• Feminists argue that most criminals are men due to gender socialization, where boys are raised to be more aggressive and risk-taking while girls are raised to be more passive and risk-averse
• Feminists argue the criminal justice system is patriarchal and does not take crimes against women as seriously
• Heidensohn's concept of female conformity


  The expectation that women should be passive and controllable, which limits their freedom
• McRobbie's concept of 'bedroom culture'


  Girls are socialized to stay at home, read, talk to friends, do schoolwork, giving them less opportunity to commit crime
• Discrimination


  The unequal treatment of people based on assumptions about them
• Types of discrimination


  • Misogyny/sexism (against women)
  • Homophobia/transphobia (against LGBTQ+ people)
  • Racial discrimination/racism (against ethnic minorities)
  • Ageism (against old and young)
• Prejudice


  A prejudgment of somebody based on preconceptions, without really knowing them
• Life chances


  The opportunities and chances people have of being successful in life
• Representation


  How different groups are shown and portrayed by society
• Stereotypes


  Exaggerated views of a group or person based on preconceptions
• so then from the idea of a ladder culture to criticize the idea that women don't have the to commit crime free gender socialization
• Status


  A person's position in society, often based on their occupation
• Moral panic


  A societal worry about the behaviour or activities of certain groups
• The Equality Act 2010 is an umbrella law that brought together various anti-discrimination and equality policies
• Key terms for gender differentiation

  • Patriarchy
  • Gender discrimination
  • Glass ceiling
  • Male gaze
  • Crisis of masculinity
• obviously on contrast to that the working class get is proportionally punished for their involvement that they have in crime
• Patriarchy


  A male-dominated society where men have dominant power and control over women in various social institutions
• Gender discrimination


  Treating people differently and unfavourably based on their gender (sexism/misogyny)
• Patriarchy


  Overarching male-dominated structure that exists in society
• if we live in a world for rid of constantly buying and selling stuff we have this desire to buy more stuff that's what consumerism is a Marx was free really was not a fan of consumerism it's the one for more material stuff now because the working-classes can't afford that they lack the means to get it Marxist might argue that one of the reasons why working-class people turn to crime and why perhaps there is more working-class crime is because that they do not have the legitimate means through fair pay from their work to actually access the stuff that they want to buy
• Gender discrimination


  Treating people differently and unfavorably based on their gender (sexism or misogyny)
• Chambliss's argument is definitely the islands idea that the police and the law enforcement floor no invoice today's tournament the law enforcement agencies focused disproportionate tension on working class crimes was there easier to catch and they're the sorts of people that the bourgeoisie want the kind of disadvantage
• Women in the UK get paid about 15% less than men for doing the same job, purely because they are women
• Glass ceiling


  Invisible barrier that prevents women reaching the top jobs and positions in society
• 85-90% of CEOs of the top 100 companies in the UK are men
• the new right would argue that crime is getting worse because of the breakdown of the family and society and as i said already if we've got lone parent families murray and the new rights argument is effectively that young boys especially don't have a male role model and so they don't know the rights and wrongs of society and they fall into the background and effectively they get into trouble
• Many of the reasons and inequalities that exist between genders, sexualities, ethnicities, disabled or non-disabled people, and age groups are broadly the same
• Male gaze


  The idea that most media is shot and produced through the eyes of men, often overly sexualizing women
• Crisis of masculinity


  The idea that men have lost their established identity and purpose in society, leading to higher rates of male suicide
• There are overlaps between different social groups, such as ethnic minorities tending to be poorer and more working class, women tending to be poorer and more working class, and disabled people tending to be poorer and more working class
• Gender


  The norms and values associated with being a man or woman
• Sexuality


  Who someone is sexually attracted to (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual)