Sociological theories

• What are 2 policies that have been influenced by right realism?


  Situational crime prevention

  environmental crime prevention
• What is situational crime prevention?


  aim to reduce opportunities for crime by increasing the difficulty of committing crime and reducing rewards

  includes target hardening

  • lock cars
  • employing security guards
  • reshaping environment to design crime out of an area
• is situation crime prevention effective?


  No

  crime can be displaced - if criminals are rational actors they will avoid targets that are too hard and move to softer targets (place, time, victim)

  may result in more vulnerable targets being victimised as other targets have been hardened
• What are the 2 types of environmental crime prevention?

  Environmental improvment strategy - all signs of disorder must be dealt with

  zero tolerance policling - take a tougher stance towards all crime even the most trvial

  • police should concentrate on tackling quality of life - begging, prostitution, vandalism
• Is zero - tolerance policing effecting?

  crime fell after it was introduced in New York in the 1990s

  it can lead to targeting of ethnic minorities due to police racism + confrontation due to military policing
• What are 2 policies influenced by surveillance theories?

  profiling

  cctv
• What is profiling?

  using data to draw up a statistical picture of a likely offender

  individuals can be profiled according to specific characteristics to decide what degree of risk they pose
• is profiling effective?

  can be discriminatory - profile based on official crime statistics may show certain groups are more likely to offend - leading to self fulfilling prophecy
• What is CCTV crime prevention?

  modern form of panopticon

  • government can keep an eye on people across the UK
  • people adjust their behaviour as they think they are being constantly watched
• Is CCTV effective?

  based on people believing they are being watched and change their behaviour because of this

  unsuccessful - leads to displacement

  - sterotyping - CCTV operators use racist stereotyping signalling black youths for surveillance

  successful - able to identify people and reassure people
• What is the main disadvantage of CCTV?

  surveillance creep

  • technology was introduced for 1 reason but used for another
  • introduction of automatic number plate recognition to identify IRA bombers failed and instead was used to identify untaxed vehicles
  • disproportionate use of highly intrusive technology
• What are 2 policies influenced by left realists?

  Policies to reduce inequality

  Democratic Policing
• Explain democratic policing?


  Police involve local communities in deciding their policies

  • focus on crimes that victimise the disadvantage
  • domestic abuse and hate crime
• is democratic policing effective?

  Neighbourhood policing + policing community officers have been introduced to build better relationships with communties

  many forces make cannabis possession a low priority

  domestic violence and hate crime have become a high priority
• Explain policies to reduce inequality?


  calls for major structural changes to tackle discrimination, inequality of opportunities and unfairness of rewards

  • providing good jobs and housing for all
  • reduce relative deprivation
• What are 3 policies that are influenced by Morton’s strain theory?

  Policies to tackle poverty

  equal opportunities in school

  educaction in prison
• Explain the policies to tackle poverty


  welfare benefits and job security would reduce crime as it gives everyone an equal chance of striving for success using legal means
• explain equal opportunities in school

  working class treated fairly - less likely to suffer status frustration and join delinquent subcultures
• explain education in prison


  1/2 of UK prisoners have a reading age of 11

  better education will also them to gain new skills and get a good job
• Are mertons policies effective?


  they have a positive effect - societies that spend more on welfare jail fewer people

  those with greater inequality (USA) have higher crime rates
• What are 3 policies that have been influenced by labelling theory?


  Decriminalisation

  Diversion Policy

  Reintegrative Shaming
• What are the 2 types of reintegrative shaming?


  Disintegrative shaming - both crime and + criminal are labelled as bad - offener gets excluded from society and pushes them into 2nd devience

  reintegrative shaming - labels the act not the criminal - done a bad thing not a bad person

  • avoids stigmatising the offender as evil, while still encouraging them to repent and encouraging others to admit them back into society.
• What are diversion policies?


  aim to keep offender out of justice system so avoid labelling them as criminals

  • informal - police use discretion not to charge someone
  • formal - offenders required to attend anger management classes
• what is decriminalisation policy?


  decriminalising minor offences - possession of cannabis

  • fewer younger people will be labelled as criminals
  • criminal record can lead them getting a deviant career leading to secondary deviance