sociology crime and deviance

• official crime statistics : police recorded crime figures : strengths

  • easy to access and have already been compiled
  • Up to date and standardised
  • Covers whole population and goes back many years
  • Provides whole counts rather than estimates
• official crime statistics : police recorded crime figures : limitations

  • Doesnt include undetected/unreported crimes
  • doesnt record unrecorded crime 'dark figure of crime'
  • Doesnt provide complete picture about each crime
  • changes in public perception may influence it
  • definitions, laws, police counting rules change
  • police discretion
• victim surveys : CSEW : strengths

  • crime is much higher than police figures suggest
  • survey collects extensive information
  • develops special measures to estimate the extent of domestic violence, stalking, sexual victimisation
  • Survey includes questions on peoples attitudes on crime related topics
• victim surveys : CSEW : limitations:

  • victimless crimes do not appear
  • only people ages 16+ are asked
  • only surveys a sample of victims
  • response rate is around 75%
• victim surveys : islington crime surveys : strengths

  • 1/3 of all households have been touched by serious crime
  • Young : fear of crime is real and rational. 46% of people worry about mugging. Also, there is a higher rate of female victims, however due to not reporting, it isnt shown in police recorded figures
  • Victims are studied qualitatively
• Victim surveys : islington crime surveys : limitations

  • similar to CSEW
  • Young : dark figure of crime also present, as accuracy relies on memory and honesty, some people get the time scale wrong, some may not tell the truth, etc
  • If response rates are low, it affects the representiveness of the final sample
• self report studies : strengths

  • Often carried out by youth
  • may be qualitative, but mostly quantitative.
  • longitudinal as it follows the same group of people over a number of years, e.g farringtons study
  • measures family background, peers, education, area, gender, ethnicity
• self report studies : limitations

  • Validity - concerns on truthfulness and accuracy of data. E.G Farrington - young males admit convictions, older males/females are less likely to do so.
  • Attrition - participation and drop out rates in studies.
  • Ethical issues : informed consent, confidentiality and right to withdraw.
  • Does not give an overall picture
• social class : offending

  • Sutherland - criminal statistics show that crime has a high incidence in lower class
  • Social exclusion unit - many prisoners have a history of social exclusion, being more likely to have grown up in care and poverty
• social class : victimisation

  • British crime survey 2010-11 - young households, lone parents, and unemployed are 2x more likely to be burgled. Unemployed are more likely to be victims of violence
• Gender : offending

  • Males commit 50% of all police recorded crimes.
  • Official crime data - peak age for females committing crime is 15, males = 18. Females stop offending quickly, but males continue until their 20s
  • Chivalry thesis - police are more lenient to women than men
• Gender : victimisation

  • Men - higher victims of violence by strangers/aqcuaintances.
  • women - 2x more likely to be victims of non sexual partner abuse and 7x more likely to be victims of sexual assault
  • Young - power dynamics are masked by stats
  • Walklate - women are unable to leave abusive relationships due to them having no where to go or possible psychological issues
• age : offending

  • young people are more likely to offend.
  • 23% of 10-17 year olds are responsible for the minority of crime. However, this is disproportionate because 10-17 year olds make up 1 in 10 of the population
• age : victimisation

  • Older people are more likely to fear crime. Young people are usually the victims of crime
  • ICS - When assault occurs towards 45+ year olds, they would be more injured and face more problems at work and life.
• ethnicity : offending

  • More black/asian people are stop and searched, arrested and charged, sentenced to prison, than their white counterparts
• Ethnicity : victimisation

  • CSEW - Adults from mixed, black, asian ethnic groups are more at a risk of being victims of personal crime
• Global organised crime

  • Difficult to detect, as it is a large scope, and only a fraction of these crimes become known each year
  • Gastrow - popular perceptions are out of date. State borders are irrelevent as they are difficult to track
  • Castells - organised crime groups resemble business networks by minimising rise and maximising profit.
  • Robertson goes against castells, arguing concept of glocalisation
• Green crime

  • Dumping toxic waste, fly tipping, trafficking endangered species
  • Aas - intersection of local and global. Local environmental harm is a product of chain of events/activities
  • Potter (marxist) - poorest people are affected by green crime the most
  • Carrabine et al - primary green crime - crimes that directly inflict harm. Secondary green crime - actions committed as a response to primary green crime
• Right realism:

  • Wilson - challenges marxism. He says that young males are the group who mostly commit crime. Broad social and cultural changes in society may affect norms & values.
  • Wilson and Kelling - broken windows theory (social control broken down = more crime)
  • Evaluation : criticised for ignoring the impact of stratification and poverty on rates of crime. Its also criticised for accepting official statistics
• Left realism:

  • Lea and Young - the key factors influencing crime is relative deprivation, marginalisation, and subcultures
  • Matthews and Young - Square of crime. Crime arises at an intersection of public opinion, media, peers, community, family.
• Subcultural explanations:

  • Cohen - status frustration : deviance is an achievement of status (However, Katz says this is inaccurate as youth commit crime for thrill)
  • Cloward and Ohlin - Illegitimate opportunity structure
  • Matza (against subcultural explanations) - young people tend to drift in and out of delinquency but grow out of it
• Functionalist explanations:

  • Cohen - status frustration
  • Miller - focal concerns - anti social behaviour is an extreme development of normal working class male values. The focal concerns are trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate.
  • cloward and ohlin - illegitimate opportunity structure
• new right explanations

  • Clarke - rational choice theory: the costs of crime are low so the crime rate has increased
  • Hirschi - social bonds of attachment. Individuals with strong family and relationship networks, responsibility, and engaged in social activities are unlikely to commit crime
• left wing methods of prevention

  • Braithwaite - crime, shame, reintigrate.

  Reintegrative - focuses on offenders behaviour, rather than offender
• right wing : prevention

  • Braithwaite - Disintegrative shaming - labelling and stigmatising offender
  • target hardening - increasing of the security surrounding the 'targets' of crime.
  • environmental prevention - Design of public housing estates & town centres, street lighting & the use of cctv
• Marxist explanations:

  • Althusser - ISA & RSA
  • Gordon - dog eat dog society
• Feminist explanations

  • heidensohn - 4 forms of social control which lead to conformity rather than deviance: at home, in public, At work, In social policy. A woman's primary role is still that of housewife and mother. Women play a key part in maintaining social order by socialising the next generation and supporting their husbands.
  • Heidensohn - Double deviance. She argues against chivalry theory - due to stereotypes of femininity when women commit crimes they are seen as absurd and "really bad" as they aren't the typical warm, nurturing female.
• left wing methods of punishment :

  • Restorative justice - both offenders and victims benefit by taking an active role in the justice system. 85% of victims said this helped them, it allows victims to ask questions and move on, and it allows offenders a chance to apologise. However, the victim usually doesn't wanna see the offender
• right wing punishment:

  • incapatation: harsh sentences including long-term imprisonment and “Three-Strikes Laws”.
• Left wing - control

  • Lea and Young - The public lack confidence in the police & believe them to be prejudiced. Relationship between the police and the community should improve, by minimal policing, characterised by trust and co-operation.
  • over-policing minor drug offences is part of the problem 
  • Other crimes, such as domestic violence, racially motivated crime and white-collar crime, are under policed
• right wing - control

  • Wilson and Kelling - Prioritising the police's role in 'order maintenance' E.g. by increasing foot patrols.
  • Zero tolerance policy - aggressive policing of minor and anti-social crime, including littering, vandalism, drugs offences.
  • Murray - Overgenerous welfare system encourages feckless behaviour, and prevents families and individuals from taking responsibility for their actions. Benefits should be cut