Crime and Deviance: Theories of Crime
- Created by: danielladavidson
- Created on: 25-11-22 11:34
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- Theories of Crime
- Marxism
- Gordon's 'criminogenic Capitalism'
- Crime is inevitable because capitalism causes crime
- Selective enforcement
- target blue collar crime, ignore white collar
- police represent the interests of the bourgeoisie
- Suppress the proletariat = this prevents a revolution
- Official crime stats under represent white collar crime
- Crimes
- Blue collar (proletariat) Theft - caused by material deprivation
- Blue collar Violence caused by alienation
- Alienation - the state of feeling estranged or seperated
- White collar/ corporate caused by materialism
- Crime is negative and helps the m/c maintain the class divide
- Gordon's 'criminogenic Capitalism'
- Feminism
- Crime is negative and helps maintain patriarchy in society
- Greer (Radical Feminist)
- Men have the power to control women
- Abuse types: Psychological, Social, sexual, financial, phyiscal
- This is Domestic Violence
- Women are also killed by their partners or former partners.
- Abuse types: Psychological, Social, sexual, financial, phyiscal
- Patriarchy in society - norms and values that support men's interests
- Solution: Matriarchal (women led) families
- High divorce rates show marriage not working for women
- Proof of women dissatisfaction
- Only way to protect women from men's exploitation
- High divorce rates show marriage not working for women
- Patriarchal belief that being a wife is the most important role/aspiration for women
- Women are made to feel that it is their job to make their husbands feel happy
- Women are also exploited in the family as daughters
- Men have the power to control women
- Functionalism
- Durkheim
- Boundary Maintenance
- Crime acts as a deterrent for the rest of society
- repercussions of a criminal act as a warning to the rest of society
- public response to a crime can help governments pass new laws
- Crime acts as a deterrent for the rest of society
- Social change
- crime can be a positive for society
- E.g Rosa Parks broke the law to help achieve racial equality
- If people never deviated from societal norms and values, then society would never change
- And change can be a very good thing
- Too much/ little deviance is bad for society as it suggest too much/little social control
- Crime strengthened the bonds in society- Social Solidarity
- Boundary Maintenance
- Merton
- crime occurs due to strain in society
- People cannot legally achieve due to poor opportunities
- crime is inevitable and universal and occurs when you cannot meet societal standard
- There are 5 reactions
- Conformity
- Have the means + goal - Don't need to commit crime
- Innovation
- Have the goal, no means - turn to crime as a substitute
- Ritualism
- Have the means, no goal - Don't commit crime
- Retreatism
- Abandon means + goal - commit crime
- E.g Vagrants, drug addicts, ppl living of welfare
- Abandon means + goal - commit crime
- Rebellion
- Reject means + goal, replace with new ones
- wish to create a new society by revolution
- Reject means + goal, replace with new ones
- Conformity
- People cannot legally achieve due to poor opportunities
- crime occurs due to strain in society
- Durkheim
- Subcultural
- Cohen 'Status Frustration'
- w/c boys reject mainstreams norms + value
- This may be because they don't have a legitimate chance to succed
- Alternative Status Hierarchy
- offers illegitimate opportunities for w/c boys who couldn't get it the main stream way
- Subculture = social group with different norms and values to mainstream
- They win status and respect from their peers through delinquent acts
- They can also 'fight back' against society
- Criticisms: Ignores the role of gender.
- w/c boys reject mainstreams norms + value
- Cohen 'Status Frustration'
- Interactionism
- Becker
- It's the agents of social control that have the power to make a label stick
- E.g School
- Labelling = prejudgement of a person based on social characteristics
- Self - fulfilling prophecy
- 'Living up to' your given label unconsciously. E.g Criminal
- Master Status: Label becomes a defining feature
- E.g Criminal
- Deviant Career
- life of crime for the individual/ join a subculture
- It's the agents of social control that have the power to make a label stick
- Becker
- Marxism
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