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Theories of crime

Physiological Lombroso (1876)


Psychological Eysenck (1970)

Why does crime exist? Structural theories


argue it is the structure of society that is the
cause of crime.

Functionalism
Durkheim (F)

A certain amount of crime


is functional & inevitable
for society. It reinforces the
consensus of norms &
values (collective
conscience)

Functional because:
Reaffirms the boundaries
Allows social change when needed e.g
?????
Suffragette movement
Strengthens social cohesion e.g.????
Terrorist attacks
Minor crime acts as a safety valve,
prevents more serious crime

For Durkheim
Too much crime results in Anomie.
Too little means no social change
Eval in groups

Eval:
fails to explain why crime emerged.
Some crimes are dysfunctional
Marxism ignores power
Feminism -

Merton (F) (1938) &


strain theory
Strain theories suggest that certain groups
commit crime because, although they
share the same goals as the rest of society,
they are unable to achieve those goals
(anomie in this case?????
is the strain between the 2)

5 responses in society
1st is that a person achieves the accepted
goals of society in acceptable ways
This suggests the remaining responses are
the result of non achievement
Activity Page 30

Also discuss how:


Merton was influential on theories such
as Cohens subcultural theory &
Cloward & Olins illigitimate
opportunities structure.

Eval in groups

Eval.
Merton does try to explain lower class
crime however fails to explain, why
there are different crimes/not crimes
for gain e.g
What about white collar crime?
Valier (2001) Questions the extent of
shared, common goals in society e.g

Support:
For Sumner, Merton is right crime is the
result of disillusionment with capitalist
goals.
Plus Jock Youngs study, The Vertigo of
Late Modernity 2009
Handout

Davis (1961) crime acts as a safety


valve.
Hirschi (1969) concluded that the
greater a persons attachment to society
the lower their level of crime.

Right Realism
Wilson (1975) suggests that criminals
make rational decisions whether to
commit crime or not
Will they get caught
Are the rewards worth the
punishment

Murray 1990

State handouts
devalued education,
discouraged work and
marriage, encouraged
teenage pregnancy and
undermined parental
authority.

Farrington & West (1990) Offenders are


more likely to come from homes with
poor parenting/single parents.
Etzoni (1993) Past poor communities
policed themselves present - the
underclass have taken over with a loss of
social control.

Ignores crimes committed by the rich


Blaming the victim diverts attention away
from inequality
Some do not chose to be in a
disadvantaged social position
Some commit crime for thrill, respect etc

Strain & subcultural theories

Subcultural theories suggest that groups


who commit crime amend mainstream
values & develop their own values.
Strain theory

Subcultural theories
Albert Cohen (1955) (response to critique of
Merton) W/C boys experience Status
frustration and develop their own subculture as a solution.
Pitts study Handout

Eval
Ignores police stereotyping
Ignores females

Cloward & Ohlin (1960) (response to


critique of M) agrees with Merton, some
succeed via legitimate opportunity
structures others succeed through
illegitimate opportunity structures
1. Some join existing gangs
2. Some form their own violent gangs
3 Some retreat into drug use.

Chicago School early 20C - immigration


resulted in variety of norms/values & deviant
groups
Miller (1958) Focal concerns
Unlike Cohen (crime is the result of a lack of
????) Miller suggests crime is the result of W/C
culture, similar to ?????
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Critique

Subcultural studies are mostly American


Accept official statistics as reality
Ignores crimes of the rich
Matza
These theories suggest that the class
position of young W/C males determines
their criminality.

However Interactionist Matza (1964)


criticises subcultural theory,
he suggests:

there is no distinct set of


subcultural values,
all young males drift in/out of deviancy
and share subterranean values (deviant
values) and justify acts through
techniques of neutralisation. Page 31
Eval. Fails to account for organised
crime/gangs.

And Bourgois (2002) study brings us back to


Merton, Cloward & Ohlin
Handout

Masculinity
Messerschmidt (1993). Male identity.
Being a male in British society involves
material, social & sexual success = males
committing crime.
Connells work also here & the
hegemonic male

Marxist - Still structuralists.


Crime is an inevitable consequence of
capitalism.
The law has developed
to protect ruling class
interests such as private
property not to protect
workers interests
Chambliss (1976)

Capitalism creates the potential for crime


Gordon
1. W/C crime is a rational response to
inequalities
2. The ideology of capitalism ???
Encourages criminal behavior
i) win at all cost M/C
ii) culture of envy W/C

Materialism is a desirable goal for all


promoted by capitalism

People within capitalism


develop commodity
fetishism

Marxism - the agents of formal control are


controlled by the ruling class.

Althusser
the law is an
ideological state apparatus
concerned with:

1. Protecting wealth, private property &


profit = the ruling class interests
2. Controlling the W/C

Snider the capitalist state is reluctant


to pass laws regulating big business
Reiman - Upper class crime is rarely
prosecuted

Judges & Politicians come from similar


backgrounds as the ruling class
(support from Griffiths)
Scott: They form a power elite
Croall Those with power & control have
more opportunity to commit crime White collar/corporate crime is invisible

Crimes of the rich & powerful


Capitalists have all the power to control
all aspects of society, both nationally &
internationally.

Eval

Eval
Neo Marxist critiques of traditional
Marxism as too deterministic
Traditional W/C are
passive victims of an
unequal capitalist system
Neo people have free will
and make choices about
how they react to their
experiences.

Marxist analysis, interactionist framework


framework
The New Criminology
Taylor, Walton & Young (1973)

Crime is a deliberate and


meaningful response by the
powerless to their position
within the capitalist system

Policing the crisis Hall (1978)


How deviancy amplification
was used as social control to
benefit capitalism.
Black mugging was used to set
blacks & whites against each other
thus diverting attention from the
real problems in society - inequality

Marxist sub-cultural theory


Phil Cohen
Skinheads style was a reaction to:
i) Loss of W/C communities
ii) Loss of white neighbourhoods
Hebdidge (1979) Distinct
youth subculture represents
continuing class resistance
to the domination of cultural
values in the UK

Evaluation
No woman in any of the analysis
Not all sub-cultural groups are developed out
of a protest to capitalism

Functionalist argue the law works for all


Right realists suggest the law is needed to
keep the lawless underclass in hand
Marxist argue the law works to benefit
capitalism, and crime is the result of an
unequal (cap.) society.

Left realism forms part of subcultural


theory

Interactionism
Suggest most are capable of committing a
crime.
Therefore little point searching for causes
of crime
We should try to understand the reaction
to & definition of, acts.
Thus definitions are down to social
interaction

Why are some acts defined as


deviant/criminal?

Relative
Definitions vary (relative) depending on:
Time, place, society

Becker & labelling theory


People are labelled & stigmatised
the deviant is one to whom
that label has successfully been applied
(Outsiders p.9),
Labelled deviant=deviant=more deviance

Who has the power to label?


Moral entrepreneurs
Moral crusade

Once an act has been labelled as deviant.


Social fact,
Stigmatized
Social identity
Master status,
Self-fulfilling
Deviant Career
Deviancy amplification
Deviancy amplification spiral

e.g.
Youngs study of cannabis smokers in
Notting Hill (1971) & deviancy
amplification

It is the reaction that is crucial


Can apply Lemert (1972) here
primary deviance is the initial action the
label
Secondary Deviance is the social reaction to
the initial action & can = more crime

Study in support
Cicourels study (1976) the police/courts
view on what a typical delinquent is, is
why more males, W/C, some ethnic
minorities feature in the statistics,
Griffiths here also
Thus the statistics are flawed, they are
socially constructed.

The power of a label in contemporary society


Egs??????? + process SSSMSDD

The role of the media


Stan Cohen (1972)

The amplification process

Exaggerate the initial act


Stereotype the actors
Predict future events
= Moral panic
The groups self fulfil and are in conflict

video

For Cohen, this was because society was


experiencing social change.
Handout Muncie & football hooligans
Handout Hoodies & Fawbert

Simon Holdaways PO study show how the


police negatively label EM groups

Dont forget David Matza is also an


interactionist.

Evaluation
Does look at the process of labelling
However
Fails to look at why some people commit
crime in the first place.
Fails to look at who has the power to
make rules (Marxist & feminist, Hall
here).
Fail to look at why some reject the label
(too deterministic) Ackers 1975

Eval cont.
McRobbie & Thornton (1995) suggest
greater care is taken before starting a moral
panic. E.G. politicians who get caught out.
US governor of NY Spitzer
Thornton (1995) argues people are reflexive
that they have a range of reactions and
actively use the media to create society.
Blogs/ internet

= the social construction of crime


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