...Assess explanations for apparent gender differences in involvement in crime (21 marks) There are clear gender differences in the level of crime in society. In 2015 official statistics showed that male prison population was at 95%, with women prison population only 5%. The division in these figures may be due to several factors such as how crimes are actually recorded and the idea that males do commit more crimes that females and the male stream society that we are in. It may be believed that women commit less crime due to the socialization they received throughout their life and the social control they receive as adults. During the socialisation process it can be seen that girls are socialised differently to boys. This idea was supported by Walurm who recorder conversations in a maternity ward. Baby girls were comforted when they cried and described as sweet, whereas boys were expected to be noisy and tough. Similarly, Statham found that parents find it virtually impossible to be non sexist in child rearing. Toy shops aimed weapons for boys and domestic toys such as babies and cooking equipment at girls. This could therefore explain why men are more likely to be involved in crimes involving physical violence or possession of an offensive weapon. Additionally, Parsons believed that because child-rearing is primarily carried out by mothers, with fathers potentially being absent or having little influence in the child's life, girls have an advantage in their socialisation...
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...Crime is the when an individual or group commit an act against the law. Deviance is an act that is against the social norm and is labelled as deviant. Official statistics have proven that 80% of all crimes are committed by males. However the study of criminology have tended to be dominated by males, therefore the studies are done by men about men. The official statistics suggest that gender is perhaps the most significant single factor in whether an individual is convicted of crime. The official statistics often comply with the common assumption that men commit more crimes then women. According to official statistics, in 2005, 1.8 million offenders were guilty in which 79% were male and 7% of these were aged fewer than 18. The ratio of male offenders to female offenders is four to one. The highest rates of offending for the most serious crimes were 17 year olds for males and 15 year olds for females. Pollak (1950) argued that official statistics on gender and crime were highly misleading. He claimed that statistics underestimated the extent of female criminality. Pollack claimed to have identified crimes that are usually committed by women but which are likely to go unreported. According to him, nearly all offences of shoplifting and all criminal abortion were carried out by women. Many unreported crimes are committed by female domestic servants. Pollack accepted official definitions of crime when he pointed out all the offences of prostitution that were not reported. He...
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...pattern in crime statistics; men are more likely to commit crime than women. Statistics say that four out of five convicted offenders in England and Wales are male. However this may not be the case as there are multiple sociological explanations of gender differences that can support each gender committing more crime. The Liberation Thesis (Freda Alder 1975) looks at the link between changing women’s position and patterns in crime. The thesis argues that as society has become less patriarchal and women becoming more equal to men, that women have been given a greater opportunity to commit crime. Therefore it is concluded that as women become more liberated from patriarchy their crimes will become more serious and ‘male-like’. The reason for this is because women have started to adopt ‘male roles’ in society; for example higher positions in the workplace, therefore they are given a greater opportunity to commit crimes such as white collar crimes rather than female linked crimes such as shoplifting. Official statistics support the liberation thesis as the pattern in female crime has shifted highlighting the rise in female participation in crimes previously regarded as male crimes; armed robbery. However when official statistics have been analysed it has become apparent that female crime rates began rising in 1950 way before the women’s liberation movement. The Chivalry Thesis is mentioned in item B as a sociological explanation for the gender differences in crime, and takes an...
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...retaking G673 in the summer after completely cocking up, you will see 4 topics on the paper, answer the section you were TAUGHT. For me it was Crime and Deviance, you will get 3 50 mark essay questions, and you choose 2 of them. For example; Crime and Deviance 1. Outline and assess the Marxist view on crime and deviance. 2. Outline and assess the usefulness of the official statistics in recording crime and deviance. 3. Outline and assess sub-cultural approaches in explaining crime and deviance. There will be other topics such as the Sociology of Health, Religion and Media, but ignore them if you’re doing Crime and Deviance. You get 1 hour 30 minutes to complete this paper, so roughly 45 minutes on each essay is advisable. As for G674 - It is a 2 hour exam combining and consolidating all of the stuff you learnt in G671. From research methods to ethnicity, class, age etc. You get a source which you will need to read through at the start of your exam, a similar text to that of the pre-release in G671; however this will be the first time you will ever see it. You will be given 2 questions on research methods, a 15 marker (Outline and explain why sociologists use semi-structured interviews in sociological research, for example), and then a 25 marker (Outline and assess the view that ethnography research is the best way to study gender inequality, for example), the paper tells you that you should refer to your wider sociological knowledge and the source material provided...
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...Past Crime and Deviance Questions Sept 2008 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. ------------------------------------------------- Item A ------------------------------------------------- Situational crime prevention (SCP) involves intervening in the immediate situations in which crime takes place to reduce its likelihood or seriousness. It often involves ‘designing crime out’ of products, services and environments, for example by use of anti-climb paint, CCTV and security guards in shops, better street lighting, metal detectors at airports, neighbourhood watch schemes and the re-designing of housing estates. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- SCP does not rely on intervening in children’s socialisation to prevent them becoming criminals later, or on the threat of punishments to deter current criminals. Instead, it makes specific changes aimed at influencing the decision or ability of offenders to commit particular crimes in particular situations. Like rational choice theory, SCP sees criminals as acting rationally. By making certain crimes less rewarding, more risky or needing greater effort, SCP makes criminals less likely to choose to commit them. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of conflict theories for an understanding of crime and deviance in contemporary society. (21 marks) Jan 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows...
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...Crime and Deviance exam questions Crime questions – Qu. 1 & 2 – both worth 21 marks.You should spend 30 minutes on each question and each should have a traditional essay structure (include an introduction and a conclusion, at least two sides of the argument, two or more theories, relevant studies and as much evaluation as you can cram in!). You also need to show ‘conceptual confidence’ – this just means that you should make it clear to the examiner that you know and understand the important concepts, e.g. anomie, relative deprivation.Make sure you make reference to the item – both essay questions will have their own item. You can often use the information in the item as a springboard into the essay in the introduction. However, you will be penalised for ‘overuse of the item’, so don’t just copy it out. You can use short quotes or statistics from the item though. | Question: | What to include: | Assess the view that ethnic differences in crime rates are the result of the ways in which the criminal justice system operates. | This question is essentially about the presence (or not) of institutional racism in the police, courts and penal system. You will need to compare the importance of this as opposed to explanations that argue that ethnic minorities do commit more crime - either as a result of relative deprivation (left realism) or poor upbringing, absent fathers, etc (new right). * Try to include some stats, reference to patterns of offending, stop and search...
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...Crime And Deviance Outline and assess sociological explanations of gender difference in patterns of crime. In this essay, I am going to assess the patterns of crime committed by males and females. Many general theories tend to neglect gender as a factor influencing criminality. There is a common assumption that males often commit more crime than women. The study of criminology have tended to be dominated by males, therefore the studies are done by men about men. The official statistics suggest that gender is perhaps the most significant single factor in whether an individual is convicted of crime. The official statistics often comply with the common assumption that men commit more crimes then women. According to official statistics, in 2005, 1.8 million offenders were guilty in which 79% were male and 7% of these were aged fewer than 18. The ratio of male offenders to female offenders is four to one. The highest rates of offending for the most serious crimes were 17 year olds for males and 15 year olds for females. Pollak (1950) argued that official statistics on gender and crime were highly misleading. He claimed that statistics underestimated the extent of female criminality. Pollack claimed to have identified crimes that are usually committed by women but which are likely to go unreported. According to him, nearly all offences of shoplifting and all criminal abortion were carried out by women. Many unreported crimes are committed by female domestic servants...
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...Assess explanations for apparent gender differences in involvement in crime. (21 marks) Since the 1970s many feminist have criticised criminology for being male orientated, where by women are invisible in both theoricatical consideration and empirical studies. Patterns of offending by men and by women are notable both for their similarities and for their differences. Both men and women are more heavily involved in minor property and substance abuse offenses than in serious crimes like robbery or murder. However, men offend at much higher rates than women for all crime categories except prostitution. This gender gap in crime is greatest for serious crime and least for mild forms of law-breaking such as minor property crimes. You can also draw upon offender information from the National Crime Victimization Survey, and on findings from surveys on self-reported crime, from studies of criminal careers and delinquent gangs, and from case studies that provide a wealth of qualitative data on the differing contexts of male and female offending. There have been many sociological arguments put forward to explain the why women are underrepresented in crime. In 1977 carol smart argues that follow reasons to help explain why women tend to be invisible in criminology. She argued that sociology tend to be dominated by men a. She went on to argue that unlike men, women tend to commit new crimes and this crimes that women commit tend to be trivial. This supported by evidence from the official...
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...Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B According to crime statistics, men are more likely than women to commit crime. However, this statistical difference may be due to the way in which the criminal justice system deals with men and women. In some cases, the nature of female crimes means that they are less likely to be recorded. Men and women seem to commit different types of crime. Those committed by women are seen as more serious if they go against expected gender norms. For men, crime can be seen as an expression of masculinity and a way of gaining social status. Using material from Item B and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations of gender differences in the patterns of crime. There are an array of sociological explanations and theories as to why there is a significant difference not only in the crime rates of different genders but also in the crimes committed by each. Firstly,item B states that men are more likely to commit crime than women, official statistics support this statement as they show that of the 1.2 million criminals convicted and sentenced in 2011, only 24% of those were women and 72% were men; this shows that men are 3x more likely to be convicted and sentenced than women. There are a variety of explanations for this significant difference in criminal convictions; Parsons, and other functionalists, argue that this difference is due the Sex Role theory which states that men and women have different roles within the...
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...Assess strain theories as an explanation of crime and deviance in contemporary society The relationship between offending and subculture explains how a situation for example society preventing certain groups particularly working class males from succeeding in terms of material achievement and this creates group response whereby the group rejects the values and of that society and develops alternative values ‘subculture’ and this leads to values generated by the subculture being justified and leading to antisocial behaviour and crime. Strain is a term used to refer to explanations of criminal behaviour that argue that crime is a result of certain groups of people being places in a position where they are unable for whatever reason to conform to the values and beliefs of society. Strain theory was introduced by Merton who tried to locate deviance within a functionalist framework. Merton argued that capitalist societies suffer from anomie a strain/conflict between the goals set by society and the legitimate means of achieving of them. Merton argued that all societies set their members certain goals and at the same time set socially approved ways of achieving them. The system worked well as long as there was a reasonable chance that a majority of people were able to achieve their goals. However, if the majority of the population were unable to achieve the socially set goals, then they became disenchanted with society and found an alternative usually deviant way of behaving. Merton...
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...GCE Sociology Advanced GCE Unit G674: Exploring Social Inequality and Difference Mark Scheme for June 2012 Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) is a leading UK awarding body, providing a wide range of qualifications to meet the needs of candidates of all ages and abilities. OCR qualifications include AS/A Levels, Diplomas, GCSEs, OCR Nationals, Functional Skills, Key Skills, Entry Level qualifications, NVQs and vocational qualifications in areas such as IT, business, languages, teaching/training, administration and secretarial skills. It is also responsible for developing new specifications to meet national requirements and the needs of students and teachers. OCR is a not-for-profit organisation; any surplus made is invested back into the establishment to help towards the development of qualifications and support, which keep pace with the changing needs of today’s society. This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and students, to indicate the requirements of the examination. It shows the basis on which marks were awarded by examiners. It does not indicate the details of the discussions which took place at an examiners’ meeting before marking commenced. All examiners are instructed that alternative correct answers and unexpected approaches in candidates’ scripts must be given marks that fairly reflect the relevant knowledge and skills demonstrated. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the published question papers and the...
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...A2 Sociology ASSESSMENT PACK 2015-16 A2 Level Sociology Student Tracking Sheet | |Current Grade |Target Grade |Lates |Attendance | |September | | | | | |November | | | | | |January | | | | | |March | | | | | |May | | | | | | |Families |Education | |UMS | | | |Grade | | | | |Handed in on |Mark |Grade |What is the target for my next piece of work? |Above/ On/ Under Target | |Assessment/Homework |time...
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...Assess these strengths and weaknesses of Marxists explanations of crime Traditional Marxism is a structural theory which sees society as a structure in which the economic base determines the shape of the superstructure, which is made up of all the other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. Their function is to serve the ruling-class interests and maintain the capitalist society. Marxists agree that the law is enforced against powerless groups and that labelling often results in further deviance. They see crime and deviance as not coming from moral or biological defects but defects within social order and therefore crime is an inevitable part of capitalism as it stems from social inequality. For Marxists, crime is inevitable in capitalism because capitalism is criminogenic. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class and therefore is particularly damaging to the working class which may give rise to crime. Alienation and the lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as vandalism and violence. Crime may also be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. Therefore, it can be said a strength of the Marxist explanation of crime is that is it explains the causes of both utilitarian and non-utilitarian crime of the working class. However, one could argue that this...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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