...Sociologists use the labelling theory in order to explain why crime and deviance occurs in society. This theory conveys the idea that a act is only criminal or deviant if the act is labelled accordingly, these labels are attached to individuals by those in society who are conformist, therefore they are defining what is deviant and non-deviant. Those who use this theory as an explanation therefore explain crime and deviance in the terms that it occurs as a result of labelling that has been placed on an individual for partaking in a certain activity that has previously been labelled as opposing the norms and values that are upheld in society by those who “conform”which as a result leads to a self fulfilling prophecy being fulfilled. Labelling theorist therefore reject other explanations for crime such as the Marxist approach that argue it is due to the subordinate position of the proletariate that is maintained by the bourgeoisie, or that crime is a result of the lack of opportunity in society for legitimate employment , as a result of rejecting these theories they argue that the labelling process has a direct impact and that crime is a product of the labelling theory. Becker argues that a individual or behaviour is only defined as deviant due to the label that has been attached to it, these labels are created by ‘moral entrepreneurs’ that then lead a moral crusade to get laws changed and apply the labels. He argues that the result of this leads to the creation of a new group of outsiders...
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...structural theory focusing on the needs of the whole social system and how these shape society’s main features (e.g. social institutions, humans’ behavioural patterns). It is a consensus theory, seeing society as based on value consensus (agreement) between its inhabitants about their values, goals and rules. The New Right is a conservative, political perspective that shares similarities with Functionalism (e.g. believing some people are more naturally talented than others) but contradicts it in arguing that the state should have less involvement in society (e.g. by cutting welfare). Durkheim saw modern industrial society as based on a complex division of labour which promotes differences between groups, weakening social solidarity. He argued that the resultant freedom to the individual must be regulated by society to prevent extreme egoism from destroying all social bonds. Resultantly, he saw society as external and independent to individuals, being made up of ‘social facts’ that constrain and shape people’s behaviour to meet society’s functional prerequisites (needs). Durkheim further believed that if any one thing (‘social fact’) exists, it has a function which will help meet society’s needs, the key ones of which are goals (met through political institutions, e.g. parliament), adaptation (meeting members’ material needs, e.g. through the economy), integration (socialising members into the shared values and goals of society, e.g. through education and the media) and latency...
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...Crime and Deviance AN INTRODUCTION TO CRIME AND DEVIANCE Definitions * Crime- An act which breaks the criminal laws of society. * Deviance- refers to the behaviour which is disapproved of by most people in society and which does not conform to society's norms and values. TOPIC 1: FUNCTIONALIST, STRAIN AND SUBCULTURAL THEORIES Durkheim's functionalist theory: * Socialisation and Social control are two key mechanisms which allow social solidarity to occur in society. The inevitability of crime: * Functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society. * They also see crime as inevitable and universal- Durkheim, 'crime is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies.' * There are two reasons why C&D are found in all societies; 1.Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values. 2. Different groups develop their own subculture and what the members of the subculture regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant. * Durkheim also discusses that in modern societies there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessness). The diversity of modern societies means that the collective conscience is weakened, and this results in higher levels of C&D. The positive functions of crime: * For Durkheim, crime also fulfils two important functions; boundary maintenance and adaptation. * Boundary Maintenance- In Durkheim's view, the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society's shared rules and reinforces...
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...needed: - Socialisation – helps ensure individuals share the same norms and values. Shows the way to act. - Social control – rewards for conformity and punishment for deviance. Controls behaviour. Inevitability of crime – functionalists see crime as inevitable and universal. Every society has crime. Two reasons why crime and deviance are in all societies: - No everyone is equally socialized into norms and values. Some are likely to be deviant. - Diversity of lifestyle and values. Different groups have their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values. Some may see deviant acts as normal. > Durkheim says in modern societies there is tendency towards anomie. The rules for behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut. This is because modern societies have a complex division of labour meaning individuals become more different from each other. Crime is more likely. Positive functions of crime – it also performs two positive functions Boundary maintenance - produces a reaction from society, uniting members in disapproval of criminals and reinforcing their commitment to shared norms and values. Adaptation and change – all change starts with an act of deviance. There must be scope to challenge existing norms and values and this will seem deviant in the short run. Criticisms - Durkheim says society requires deviance to function properly but states no way of knowing how much is the right amount. - Functionalists see crime in terms of its function. Crime may not...
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...Sociological Theories A sociological theory is a set of ideas that provides an explanation for human society. Theories are selective in terms of their priorities and perspectives and the data they define as significant. As a result they provide a particular and partial view of reality. Sociological theories can be grouped together according to a variety of criteria. The most important of these is the distinction between Structural and Social action theories. Structural or macro perspectives analyses the way society as a whole fits together. Structural theory sees society as a system of relationships that creates the structure of the society in which we live. It is this structure that determines our lives and characters. Structured sets of social relationships are the 'reality' that lie below the appearance of 'the free individual' of western individualism. Structuralism focuses on the particular set of 'structural laws' that apply in any one society. Despite their differences, both functionalism and Marxism use a model of how society as a whole works. Many functionalists base their model of society around the assumption of basic needs and go to explain how different parts of society help to meet those needs. Marxists, on the other hand, see society as resting upon an economic base or infrastructure, with a superstructure above it. They see society as divided into social classes which have the potential to be in conflict with each other. However, the main differences...
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...Glossary of Sociological Terms |11-Plus Exam |Examination introduced with the 1944 Education Act, sat by all pupils in the state sector| | |at the age of 11. If they passed they went to the selective Grammar School, or if they | | |failed to the Secondary Modern School. This exam still exists in some counties such as | | |Kent and also in Northern Ireland. | |12-Plus Exam |Exam made available only to a minority of 'high-flyers' in Secondary Modern schools, | | |offering a late chance to go to Grammar School at the age of 12. | |'30-30-40 society' |A term associated with Will Hutton to describe an increasingly insecure and polarised | | |society. The bottom 30 per cent is socially excluded by poverty from the rest of society.| | |The next 30 per cent live in fear and insecurity of falling into poverty. Only the top 40| | |per cent feel secure and confident. ...
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...SOCIAL CONTROL • What is Social Control? In sociological dictionaries, “social control” is defined to include all social processes, institutions and methods that produce (or attempt to produce) conformity or regulate the individual and collective conduct of its members. Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control mechanisms used to prevent the establishment of chaos or anomie. Some theorists, such as Émile Durkheim, refer to this form of control as regulation. Sociologists identify two basic forms of social controls: 1. Internal Control- Internalisation of norms and values by a process known as socialization. Socialization is defined as "“the process by which an individual, born with behavioral potentialities of enormously wide range, is led to develop actual behavior which is confined to the narrower range of what is acceptable for him by the group standards.” 2. External Control- External sanctions, which can be either positive (rewards) or negative (punishment). These sanctions come from either formal or informal control. While the concept of social control has been around since the formation of organized sociology, the meaning has been altered over time. Originally the concept simply referred to society’s ability...
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...assaults and rapes on more than five separate occasions whilst they were being driven through New South Wales and Victoria. The two girls were both stabbed and killed in Fiddler's Green Creek in Victoria; the order from Camilleri that was carried out by Beckett (CrimeUncovered, 2013) The two men spotted the girls walking along a road near their camp site, and offered them a ride. According to Beckett, the girls agreed and willingly got in the car. The men then proceeded to each pull out a knife in order to scare the girls into cooperating. There were approximately five stops as they drove, each being an opportunity to sexual assault the two school girls. In total, the trip took just over twelve hours before they reached Fiddler's Green Creek. Camilleri ordered Beckett to kill both of them however Beckett protested in that it was unfair that he had to kill them both. He eventually complied when Camilleri threatened to stab him if he did not do what he was told. Beckett attempted to drown Lauren Barry, however he stabbed her in the neck after a struggle. He slashed Nichole Collins' throat several times, but when this did not work, he stabbed her in the chest. She was still alive, so he kicked her in the head until she stopped moving. The two men then continued on towards Canberra, stopping to burn the clothing and tools used in the murder of the girls. They stopped at a car wash and spent six hours cleaning and removing any trace of evidence (Crime Uncovered, 2013). Once...
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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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...Sociological perspectives Sociological perspectives is a perspective on human behaviour and its connection to society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behaviour of individual people and the structures of the society in which they live. The structures are functionalism, Marxism, Feminist, Interactionism, Collectivism, Postmodernism and New right. Functionalism Functionalism is a perspective created by Emile Durkheim. He believed society was made up of inter-connected institutions for an example education, family and government which depended on each other to function. Functionalists see society as being similar to the human body. In the same way the body relies on the heart to pump blood round to other vital organs like the lungs and brain. Functionalists see society as being constructed of different inter-dependent components like the family and education system. So in the same way the human body would fail if the heart stopped, functionalists’ argue society would stop working properly if the family stopped functioning properly. Functionalists say this would happen because the family is an institution in which primary socialisation occurs. Primary socialisation is where younger members of a family are taught societies norms, values, roles and beliefs, By having the same values which we all share, a value consensus is establish. Therefore we can see the family has a function in the social system. This perspective of society differed...
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...asked ‘are women more aggressive in committing violent crimes today than in the past? Women were viewed as gatekeepers of social morality and the common fear is that women are changing. Ward and his colleagues relied on to document the nature of women ‘violent offences. They have examined whether and how the characteristics and crimes of incarcerated female offenders have changed. This essay also seek to explain the patterns of stability and change over the last third of the 20th century in women’s crimes of violence and the moral panics that explain violent criminality by women. Although boys engage in more delinquent and criminal acts than do girls, female delinquency is on the rise. In 1980, boys were four times as likely as girls to be arrested; today they are only twice as likely to be arrested. In this article, Elizabeth Cauffman explores how the juvenile justice system is and should be responding to the adolescent female offender Reasons why there is less research on female criminality? Smart (1976) stated that throughout history female violence or crime have has been neglected` in criminology theories. The studies show that females were documented to commit less crime, which resulted female offenders being simply conformed within the theoretical aspects of criminology. The fact that women, across most cultures committed far fewer crimes than men was not seriously addressed. There are several reasons: Female crimes were considered low compared to men. Secondly it been...
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...that later developed into his theory that he named Anomie Strain Theory. The labelling theory links deviance not to action but to the reaction of others. The labelling theory is used as a sociological theory of crime influential in challenging positivity criminology. The key people to this theory were Becker and Lemert. While it was Lemert who introduced the key concepts of labelling theory, it was Howard Becker who become their champion. He first began describing the process of how a person adopts a deviant role in a study of dance musicians, with whom he once worked. He later studied the identity formation of marijunana smokers. This study was the basis of his Outsiders published in 1963. Labelling theory claims that deviance and conformity results not so much from what people do but from how others respond to the actions, it highlights social responses to crime and deviance. The foundations for this view of deviance are said to have to have been first established by Lement, (1951) and were subsequently developed by Becker, (1963). The labelling theory has subsequently become a dominant example in the explanation of deviance.The labelling theory is constituted by the assumption that deviant behaviour is to be seen not simply as the violation of a norm but as any behaviour which is successfully defined or labeled as deviant....
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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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...sociological perspectives. Sociology is the study of social behaviour, including its origins, developments, organization and institutions. There are seven sociology approaches to describe the human behaviour: * Functionalism * Marxism * Feminism * Interactionism * Postmodernism * The New Right * Collectivism 1 – Functionalism The Functionalism perspective is based largely on the work of Herbert Spencer, Emilie Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Robert Mertoni. According to Functionalism, society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole. (www.laulina.hawaii.edu) The Functionalism sees social structure or the organization of society as more important than the individual. Because society is based on agreed norms and values Talcott theory’s said that individuals are born into society and become the product of all the social influences around them as they are socialised by various institutions such as the family, education, media and religion. To live in a society or organization it is important to have values and live on agreed norms, because will give us necessary structure to build these values and fallow these norms. The social consensus, order and integration are key beliefs of functionalism as this allows society to continuo and progress because there are shared norms and values and shows that all individuals have common goal. An example of social consensus is family...
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