CRIME AND DEV
- Created by: rana
- Created on: 14-06-18 20:23
TOPIC 1 - CRIME, DEVIANCE, SOCIAL ORDER AND SOCIAL CONTROL
SOCIAL CONSTUCTION OF CRIME AND DEIVIENCE
Construction of crime
· NEWBURN – crime is a label attached to behaviour which is prohibited by the state and has some illegal penalty to it
· Is socially constructed – an act only becomes a crime when the label of crime is applied to it
· Crime covers a wide range of behaviour, so it is extremely difficult to develop explanations that account for the vast diversity of acts that are labelled as criminal
Construction of deviance
· Like crime, deviance is too a construction.
· PLUMMER– distinguished between societal and situational deviance
àSocietal deviance – acts that most members of society regard as deviant because they share values of un/approved behaviour
à Situational deviance – acts where whether or not they are seen as deviant depends on the context or location in which they take place
· These two concepts suggest that what is regarded
as deviant may:
à Vary between different societies, cultures, contexts and locations
à Change over time
FUNCTIONALIST AND SUBCULTURAL THEORIES
· Functionalism sees crime and deviance arising from the structure of society
· DURKHEIM argued that some crime is inevitable, because not everyone is equally committed to the shared values and moral beliefs in society
· Durkheim saw some deviance and crime as performing necessary and beneficial functions;
à Strengthening collective values – punishing criminals reasserts the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
à Enabling social change – deviance is needed to allow new ideas to develop
à Acting as a safety valve – to ease stresses and frustrations in society
à Acting as a warning device that society is not working properly
Strain Theory and anomie
· MERTON suggests that social order is based on a consensus around social goals
· In an unequal society, not all people have the same opportunity of realising these goals in a legitimate way
· This means they face a strain or tension between goals they aspire to and the legitimate opportunities for achieving them à leads to anomie
· Most people conform and achieve goals by approved means. Merton argues that those facing strain show four different modes of adaptation
à Innovation; rejects means of achieving goals but accepts the goals
àRitualism; accepts means of achieving goals but rejects the goals
àRetreats; rejects both means and goals
àRebellion; revolts and creates new
Evaluation of Merton
+ It provides an explanation for different forms of deviance
- It takes for granted a consensus around means and goals
- Focuses on individual responses and doesn’t recognise the social pattern of crime
-Doesn’t explain why most people who face strain do not turn to crime
- Exaggerates working class crime
- Only explains…
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