Sociological Theories of Crime

1. Sociological Theoriesof Crime Law and Order

2. From a Marxist perspective, I’m simply a member of the oppressed proletariat. Society is breaking down, and I am a product of inadequate socialisation This is what I get a buzz from, and I’m taking all the credit for it. Give us the money ... and fast! What are the causes of crime?

3. Functionalist • New Right • Environmental/Subcultural • Interactionism/Labelling • Traditional Marxist • Left Realist • Feminist Theories of Crime

4. Societies have value consensus on good and bad behaviour • Deviance may be unusually good, bizarre or (most commonly) immoral/illegal • Deviants persistently behave differently from the normal majority • The more deviant the act, the more likely to be illegal • Crime arises when socialisation breaks down and the tendency towards selfishness is unrestrained; responsibility is more structural than individual Functionalist

5. Societies have value consensus on good and bad behaviour • Deviance crosses the boundary of this consensus • Deviants persistently behave differently from the normal majority • More deviant acts more likely to be illegal; but illegality is sometimes over-defined by interfering bureaucrats • Crime arises from poor upbringing, genetic defects or even government interference; responsibility more individual than structural New Right

6. Society is a complex whirlpool of changing and conflicting values (subcultures) • There are dominant, mainstream values, and deviance is the result of following subcultural values • Deviants are not ‘wrong’, just subscribing to different values • Laws reflect majority/mainstream values • Crime is inevitably caused by culture clash Environmental/Subcultural

7. Society is about the interaction of individuals and groups in interpreting/ determining ‘normal’ behaviour • Deviance is interpreted differently depending on time, person and place • Deviance is about differences of interpretation rather than major differences between people • Legal definitions are determined through pressure group activity • The causes of crime relate more to how people define crime, but there is little difference between ‘deviant’ and ‘normal’ people Interactionist/Labelling

8. Society is structured on the basis of exploitation of the masses (proletariat) by an economic elite (bourgeoisie) • Deviance is behaviour disapproved of by those in power as undermining/threatening to the system • ‘Deviants’ are victims of a bullying, repressive state; white collar law-breakers are rarely branded criminal • Legal definitions are determined by the level of threat of a behaviour to the ruling class • Crime is caused by the unfair, corrupt nature of capitalist society; Marxists like to highlight crimes of giant corporations Traditional Marxist

9. View of society similar to Marxism, but also a belief in commonly shared values and the need for practical solutions within a capitalist system that is not going away • Deviance may be defined by powerful groups, but a complexity of factors are also at work – e.g. gender, race etc. • Not so concerned with legal definitions as with deviant behaviour that is damaging to society; e.g. homophobic harassment, minor street crimes • Crime is caused by capitalist society’s marginalisation of groups such as young, working class males Left Realist

10. Society is based on the exploitation of women by men • Deviance is determined differently for women than for men • ‘Deviants’ are defined in relation to their roles in society, with men construct the roles of women • Women commit far less criminal acts, so concern is not so much with criminality as the way in which ‘normal male’ behaviour is deviant for them • Women encounter the law more as victims than perpetrators • Female crime is more likely to be caused by economic need; e.g. prostitution, shop-lifting Feminist

11. Functionalist – based on theory rather than research • New Right – combination of theory and secondary research • Subcultural – often uses participant observation • Interactionist – tends to use observation, participant observation and case studies • Marxist – abstract/theoretical rather than research-based, although participant observation and case studies may be used • Left Realist – makes much use of detailed victim and attitude surveys • Feminist – combination of theory, secondary research and intensive case studies Research Methodology