WDW151H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Differential Association, Disorganized Crime, Alice Goffman
12 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Empirical reality: systematic collection of observable data
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Criminologists must explain and understand the nature of crime
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Crime statistics: officially measured by police institutions since 1962
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Crime rates: standardized based on population
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Fear of offender
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Police involvement would not be helpful
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Distrust the police or judicial system
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To be included in statistics, crimes must first be reported by the public --> some may
therefore be excluded
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Changes in legislation may affect statistics
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Self-report surveys: questionnaires that seek anonymous reports about offences
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Crime is not related to class --> overrepresentation is because of police targeting
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Reliability: same results on repeated trials
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Validity: accuracy of measure in relation to concept
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Lying, anonymity, memory loss --> inaccuracies
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Lower income neighbourhoods = more crime
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Victimization surveys; sampled at household level
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Deeper understanding of crime and victimization
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Observational account: face-to-face interaction in natural setting
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People with weakest links are most likely to suicide
Suicide differences were based on level of social integration and cohesion
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Society is not the result of individual action
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Durkheim
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Geographically patterned
Crime is not randomly distributed among population
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Rates are higher for displaced, poorer / socially disorganized
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Chicago School
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Delinquency is caused by neighbourhoods
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Social disorganization is responsible for crime
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Crime and Social Disorganization
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Lost meaning (Durkheim)
Anomic suicide: social condition: individual is lost / normlessness
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Anomic: societies inadvertently pressure individuals --> break laws
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Innovator: believes in goals, but rejects way to get there (instead turns to
crime)
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'reaction formula' working class youth turn to alternative system
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Doesn't explain why higher classes engage in crime
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Strain / Anomic Theory - Durkheim, Merten, Cohen
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Set of institutions that act to control and regulate rule-breaking behaviour
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Social bonds (commitments, beliefs, involvements, attachments)
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Control Theory - Hirschi
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Human beings act in reference to their environment
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Criminal behaviour is learned
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Differential Association Theory - Sutherland
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Symbolic interactionist: interaction that takes place between people
through symbols
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Tagging causes more non-conformity
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Examining process - how not why
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Secondary is caused by tagging primary
Lemert - primary and secondary deviation
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Labelling can deter crime
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Labelling Theory - Cooley, Mead, Tannenbaum
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Law is not merely social norms
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Crime should focus on law breakers and makers
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State secures and maintains the interests of the economic elites
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Law is used to maintain power and privilege
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Critical Criminology
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Criminology ignores crimes against the working class
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'relative deprivation' frame of reference
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Working class criminals prey on fellow class
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'practical' responses to crime
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Left Realism
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Victimology: male violence against women
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Changes in definitions of crime
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Women engaging in crime are a product of the times
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Women/gender equality increase = more crime by women
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Power control theories: egalitarian households contributes to female
delinquency
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Feminism and Criminology
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Classical Sociological Explanations of Crime
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O’Grady,
Crime in the Canadian Context
, “Chapter 4: Classical Sociological
Explanations of Crime,” 88-115 and “Chapter 2: Measuring Crime,” 32-63.
Alice Goffman, “How we’ve primed some kids for college – and others for prison,”
TED Talk (March 2015). (16:04).
Isamel Nazario, “What I learned as a kid in jail,” (11:03) TEDX New York (October 2014).
7: Coping with Crime I
November 9, 2016
10:17 PM
READINGS Page 1
Document Summary
O"grady, crime in the canadian context, (cid:373)chapter 4: classical sociological. Explanations of crime,(cid:374) 88-115 and (cid:373)chapter 2: measuring crime,(cid:374) 32-63. Criminologists must explain and understand the nature of crime. Crime statistics: officially measured by police institutions since 1962. To be included in statistics, crimes must first be reported by the public --> some may therefore be excluded. Self-report surveys: questionnaires that seek anonymous reports about offences. Crime is not related to class --> overrepresentation is because of police targeting. Validity: accuracy of measure in relation to concept. Suicide differences were based on level of social integration and cohesion. People with weakest links are most likely to suicide. Society is not the result of individual action. Rates are higher for displaced, poorer / socially disorganized. Strain / anomic theory - durkheim, merten, cohen. Anomic suicide: social condition: individual is lost / normlessness. Anomic: societies inadvertently pressure individuals --> break laws.
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