Sociological explanations of crime From evil to sickness

Crime & Deviance Sociological explanations of crime From evil to sickness

Explanations for criminal behaviour • Demonology • Biological Theories • Psychological Approaches • Anomie • Control theory • Marxist • Subcultural

Demonology • “Devil made me do it” • Crime caused by demonic activity • Offender to be purged of evil presence • Exorcisms led to death of mentally ill

Born Evil • Biological • Double YY chromosome • a human male receives an extra Y-chromosome, giving a total of 47 chromosomes instead of the more usual 46. This produces a 47,XYY karyotype, which occurs in 1 in 1,000 male births

Anomie approach • Before we proceed you need to remind yourself of what is anomie (Lack of Norms) • Very close to functionalism think ‘norms and values’ • If you have no norms, crime is easy • Main reason for immigrant crime (Russian Mob, Mafia, Jamaican Possies)

Anomie: Merton • All societies motivate people…they can achieve through hard work • For the majority this is impossible/difficult to attain (suggest who and when) • Merton argues this to an increased level of crime as people turn to crime to achieve financial success • This situation when the goals of society are not possible by conventional means anomie

Marxism • Cannot fight stratification • Law allows rich to control society • See crime as a form of rebellion • “Les Miserables”

Biological Chemical and Environmental Precursors • *eating habits, vitamin deficiencies, blood • sugar levels • * Dan White and the Twinkie Defence” Hormones and Criminality • Testosterone, pre-menstrual syndrome • http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x501tn_annuale-commercial_fun

Psychological approach • Focus on the individual (cognitive, behavioral, neurological, developmental) • Examples: • Psychoanalytic theory (Freud) “my mother made me do it” • Psychopathy (sociopaths, psychopaths)

Psychopaths • Lack empathy and guilt • Highly manipulative • Emotionally shallow • Often outwardly charming • History of violence & abuse • Abnormal responses to stressors • Feels superior to victims • must always do something to keep themselves from boredom.

Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo • Met when he was 23 and she was 17. • Married in 1991, six months after they raped and killed Karla’s sister, Tammy • Raped and killed 14- year-old Leslie Mahaffy, 15-year-old Kristen French,19 year old Elizabeth Bain (never charged)

Sociopath • Repeated acts that could lead to arrest. • Conning for profit BUT CAN feel emotional attachment. • Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive. • Repeated assaults on others. • Reckless to their or others safety. • Poor work behavior & ignores financial obligations. • Less organized, quick to display rage, agitation. • Sociopath is likely to spontaneously act out in inappropriate manner, snap out in rage, without thinking about the consequences.

Nature versus Nurture (Lykken 1995) • Psychopaths BORN WITH distinctions that cause risk seeking, impulsiveness, fearlessness as well as inability to socialize. • Sociopaths are born with normal temperaments, BUT negative environmental experiences (poverty, permissive or neglectful parenting, direct exposure to violence) influence neurological growth which result in responses like psychopaths

Social Psychology (Lykken 1995)

Subculture Theory People who commit crime share a different set of values which is different from the values of society as a whole. They have a different subculture Brought up by their parents to have values sympathetic to crime

Subculture theory • Brought up in culture of deviance • Opportunities for crime abound • Learned deviance (stages with levels) • Deviance arises because individuals conform to the values and norms of particular groups which have a code of behaviour of their own.

David Downes: The delinquent solution Studied youths in East London • Found on evidence of a subculture but youths passed their time trying to get as much fun out of life • At times this brought them in conflict with law

Chicago School (1920’s) • Found that inner city and working class areas had more recorded crime than middle class suburban areas • E.g. James Patrick, A Glasgow gang observed, 1973 (participant observation) • Cloward and Ohlin, Delinquency and Opportunity, 1961 found delinquent groups are most common in socially disadvantaged areas Research your crime stats and find if this is representative of contemporary society…crime links at bottom of crime page…try to research your local police stats

J B Mays 1954(British sociologist examining Liverpool) Criminal subcultures are most likely in areas of acute social disadvantage Mods versus Rockers

J B Mays 1954 Delinquent Boys 1955 found that Status deprivation was a key factor in joining a delinquent group. Status - failure at school becomes an asset in the streets. Still true today?

Differential association theory Likelihood of engaging in crime is connected to values and attitudes of the people associated with (birds of a feather flock together)

Cohen (1955)

Cohen and ‘Status deprivation’ • Synthesized structuralism of Marxism with the Labeling Theory (remember?) • Each generation tries to find employment or adapts to unemployment. • “Skinheads” & “Punks” proud of label and live up to them • Youth develop a cultural style as a means of coping with their particular circumstances and of resisting the dominant values of society. • Working class youth as the leaders of barers of class struggle.

Cohen and ‘Status deprivation’ • Delinquency is a collective rather than an individual response to social stratification • W Belson, Juvenile theft, 1975, a study of thieves in London found that they stole so as to be ‘accepted as part of the group, to gain prestige’ (Listen to Kendrick Lamar – “The Art Of Peer Pressure") Tell me your stories of modern media equivalent

The Art Of Peer Pressure" Me and my niggas four deep in a white Toyota A quarter tank of gas, one pistol, and orange soda Janky stash box when the Federales will roll up Basketball shorts with the Gonzales Park odor We on the mission for bad bitches in trouble I hope the universe love you today cause the energy we bringing sure to carry away a flock of positive activists and fill their body with hate, if it's necessary Bumping Jeezy' first album, looking distracted Speaking language only we know, you think it's an accent of the working world, we pulled up on a bunch of working girls and asked them what they working with, look at me I got the blunt in my mouth, usually I'm drug-free But shit, I'm with the homies It's 2:30 and the sun is beaming Air conditioner broke, and I hear my stomach screaming Hungry for anything unhealthy, and if nutrition can help me I'll tell you to suck my dick, then I'll continue eating We speeding on the 4-0-5, passing Westchester You know the light-skinned girls in all their little dresses, good Lord They knew we weren't from round there cause every time we down there, we pulling out the Boost Mobile sim cards Bougie bitches with no extensions Hood niggas with bad intentions, the perfect combination Before we sparked the conversation We seen three niggas in colors we didn't like, then started interrogating I never was a gangbanger I mean I never was stranger to the folk neither, I really doubt it Rush a nigga quick, and then we laugh about it That's ironic cause I've never been violent until I'm with the homies Bragging bout the episode we just had A shot of Hennessy didn't make me feel that bad I'm usually a true firm believer of bad karma Consequences from evil will make your past haunt ya We tryna conquer the city with disobedience Quick to turn it up, beefing if we ain't got the CD in But Jeezy still playing and our attitude is still, nigga what is you saying? Pull in front of the house that we've been camping out for like two months The sun is going down as we take whatever we want I hit the back window in search of any Nintendo DVDs, plasma screen TVs in the trunk We made a right, then made a left, then made a right Then made a left, we was just circling life My mama called, kicking it I should have told her I'm probably bout to catch my first offense with the homies But they made a right, then made a left, then made a right Then another right One lucky night with the homies (And this is the art of peer pressure This is the art of peer pressure) Me and the homies

What were the signifiers of the sub-culture (Lamar)? • How did one achieve status • How does labeling theory apply?

How do we rectify the • difference in the theories? • Researchers build on (or attacks) past • theories

Downes refutes subcultural theory Downes studied East London youths : • No evidence of status frustration • No evidence of illegitimate opportunity structure • Youths lies were characterised by ‘dissociation’ from work and aspirations • Their values were about leisure time because of the dissatisfaction with school and work There was NO commitment to deviant values! What does that mean?

Three types of sub-cultures (Drug addicts who opt out )

Matza • Rather than being committed to delinquency, young people drifted between conventional and unconventional behavior. • Values of pleasure seeking and risk-taking are also found in mainstream suburban society • Everyone is deviant sometimes and young people are more prone

Matza

Sub-cultures do not have to lead to crime • Many are fashion based, based on music, clothing or lifestyle choices

Cooptation Jean Paul Gauthier punk collection ($5000 dress) • In some cases the sub-culture becomes so popular as to be accepted and/or take a place in society (rockers, punks, more?)

Positivists Examine the differences between delinquents and “normal” youth Marxist subculturalists Structural inequalities in society Working class youth have problems that they try to resolve sometimes this leads to crime View of subculture

Sub cultural Theory Influenced social policy in the U.K and in America Why would this approach be adopted by administrations to develop crime policy?

But where are the girls? • Again examining sociological studies we find that women have been ignored. Early sociology failed to take account of women. Suggest reasons why sociologists would have ignored women

Sociological explanations of crime From evil to sickness