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Summary A-Level Crime And Deviance 10 markers questions and answers
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10 mark questions answered for a level crime and deviance.
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10 mark exam questions:✔ Applying material from Item A, analyse two reasons why labelling theory may not provide an adequate
explanation for the causes of crime.
Item A: Labelling theorists suggest that many people commit acts of crime and deviance, but it is stereotypes and
assumptions held by the police and other agencies of social control that influence who gets caught and defined
as criminal. Officially classified criminals are an unrepresentative group of offenders who have had their behaviour
publicly labelled as ‘criminal’.
One way in which labelling theory may not provide an adequate explanation is the fact that it recognises
power structures but fails to explain why. This is often seen with ‘who gets caught and defined as criminal’ often we
notice that it is common for ethnic minorities such as black individuals or those of a lower social class to be ridiculed
for committing crimes, however the labelling theory acknowledges this yet does not explain institutional racism
which may partake in forming these labels. According to marxists they do not take into consideration the source of
this power to label individuals which means this is an incomplete explanation for the cause in crime.
Often the labelling theory is seen to be deterministic. The labelling theory assumes that every individual who is
‘publicly labelled’ will passively accept this label and undergo the self fulfilling prophecy and adhere to what has
been said of them. Often these labels are given and cause society to treat the individual based on the label that
has been attached.individuals have a sense of free will and are able to choose whether they abide by this label. In
addition the labelling theory fails to acknowledge how functions within society such as rehabilitation programmes
and probation schemes have been put in place to allow the individual to break free from the label. However
becker argues that the master status is difficult to hide from despite the programmes put in place and individual
free will.
Applying material from Item B, analyse two reasons why the Marxist theory may not provide an adequate
explanation for the causes of crime.
Item B: Marxists argue that crime occurs because of the criminogenic nature of capitalism in society. However,
many sociologists would disagree with their claims. Some sociologists argue they ignore non-class inequalities and
their relationship to crime. It fails to explain why some capitalist countries have low crime rates. It is also a
deterministic theory.
one limitation of the marxists theory in relation to the explanation of crime is the fact that it is deterministic and
ignores other factors. in relation to crime. the item suggests ‘ sociologists argue they ignore non - class inequalities
and their relationship to crime’ marxists over emphasise propoerty crime and say little about offences such as rape,
domestic violence, child abuse and murder they do not provide an explaination as to why these criminal acts
happen and how they are caused by a capitialist society. they fail to acknowledge that factors such as ethnicity,
religion, gender etc. play a part in criminal acts as well rather than it just being a result of working class exploitation.
For example feminists regard them as male streams, for focussing primarily on male criminality their limited
explanation infers that we cannot generalize their theories to different aspects of crime and deviance.
Another limitation of the marxists theory is the fact that it fails to take into account ‘countries who have low crime
rates’. marxists suggest that capitalism is inevitable and is present in all societies however they neglect to explain
, why capitalism is not causing high crime rates in order countries. This is because it is difficult to interpret all laws as
reflecting the ruling class interests and therefore there may be less rebellion in different places. Traditional marxist
theories ignore the act that most working class people, even those suffering from severe poverty, do not commit
crime.
Applying material from Item C, analyse two reasons why the Functionalist theory may not provide an adequate
explanation for the causes of crime.
Item C: Functionalists argue that crime occurs because it is an evitable feature of society, usually caused by a state
of anomie. However, many sociologists would disagree with their claims. There is no way of knowing how much
crime society needs to function successfully. They do not acknowledge the fact that crime can cause divisions in
society rather than solidarity. They also ignore victims when explaining crimes.
One reason as to why functionalists' perspective on crime is not an adequate explanation is the fact that they fail
to acknowledge those affected by the criminal acts. As the item suggests ‘they ignore victims when explaining
crimes’ functionalists take on the view that crime is necessary and beneficial for the well-being of society however
this holistic nomothetic approach fails to acknowledge the specific individuals that may be affected by the
criminal acts. Left realists such as Lea and Young suggest that crime is distressing and traumatic thus causing many
individuals who were subjected to this to be in fear, disrupting the functionalists idea of a collective conscience
suggesting that it is over emphasised and exaggerated. Taylor, Watson and Young also state that in fact crime is
not functional to individuals in society as criminal acts such as murder and rape are not functional.
Another reason as to why the functionalists perspective is critiqued is the fact that it over emphasises the
abundance and strength of social solidarity and collective conscience. as the item states ‘ They do not
acknowledge the fact that crime can cause divisions in society rather than solidarity.’ functionalists believe that
crime promotes social cohesion however this is not necessarily a true claim. right realists such as Wilson and Kelling
suggest that crime can do real harm to community cohesion and informal social control as some criminal acts may
go unnoticed and thus lead to the breakdown of law and order. This causes a division in society as social control
can be lost and therefore criminals will be walking freely infuriating civilians causing them to rebel against the
justice system. Durkheim also paid little attention to the fact that the ruling class had much of the power to
constitute what is seen as criminal thus causing a division among different social classes within society.
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