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Summary Essay
- Module
- Criminology (CRIM1111)
- Institution
- De Montfort University (DMU)
It is an essay paper on the capitalism society
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Chloe Marlow P2595121Are social and economic dysfunctions of capitalism part of the
explanation of crime?
The definition of the socioeconomic explanation of crime is that it is closely linked to
poverty, wage and income inequality, level of education, social exclusion, cultural
and family backgrounds and other social and economic factors that could potentially
impact an individual’s inclination to commit crimes that could be cultural
characteristics, for example, age and crime. This social and economic revolution
prompted the emergence of a more modern social science to help to understand it.
This explanation of crime emerged in the late 19 th and early 20th Century, within the
growing expansion of industrialisation. The topics that are talked about will
potentially help to explore the possible answers to the question, are social and
economic dysfunctions of capitalism part of the explanation of crime? Also to help
explore the answers to this question, taking the approach of elaborating through
different parts of history of economic and social parts of crime and the individuals
who commit them, as well as also exploring the concept of how gender can play a
part in what motivates individuals to commit crimes, and finally the main approach
that will be looked into the most is the environmental aspects, such as the individuals
background and most importantly the location where the crimes take place.
An important aspect of the question are social and economic dysfunctions of
capitalism part of the explanation of crime is urbanisation. In 1827, the national crime
statistics printed in France, showed that crime overall, consisting of specific crimes,
like murder and rape, was unfairly issued. Certain areas had higher crime rates in
comparison to other areas. Key factors that were identified that could have been
influencing the spatial distribution of crime across urban space, those key factors
potentially being population density, inequality, diet and education etc, these being
across urban spaces. Also in 1840-1916, Charles Booth, in England, he also
recorded the spatial spread of crime across urban space, in other countries there
were also other researchers who explored this avenue, such as in France, there was
Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874), as well as in Belgium, there was Andre-Michel
, Chloe Marlow P2595121
Guerry (1802-1866), and both of those researchers documented the same results as
Charles Booth. Another group of individuals who was well known for their links
between environmental factors and crime, these individuals being the Chicago
School. They elaborate on their ideas in more detail by saying that a vital part of this
is the belief of a ‘zone of transition; within cities’, these zones being portrayed by
poor health, high levels of poverty, run-down housing etc. These areas were
depicted as ‘socially disorganised’, and the negative impact were seen to be
expected as ‘low in informal methods of social control’ and ‘high in crime’.
Researchers in Chicago, Shaw and McKay (1942) tested this hypothesis and
discovered that the rates of delinquency were ‘at their highest in more run-down
inner-city areas and vastly declined the further one moved into the prosperous
suburbs’ (Haywood, 2001). From these ideas and findings, to the researchers it
seemed like the right way to then put forward as fact that in neighbourhoods where
unemployment rates are high and also if the economic projections are low, it will be a
struggle to collect the important assets to battle the struggle of social disorganisation
and try to keep informal social control, this then further enforcing the claim that
suggests the decline of economic settings, which will lead to increasing levels of
crime.
Another element that explores the idea of whether social and economic dysfunctions
of capitalism part of the explanation of crime, goes into what Merton focused his
attention onto, which was personified in the concept of ‘the American dream’, the
idea of the promotion, in the midst of the depression era and after that, also the idea
that everybody has an equal chance of achieving wealth by working hard. However,
it can be argued that the capability to accomplish the idea of wealth is restricted by
factors such as disparities in natural talent and also the social structure, this leading
to the belief of the unequal division of valid ways and chances, for example, work
and education. The idea of ‘strain’ amongst cultural objectives and the genuine
means that are presented to achieve those objectives, even though it is believed by
all aspects of society, yet the group of individuals that feel it the most and have it
more strongly focused on them, would be the lower-class individuals. This meaning,
therefore, that crime can be seen as the outcome of the lack of ability to accomplish
culturally distinct targets, amidst reasonable socially established means.
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