Interactionalist
- agree - focus on social construction of crime stats - police labelling viewed
- Consequence of interactions between certain powerless groups in society
- Reject idea that crime statistics are realistic reflection of criminal activity
- Crime statistics are the result of a series of assumptions & judgements made by agencies of social
control e.g police..
- They reject the idea of a 'typical criminal' < & are more interested in exploring how & why particular
groups or individuals come to define as criminal or deviant ['micro approach' or 'macro approach']
- Howard Becker - believes it is impossible to define what counts as 'normal' or 'deviant' behaviour
because these are relative concepts - what is normal for one person may be regarded as deviant by
another person
- Norms/rules of deviance are imposed on society by powerful groups or elites. E.g. Rich - makes rules
- Definitions of deviance are socially constructed
- Police use stereotyping & labelling which often leads to the idea of a 'master status'
- Primary deviance - (minor acts of wrongdoing) has no negative consequence
- PR STATS VIEW
- agree - focus on social construction of crime stats - police labelling viewed
- Consequence of interactions between certain powerless groups in society
Functionalists
- trust quantitative data
- Believe there's value consensus in society and see that the police as representing all of us, & not
question their motives
- Use the 'typical criminal' presented in police recorded figures
- Deviant behaviours seen as functional
- Durkheim saw crime as an integral part of a healthy society Anomie:
- Some crime * deviance was inevitable - society would always have some deviance as people test the the lack of social cohesion and solidarity that often accompanies
boundaries. rapid social change.
- Argues - deviance would exist in a society of good people, 'society of saints'
- Value consensus - important for society to function effectively + social order to be maintained From <https://www.tutor2u.net/sociology/topics/anomie>
- No value consensus leads to 'normlessness' - a state of 'anomie' which is iy damaging for society.
- PR STATS VIEW:
- trust quantitative data
- Believe there's value consensus in society and see that the police as representing all of us, & not
question their motives
- Use the 'typical criminal' presented in police recorded figures
Left Realists
- Accept white-collar & corporate crime are significant.
- Accuse left idealists of having romantic view of the crime as a victim of circumstances
- Real and significant increase in levels of street crime and the fear surrounding crime
- PR STATS VIEW:
- -recognise police figures are not perfect but should not be dismissed
The New Right
- Charles Murray -
- Inadequate socialisation = young people develop culture characteristics by dependency, lack of
discipline & respect, criminality & laziness
- Over-generous welfare payments for encouraging 'feckless' behaviour * increase in single mothers
raising young boys with no father.
- Girls no father - emotionally damaged
- More involved in society = less likely to commit crime.
- VIEW ON PR STATS:
- Accept the official picture of a typical criminal presented by PRF
- Focus on criminality in deprived sections of society - 'underclass'
Marxist
argue that deviance must be kept to a low level. They say that a small amount of deviant
activity can actually help maintain social order because it unites the rest of society in
disapproval of the deviant behaviour. Functionalists say social control benefits everyone in
society.
agree that social control is essential to keep order. However, they say capitalism is an exploitative
system which requires systems of social control over the population to prevent rebellion and
revolution Marxists say social control benefits the ruling class and works against the interests of the
majority working class.
- PR STATS:
- Police recorded crime figures are used as a tool to control the working class and justify their control
and oppression
- They're used to scare us and justify more policing.
- Feminist
- -Polka - argues the idea that males commit significantly more crime than women is a myth
- Women are biologically more devious than men
- Women manipulate men to commit crime for them
- Police recorded stats:
- Accept that females commit crime significantly less than men
Radical criminologist
- Look at reasons behind the inequality and in whose interests the criminal justice system operates.
- Police recorded stats:
- Combine Marxist and interactionalist aspects of crime
- Focus on police labelling for political views.
- Look at power of police to label for political reasons.
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