Start: GANGSTA’s Paradise
• What theories of crime do
you see in the lyrics.
• Functionalism – strain
theory – subcultural theory.
• Marxism – criminogenic –
white collar crime –
selective law enforcement.
AFSTOD.
• Left Realism / Right Realism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF
K6H_CcuX8
Applying different approaches
Functionalism
Interactionism
Subcultural
Theory
Marxism
New
Criminology
(AFSTOD)
Realism
Functionalism
Durkheim Crime is
innevitable
Crime has positive
functions
Boundary
Maintenance
Change and
Adaptation
Warning Function
Social bonds
Safety Valve
Merton – Strain to
Anomie
Five Adaptations
Albert Cohen
Status Frustration
Cloward and Ohlin
Opportunity
Structures
Walter Miller Focal
Concerns
Labelling Theory
Primary
Deviance
Secondary
Deviance
Master Status
Self-concept
Self-fulfilling
prophecy
Deviant Career
Deviant
Subculture
Deviance
Amplification
Braithwaite –
Reintegrative
shaming
Circoural –
Negotiation of
Justice
Jock Young –
Study of
Hippies
Stan Cohen
Folk Devils and
Moral Panics
Marxist Approaches
Criminogenic
Capitalism
Crime fuelled by
inequality,
consumerism and
alienation
Crime is rational
response to K.
Found in all
classes.
White Collar Crime
Law is selectively
enforced
Ideological
Functions of Crime
and Law
AFSTOD
Policing the Crises
(Stuart Hall)
Official statistics
over represent WC
crime
New Critical
Criminology
9. Crime control, prevention, punishment
Key questions
1. How can we prevent
crime from happening?
2. Does our way of
punishing really work?
3. What alternatives are
there to imprisonment?
Key information
 Crime prevention policies –
‘broken window’
 Punishment of crimes & the
prison system
Assessment Questions
1.
Assess sociological views of crime reduction. (21)
2.
Evaluate the effectiveness of crime prevention
strategies in reducing crime. (21)
3.
Do prisons work? Assess the sociological arguments
surrounding punishment. (21)
4.
Assess sociological explanations of functions and
forms of the punishment of offenders. (21)
Realism
In pairs – create a
summary diagram
Causes
Right
Realism
Left
Realism
Solutions
Left Realism
It’s all about
meeeeeeee!
Criticisms of New/Radical Criminology
What about
me!?!?
Criticisms of New/Radical Criminology
What about
me!?!?
Robin Hood
Ignores victims
Gender-blind
AFSTOD
I can’t make
my mind
up!?!?!?!
Left Realism:
A response to Marxism
“We need practical
strategies for reducing
crime in the here and now,
rather than waiting for a
revolution and a classless
socialist utopia to abolish
crime.”
• Left realists, like Marxist,
agree that structural
reasons like poverty and
feelings of injustice cause
crime.
Response to the growing
influence of Right Realism
Taking crime seriously
• Left realists recognise that there
has been a real increase in crime
rates.
• The best way to reduce crime is to
reduce the causes of crime.
• Disadvantaged groups have the
greatest fear of crime and it has
the greatest effect on their lives.
How
does this
differ
from
Right
Realists?
Causes of Crime – Lea and Young (1984)
Relative
Deprivation
Subculture
Marginalisation
What do
these mean?
Relative Deprivation
How deprived one feels in
relation to others or
compared with own
expectations.
“the lethal combination is
relative deprivation and
individualism” Young
(1999)
Paradox - the more
prosperous a society the
higher the crime rates.
Causes crime by
encouraging the pursuit of
self interest at the
expense of others.
Individualism fuels this.
Where have you come across
this concept before
Subculture
Groups collective response to the problem of relative
deprivation.
Different groups have different responses to this problem, e.g.
crime to close the deprivation gap, religion – theodicy of
dispriviledge.
Criminal subcultures still subscribe to values and goals of
mainstream society but do not have the means to achieve
them.
Who does this sound like?
Marginalisation
Powerless groups who lack goals and
organisation have no other means of expressing
their frustration and resentment apart from
criminal acts such as violence and rioting.
What would be a conventional means
of expressing frustrations
Jock Young and Late modernity (2002)
Deindustrialisation
increased UE.
Destabilised
families and
communities
Relative
Deprivation
Downwards
Resentment
Upwards and
Downwards
Crime is more
widespread
Less public
consensus on what
is right and wrong
Informal controls
disintegrate
Public less tolerant
and demand harsh
punishments
High crime society
with a low
tolerance for
crime.
Jock Young and Late modernity (2002)
Deindustrialisation
increased UE.
Destabilised
families and
communities
Resentment
Upwards and
Downwards
Crime is more
widespread
Less public
consensus on what
is right and wrong
Public less tolerant
and demand harsh
punishments
High crime society
with a low
tolerance for
crime.
Read page 97.
Informal controls
disintegrate
Relative
Deprivation
Downwards
Jock Young and Late Modern
society…why is it criminogenic?
Who lives
next
door?
Dunno
Ever felt
‘deprived’?
Young uses this idea of inclusion and
• Jock Young seesexclusion
a contrast
to between
describe athese 2
factors as being responsible
for
increasing
‘bulimic society’
feelings of relative deprivation:
Cultural inclusion
Economic
exclusion
A society in which we
take in the
images of
what we could have...
Refers to the way in which Refers to the fact that
weenvy
can and
all view
we all haveand
access
all usalthough
thentoforces
to ‘vomit’
things we can’t all
that is onfrustration
offer today.when
The wethese
cannot achieve these
afford them. This can
media, dreams
adverts,(because
internet we don’t
have
the
money or
lead
to
envy
and
etc all ensure that we all status)
frustration.
can see what is available…
Whose idea is this similar to?
Activity: Left Realism
Which perspectives would agree?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Relative Deprivation.
Economic change and de-industrialisation.
Importance of values.
Lack of consensus on right and wrong.
Stereotyping of underclass.
Lack of political voice.
Some groups feel marginalised.
Increased individualism.
Expression of frustration through criminal behaviour.
Exclusion from economic activity.
Government policies increase marginalisation.
Crime is a real problem for many.
Tackling Crime – Left Realism
Policing and Control
Tackle Inequalities
Government Policy
Policing and Control
• Police depend on public to report and help
solve crimes.
• Public lose confidence in the Police –
information dries up – Military Policing
methods are used (SUS) – further alienates
community.
Policing and control
• Policing should be accountable
to local communities and deal
with local concerns.
• Routine beat patrols and SUS
are ineffective.
• Over-police minor drug offences
and under-police racist attacks.
• Improve relationship with locals
and focus on what worries
them.
Kinsey (1986) The police need to
improve ‘clear-up rates’
• What does ‘clear-up rates’ refer to?
– Crimes solved and offenders caught by Police
• Why might this be important for a community?
– Deter criminals in the future
– Improve community relations and confidence in the Police
– Encourage co-operation with the Police
• Kinsey suggests more community policing and time
spent investigating crimes.
Pre-emptive Deterrence
• The organisation of communities in an
attempt to pre-empt crime is of the
utmost importance.
• Community policing; neighbourhood
watch; CCTV; designing-out crime.
Tackling Structural Causes
• Causes of Crime =
Inequality of
opportunity, unfairness
of rewards
• Solution = Reduce
inequality and
discrimination.
• Provide decent jobs,
houses an community
facilities.
• Tolerant of diversity.
Demarginalisation
"Realists would argue for alternatives to prison",
they would advocate "measures such as
community service orders, victim restitution
schemes, and widespread release from prison"
which would stop "the severance of the moral
bond with the community”
“The institutions that are involved in controlling
crime and criminals must epitomise justice”.
The Minimal Use of Prison
• "Prisons should only be used in those
circumstances where there is extreme danger
to the community... Life inside should be as
free and as 'normal' as possible”.
• Such a demand is not humanitarian idealism it is based on the simple fact that the result of
prison experience is to produce pitiful
inadequates or hardened criminals.
Influence Government Policy
•
However, Jock Young thinks they have
Left realists have
Examples:
not gone
far
enough.
influenced
New
Labour
1. Policing of hate
Policies.
crimes, sexual assaults
and domestic violence.
• “Tough
on crime
and policies
2. ASBOs
to protect
The New
Labour
have
focused
tough on the causes of
vulnerable groups.
more
on
tackling
crime
rather
than
crime.”
3. New Deal for
the root causes of crime.
Unemployed.
Evaluation of Left Realism
 Draws attention to the problem of street crime.
 Accepts authorities definition of crime. Fails to explain
how the powerful commit crimes on the poor.
 Rely on quantitative data – cannot explain offenders
motives. (Interactionists)
 Not everyone who suffers from relative deprivation
becomes a criminal.
 Focus on inner-city makes crime appear a bigger
problem than it is.
Which is LEFT, which is RIGHT?
More ethnic
minority
police
officers
Biological
factors play a
part in
criminality
Jock
Young
Conservative
Zero
Tolerance
Policing
(more
officers too)
Rational
Choice
Theory
Broken
Windows
Poverty and
Deprivation are
factors
Charles
Murray
Materialistic
messages from the
media has
increased relative
deprivation
Economic
insecurity have led
to feelings of
relative
deprivation
Had more
influence over
policy under
New Labour
CCTV
Community
service and
inclusion
Inadequate
socialisation
Reform
socialist
New York
city subway
trains
You the politicians …
Crime Prevention
Burglary
Drug
Dealing
Tax
Evasion
Internet
Fraud
Knife
Crime
Vandalism
Rioting
Benefit
Fraud
Car Theft
Anti-social
Behaviour
Begging
Mugging
What are crime prevention strategies?
How effective are they?
Activity:
What theory are they based on?
What evidence do we have that they work?
What are the problems of implementing them?
Right Realist – Crime Prevention
Situational
Crime
Prevention
Environmental
Crime
Prevention
Militaristic
Policing
Prison
Left Realist – Crime Prevention
Social &
Community
Crime Prevention
Community
Policing
Non-custodial
sentences
Situational crime prevention
Marcus Felson (1998)
Ron Clarke ( 1992) argues for a preemptive approach which targets
specific crimes (petty) by altering
the immediate environment of
crime. As a right realist he believes
target hardening and more CCTV
will increase the risk of being caught
and lower the rewards.
This approach was used
with the Port Authority Bus
terminal in NYC. They
reshaped the environment
to design out crime with
large open spaces, it was
successful.
Crime control and
prevention
The results
This approach has found great
success in NY. A ‘Clean Car
Program’ was instituted on the
subway in which trains with graffiti
on them were taken away
immediately. As a result graffiti
was largely removed from the
subway.
Problem –
Displacement
This approach doesn’t
solve the causes of crime
in the area. Often
criminals find different
areas, change the type of
crime they commit or
choose a different victim.
Environmental crime prevention
Wilson and Kellings argued for an approach called
‘broken window’. The term broken windows
stands for various signs of disorder and lack of
concern for others found in neighbourhoods. They
argue that leaving broken windows unrepaired such
as graffiti, begging etc sends out a signal that no
one cares and can tip the area into social disorder.
A way to prevent this is more police on the streets
enforcing zero tolerance towards any social
disorder and repairing things that are broken or
deteriorating .
Social and community crime
prevention
A left realist approach to crime
prevention it gets to the causes
of crime by improving
unemployment and housing.
Perry pre-school project
Research conducted in 1962 by
David Weikart in Michigan. The
project provided high-quality preschool education to three- and
four-year-old African-American
children living in poverty and
assessed to be at high risk of
school failure.
These students were
given extra sessions on
decision making and
problem solving.
Parents implemented
the programme at
home.
The results
Crime control and
prevention
Evaluation of all policies
 Displacement transfers the problem elsewhere.
 None of the following can help reduce white
collar or state crimes.
 Do criminals make the rational choice to commit
crime?
 Only social and community gets to the causes of
crime.
By age 40 they had
significantly fewer
lifetime arrests for violent
crime, property crime
and drugs, while more
had graduated from high
school and were in
employment. For every
dollar spent on the
programme, $17 were
saved on welfare, prison
and other costs.
Crime Prevention
The issue about why people do or do not
commit crime is hotly debated.
Social control or lack of controls appears
to be at the heart of such debates.
Clarke 1992 – Situational Crime
Prevention
•Argues that we need to reduce opportunities for
people to commit crime.
•Underpinning his theory is the idea that criminals
make rational choices – they weigh up the costs of
actions before they do anything.
•To make crime a less attractive option we need to
concentrate on making it harder to commit – more
home security, more CCTV, more guards on
business properties etc
•e.g. In many public places - rest rooms are fitted
with ultraviolet lights making it difficult for drug
users to ‘shoot up’ etc
‘Designing-out crime’
• Crime prevention strategy
• Reshaping an environment to reduce
opportunities for crime of deviant behaviour
• Felson (1998) uses the example of New Yorks
Port Authority bus terminal
• It was poorly designed and feature many
opportunities for crime.
• Sixty-three interventions were made at the
terminal, at about the same time.
• The toilets were a target for luggage thieves,
drug users/dealers, rough sleepers and those
seeking homosexual liaisons
Think about designing out
crime...
• In a clothes store
• Supermarket
• School
Designing out crime
• http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/ourwork/challenges/Security/Design-outcrime/Alcohol-related-crime/
Chaiken et al (1974) Displacement
Chaiken et al found a crackdown on subway
robberies correlated with an increase in street
robberies above ground.
Displacement takes many forms:
•Spatial – moves it elsewhere
•Functional – makes criminals choose a
different crime
•Target – Moves it to a different victim
•Tactical- Changes the method
•Temporal – moves it to a different time.
Evaluation of Situational Crime Prevention
 Reduces certain kinds of crime.
 Displacement!
 Focus on street crimes / Ignores White Collar Crimes
 Assumes criminals make rational choices. (Violent
crimes, crimes influenced by drugs)
 Ignores root causes of crime – poverty, socialisation.
 Not a long term strategy for crime reduction.
Wilson & Kelling 1982
Environmental
crime prevention
Wilson
and Kellings
argued for an approach called
window’.
The term
broken
windows stands
•‘broken
Adopt
a New Right
Realism
approach
disorder
andcrime
lack offlourishes
concern for
•for various
If theresigns
is no of
control
then
others found in neighbourhoods.
•They
‘Broken
Window’
argue that
leavingthesis:
broken windows
•unrepaired
If a building
withbegging
a broken
such is
asleft
graffiti,
etcwindow,
sends out a
signal
thatwill
no one
cares and can tip the area into
more
be broken.
disorder.
A way
to prevent
thisone
is more
•social
This
sends out
a signal
that no
carespolice
on the streets enforcing zero tolerance towards
•anyTherefore
- mend
window
straight
social disorder
andthe
repairing
things
that are
away!
broken
or deteriorating .
Zero Tolerance Policing
• In line with the ‘mend things straight
away’ mentality.
• This approach means that the Police
crack down hard on any areas of deviance
– even when seemingly trivial
• Using the old saying ‘give em an
inch…..and they’ll take a mile’
• New York City in the 1990’s was seen as a
good example of this in operation
Zero Tolerance – New York
New York Success 
1. A ‘Clean Car Program’ was
instituted on the subway in
which trains with graffiti on
them were taken away
immediately. As a result
graffiti was largely removed
from the subway.
2. Crackdown on squeegee
merchants many of whom had
criminal records.
3. Between 1993 – 1996 50%
drop in homicide rates.
However 
•Cause and effect? Other
factors?
•7,000 extra police.
•General decline across USA –
(time of prosperity)
•Decline in crack
•Attempted murder remained
high – are the paramedics better
at keeping people alive?
Social and Community Crime
Prevention
These are longer term strategies
aimed at looking at the root causes of
crime such as poverty,
unemployment, poor housing etc
The Perry Pre-school Project
1960’s in Michigan (US)
•
The youngsters participating in the study were
randomly divided into a program group, who
received two years - high-quality, active learning,
intellectual enrichment programme, and a noprogram group, who received no preschool
program.
•
The status of the two groups was assessed
annually from ages 3 to 11, at ages 14-15, at age
19, and again at age 27, on variables representing
certain characteristics, abilities, attitudes, and
types of performance. (LONGITUDINAL)
The Findings at Age 27
In comparison with the no-program group, the
program group had :
•
•
•
•
•
significantly higher monthly earnings at age 27 (with
29% vs. 7% earning $2,000 or more per month);
significantly higher percentages of home ownership
(36% vs. 13%) and second car ownership (30% vs.
13%);
a significantly higher level of schooling completed
(with 71% vs. 54% completing 12th grade or higher);
a significantly lower percentage receiving social
services at some time in the previous 10 years (59% vs.
80%); and
significantly fewer arrests by age 27 (7% vs. 35% with 5
or more arrests), including significantly fewer arrests
for crimes of drug making or dealing (7% vs. 25%).
Perry Preschool Results Aged 40
By age 40 they had significantly fewer
lifetime arrests for violent crime, property
Evaluation
crime and drugs, while more had
graduated
from
school and were in
Root
causes
of high
crime.
employment. For every dollar spent on the

Narrow focus
onwere
crimesaved
– ignores
white
programme,
$17
on welfare,
collar
crimescosts.
of the powerful, state
prisoncrime,
and other
crime, environmental crime. Which have
a greater effect on communities.
Essay Question
1. Assess the effectiveness of crime
prevention strategies in reducing
crime. (21)
The Effectiveness of Prison
“Prison Works.”
1. Do you agree with this statement?
•
Yes …..
No ….
2. What effect would prison have on you?
3. What effect does the threat of prison have
on you?
4. Why send people to prison?
5. What alternatives are there to prison?
Does Prison Work?
What would Left and Right Realists say?
Definition “custodial sentencing”.
• The offender spends time in a prison or young
offenders institute.
• Why do we send people to prison?
Feltham Sings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glrA7
XjPw7g
How well do you think Prison achieves these aims?
Retribution
Deterrence
Rehabilitation
Protection
from Society
Custodial Sentencing
Four main aims of sentencing
1. Retribution: Means society “gets it’s own
back”. Many think prison achieves this better
than any other method.
2. Deterrence: Occurs if a potential offender is
“put off” offending by the prospect of
prison:
Custodial Sentencing
Four main aims of sentencing:
3. Rehabilitation: Involves changing the offender for the better –
so they will not break the law when they are released.
– For example, if a main cause of a person offending is a drug habit then
the person will receive counselling and undertake other treatment
programmes to give up the habit.
4. Protection from Society: Serious offenders such as rapists and
murderers should be given a custodial sentence to keep
others from being a victim of their deviance.
Custodial Sentencing
Psychological effect of prison
• Do you know any psychology research that has
already been done into the effects of prison?
What effect did the “prison” have on the
participants? (prisoners & guards)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br1jNALiUpM&spfreload=10%20Message%3A%20JSON%20Parse%20error%3A%20Unexpecte
d%20EOF%20(url%3A%20http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dbr1jNALiUpM)
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20http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzBeOU5GQomI)
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o70M0rw)
Zimbardo (1971) Stanford Prison Experiment
Aim: investigate the effects of prison on guards and prisoners.
Method: ‘Mock Prison’ for 2 weeks. 22 male participants randomly
allocated prisoner or guard roles. Given uniforms. Guards given
instruction to maintain order.
Results: Experiment had to be stopped after 6 days because of
extreme behaviour. Prisoners became depressed, crying, anger.
Guards showed pleasure in dehumanising the prisoners.
Conclusion: Environment (situational attributions) influences
behaviour rather than personalities.
Evaluation of Zimbardo.
What are the implications for the effectiveness of prison?
Treatment of Offenders
The effectiveness of prison
Recidivism
– Recidivism = return to criminal activities following judicial
punishment
– Recidivism rate is a measure of the effectiveness of
punishment
• Does it prevent recidivism (repeat offending)?
• What % of people re-offend after leaving prison?
• Of those released from prison:
– 57% re-offended within two years.
For young males even higher:
– 76% re-offend within two years.
You the judge!
http://ybtj.justice.gov.uk
Does Prison Work?
• YES
Common sense would
suggest Prison
would reduce crime.
Retribution
Deterrent
Rehabilitation
Protection from
society
NO!
• Prisons are universities of crime.
Low risk offenders are locked up
24/7 with other criminals.
•
Recidivism = length of sentence
has no impact on reoffending.
•
Prison is a response to public
demand but does not reduce
recidivism.
•
Prisons absorb social problems –
drug abuse, mental health,
poverty, marginalisation.
• Has our society ‘gone soft’ on crime?
Prison population in England & Wales
Source: Morgan (2002)
Prison population in England & Wales
• There are 140 people in prison per 100,000
population in E & W.
– 50% higher than France, Germany & Italy
– Double rate of most Scandinavian countries
– Substantially lower than US (700+/100,000)
• The prison population has grown steadily
since 1946
– Doubled since 1991
– Length of sentence has also been increasing
Alternatives to Prison.
What alternatives are there to prison?
How effective are they are reducing crime?
What is the evidence?
Custodial
VS
Noncustodial
Read the Howard
League Text.
Reduction
The aim is to reduce crime by
deterring others,
rehabilitating offenders and
incapacitation meaning
taking away their ability to reoffend. This approach is
instrumental as punishment
is a means to an end, i.e.
crime reduction.
What is the purpose of
punishment?
Retribution
Meaning pay back, based on the
idea that offenders deserve to be
punished and society is entitled to
take its revenge. This approach is
expressive as it expresses societies
outrage.
Does Prison achieve any of these justifications?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm2O7OD4zSc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUOHVIFsk_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38MiQctPiy4
Restorative
This approach tries
to restore things as
they were by making
offenders meet their
victims to see the
personal affect their
crime has had on
their lives.
Prison – key facts
 8.75 million people in
prisons across the
world.
 The U.S has the
highest prison
population compared
with population
Do Prisons work?
 Two –thirds of prisoners
commit further crimes on
their release from prison.
(RECIDIVISM).
 In 1993, the UK prison
population was 44,000.
Today it is over 83,000.
 David Garland (2001)
argues the USA and the UK
to a lesser extent are
moving into the era of mass
incarceration.
 The U.K has the
highest prison
population in Europe.
Punishment
Do prisons work?
Transcarceration means when somebody
enters prison or youth offending they are
more than likely to re-enter it again at some
point be it with social services or mental
health institutions.
Durkheim
Marxism
The function of punishment is to uphold social solidarity
and reinforce shared values. It also allows people to
express their outrage at rituals like trials and re-set
boundaries. Traditional close knit societies had a strong
sense of right and wrong so had Retributive justice as
punishment was severe, cruel and public. Modern
societies have Restitutive justice which like restorative
justice tries to restore broken relations and offer
compensation.
Society is divided into two
classes, ruling class exploit the
working class.
Marxists ask how does
punishment serve the ruling
class? They argue that
harsh punishments are part of the
Repressive State Apparatuses
(RSA) which keep the working
class in their place.
Panopticon
A prison designed by Jeremy
Bentham, its design means
inmates don’t know if they are
being watched. The idea of
surveillance turns into selfsurveillance, it becomes
internalised. This move
towards self surveillance and
self discipline is reflected not
just in prisons but all aspects of
social life says Foucault.
Sociological
perspectives on
Punishment
K. Society informs the type of
punishment which is linked to
money. Prisoner’s ‘do time’ to pay
for their crimes (repay debt to
society).
Michel Foucault – Postmodernism
Sovereign power – punishment before the 19th century was
a public spectacle with hangings and stockades, its was a way
of asserting the monarchs power over its citizens.
Disciplinary power – punishment after 19th century was not
just about governance over the body but the mind or soul, this
is done through surveillance – Panopticon.
Functionalists and Punishment
•
•
•
•
Boundary maintenance
Punishment upholds social solidarity
It expresses society’s outrage
Many justice rituals are public/were public...
• In traditional society, punishment was retributive –
severe and vengeful.
• In modern society, because of specialisation and the
different functioning instructions in society, we are
all interdependent on one another.
• Instead of retribution, punishment is more about
restitution.
• Restitution is about repairing the damage done by
crime through compensation, and putting things
back to the way they were before the crime.
Marxists and Punishment
• For Marxists, punishment is a way for the bourgeoisie to
maintain control over the proletariat and rule by terror.
• It is a part of the repressive state apparatus (ruling through
force)
• Thompson (1977) notes how hanging and transportation
to colonies in Australia were used as punishments against
the lower classes – often for crimes such as theft and
poaching from the upper classes.
Melossi and Pavarini (1981)
• Prison reflects capitalism and production.
• Workers do time in return for money
• Criminals do time in order to pay society back
• Rules, strict discipline and subordination in
prison mirrors work life in capitalists factories.
Marxism and Punishment
• Not surprisingly Marxists link
punishment to the class conflict
• It is used as a social control function
• Property crimes today still have harsher
punishments than some crimes against
people.
• There is an emphasis on working class
crime at the expense of state and
business crimes
Neo-Marxism
The Prison Industrial Complex
• Neo-Marxists like Angela Davis believe that in
capitalist times like these, prisons are not merely
a form of punishment, but rather a business.
• The term often implies a network of actors who
are motivated by making profit rather than solely
by punishing or rehabilitating criminals or
reducing crime rates.
• This is because a large number of companies and
services rely on prisons for business.
Michel Foucault – Postmodernism
Michel Foucault - Postmodernism
Sovereign power – punishment before the 19th century
was a public spectacle with hangings and stockades, its
was a way of asserting the monarchs power over its
citizens.
Disciplinary power – punishment after 19th century was
not just about governance over the body but the mind or
soul, this is done through surveillance – Panopticon.
Panopticon
A prison designed by Jeremy Bentham, its
design means inmates don’t know if they
are being watched. The idea of surveillance
turns into self-surveillance, it becomes
internalised. This move towards self
surveillance and self discipline is reflected
not just in prisons but all aspects of social
life says Foucault.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMKTiMj-b70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqimOzfC4Uc
Foucault 1977
•
Writes that many modern prisons use the
concept of the panopticon.
•
This is based around a shape of a central
tower with the wings spreading out from
the centre like a cartwheel
•
This shape was seen as the best to prevent
escape.
•
It was originally put forward by the
philosopher Jeremy Bentham
Evaluation of Foucault
Looking at the changes in the penal system
tells us something about power in society.
Neglects the emotional (expressive) aspects of
punishment.
Exaggerates the extent of control – People can
resist controls and surveillance.
Imprisonment
Today
Era of Mass Incarceration?
Transcarceration
• As we no longer– have a death penalty in the
UK – imprisonment is the most severe
punishment.
Garland
(2001) systematic imprisonment of
Prisoners
become locked into a cycle of
whole groups of the population. Due to
• ‘Tough
Nearlyon70%
of prisoners
re-offend
– war
control.
Crime’
politics
and
the
failed
suggesting that rehabilitation doesn’t work in
on
drugs.
prisons
Children’s Care Home
• Downes
Since
1980’s
peoplefunction
have been
(2001)more
Ideological
– sent to
Young
Offenders
Institution
prison as successive
governments
have
imprisonment
soaks
up
unemployment
and
wanted
Adult
Prisonto use it as a deterrent, to punish
and toK.protect
society.
makes
look successful.
Blurring
of boundaries
criminal–
• UK prisons
have 95%between
Male population
mainly
young
andservices.
poorly educated. Ethnic
justice
and
welfare
minorities are over represented
What are the alternatives to
Prison?
Alternatives to prison were developed as a means of diverting
young people away from the negative
influence
of prisons and
Play
Judge
for
Yourself
Read the Howard League
the risk of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Handout.
Recent years – growth of community-based
controls.
http://ybtj.justice.gov.uk
Stan Cohen (2003) following Foucault’s ideas – net of control
is over more young peoples lives.
Instead of diverting young people from crime – some argue
Community Orders encourage more crime.
Non Prison Punishments
Since 1997 New Labour has lived up
to the election slogan of ‘tough on
crime and tough on the causes of
crime’
•
ASBO’s
Antisocial Behaviour Orders were
introduced in 1998
• These are civil orders sought by local
councils against anti social behaviours
(behaviour causing distress, harassment
or alarm)
• Only when an ASBO is breached does it
become a criminal matter
• ASBO’s have been mainly given for
vandalism, theft, abusive behaviour,
harassment, begging etc.
Punishment
ABC’s
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
• These are voluntary contracts
usually drawn up with teenagers to
try and get them to mend their
ways
• Usually worked out with social
workers, councils and the police
• They are a step before an ASBO
Parenting Contracts and Orders
• These are aimed at parents of unruly
children
• Contracts are the first step where they
encourage parents to go to parenting
classes to improve their skills
• Orders require parents to go to classes
for up to 3 months
Curfew and Dispersal Orders
• These ban youngsters from public
places and can enforce them to be
home indoors by 9 pm
Criticisms
• ASBOS can be worn as a badge of
honour by some
• Some see them as labelling all
youngsters as trouble makers
• The Children Society sees curfews
etc as ‘demonising’ young people
and seeing them like dangerous
animals needing to be locked away.
Reducing
crime
Does punishment work?
• What punishments do you think are effective?
• These three terms are methods of punishment as
a means of crime reduction.
• For each, state what it is, how it reduces crime
and give an example of such a technique.
Deterrence
Rehabilitation
Incapacitation
Group Activity: Punishment
1. Devise a list of interventions which would be
suitable under each approach to punishment .
2. Discuss which interventions would be most
suitable for each crime. Justify your choices.
3. Imagine you are home secretary - devise three
policies around crime and order which will
guarantee electoral success.
Does Punishment Work?
• Assess which methods of crime reduction are most
effective by ranking them 1-5 – justify your
reasons.
•
•
•
•
•
Situational crime prevention
Environmental crime prevention
Prison
Alternatives to Prison
Social and community crime prevention
You are politicians
Burglary
Drug
Dealing
Tax
Evasion
Internet
Fraud
Knife
Crime
Vandalism
Rioting
Benefit
Fraud
Car Theft
Anti-social
Behaviour
Begging
Mugging
June 2013
Assessment questions
1. Assess sociological views of crime
reduction (21)
2. Assess the effectiveness of methods of
crime reduction (21)
3. Do prisons work? Assess the sociological
arguments surrounding punishment. (21)
2. The social distribution of crime
Key information
Key questions
1. Do crime statistics give a true
picture of crime?
2. Are people from different age
groups, classes, ethnicities and
gender groups treated equally
when it comes to crime?
3. Is there any link between
location and criminal activity?
 Crime statistics – police, BCS




and self-report study.
Gender and crime
Ethnicity and crime
Age and social class
Location – Environmental
criminology
Dark Figure of Crime
Detected,
reported and
recorded
crime
Crimes that occur
and may not be
detected,
reported or
recorded by
official figures
Many criminologists suggest there is a ‘dark figure of crime’
which is all the offences that are unreported or not recorded in the official statistics
Why
Activity: Why is there a ‘dark figure of crime’?
• There is no victim
(speeding)
• Victim too afraid
• Can’t be bothered
• No trust of police
• Perpetrator is friend or
family member
•
•
•
•
Not enough time
Crime too trivial
Not a priority
Victim withdraws
charge
• Lack of evidence
• Police Recording Rules
Reasons why crime is not
reported
Reasons why crime is not
recorded
Police Recording Rules
How official statistics are compiled depends on
what the police record as a crime. These rules
have changed x3 in the last 10 years.
Depends on Government and Police Force priorities.
Official statistics only give a limited picture of the
amount of crime in society.
British Crime Survey
Official statistics
Recorded crime
Lack of crime reporting
Complied from government
departments like the police
and courts.
A crime, which has
been recorded by the
police as a crime.
(Only 40% of reported
crime is then
recorded due to
discretionary powers
of the police).
Crimes may not be reported due to:-
Reported crime
A crime, which the
public has reported to
the police. (90% of all
crime the police deal
with is reported to them
by the public).
Official crime statistics are
the tip of the iceberg, BCS
and self-report studies show
there is more crime than
what can be seen on the
surface. This is known as
the dark figure of crime
(what is recorded vs.
reported).
Crime statistics
 fear of reprisal.
Lack of awareness (fraud).
Fear it may not be taken seriously.
 Crime is too trivial.
Inaccurate picture of crime
 White collar crime dealt
with administratively.
 Only serious crimes from
incidences is recorded.
Rules for counting always
change.
Lack of recording makes
clear up rates look higher.
British Crime Survey
A victim study which asks
people if they have been a
victim of a crime and the
circumstances of that crime.
It was conducted every two
years from 1982 -2000 then
every year since.
The study is based on a representative
sample of adults living in private
households in England and Wales. In
2002 over 36,000 surveys were
conducted. Certain crimes are
excluded due to low reporting such as
murder, drug possession or dealing,
fraud, offences against businesses.
Trends and patterns
 BCS says 10.7 million crimes
committed, OS (4.7 million.
The majority of crime is property
related.
 Violent crime accounts for 1/5 of
all crime
 Overall crime peaked in 1995 and
has declined ever since.
 Men aged 16-24 most likely to be
a victim of violence.
BCS and Self-report
studies
BCS: includes unreported and
unrecorded crime but only 75%
is comparable with police
statistics.
Self-report: Mainly street crime
(working class) excludes hidden
crimes like domestic violence.
Only gives a small picture of
criminal activity.
Self-report studies
Anonymous questionnaires
which ask respondents if
they have committed a
crime over the past year.
They are usually based on
self-completed
questionnaires or
interviews which contain
a list of offences.
Respondents are asked to
highlight which they have
committed. Self report
studies show us that most
people commit crime at
some point in their lives
so crime is normal.
Victim Surveys
British Crime Survey – carried out every 2
years and asks people whether they have
been a victim of crime.
Pre-set structured interviews.
 Large sample (2007 – 47,000)
BCS report higher levels of crime.
Also collects data on ‘fear of crime’
Is this valid? reliable?
BCS Vs Official Statistics.
OCJS – self report
Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS)
interviewed young people aged 10 - 25.
Responses taken confidentially on a
computer to increase validity. Random
selection, longitudinal study of around
5,000 people.
2006 – study revealed much offending was
linked to alcohol.
Is this valid? Reliable?
Self Report
Problems of self-report measures.
Unreliable answers. (people
exaggerate)
Biased selection of offences. (ignore
middle class crimes)
Biased selection of interviewees. (No
access to white collar criminals)
Self-Report Studies
 Offender self-report surveys ask people about
their offending behaviour.
 Questionnaire where people identify any offences
they have participated in.
 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS)
interviewed young people aged 10 - 25.
Responses taken confidentially on a computer to
increase validity. Random selection, longitudinal
study of around 5,000 people.
Offenders found guilty of or cautioned for an
offence by sex and type. 2006
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