Introduction to Criminology Final Exam Study Guide non cumulative portion Presented below is a listing of topics to be addressed on the upcoming 100 question multiple choice examination 40 questions or so will be drawn from the list below Unlike the cumulative list posted earlier this list is not exhaustive This is intended as a rough approximation of the subject matter to be included Direct your attention to revisiting the material covered since the last exam as well as the material covered in lecture and discussion More info at bottom for learning differential association theories strain anomie theories Names Robert K Merton Social structure of anomie Structurally induced strain Criminal motivation is not inherent it must be explained Societal forces produce pressures to obtain ends o Everyone is expected to meet this standard o Dictates that everybody should be aiming to obtain more wealth There are weak regulations on how this imperative is to be met means o Access to legitimate means is limited College corporate employment family connections o Desire for social mobility leads to deviance o Society will not tell you how to get the wealth Adaptation to achieve ends o Conformity Acceptance of culture goals institutionalized means o Innovation o Ritualism Much criminal behavior Acceptance of culture goals Rejection of institutionalized means Maintain outward conformity to norms mitigate strain by scaling down their aspirations to the point where the ends can be reached comfortably Acceptance of institutionalized means Rejection of culture goals o Retreatism o Rebellion Rejection of culture goals institutionalized means Reject but also wish to change the existing system Rejection of culture goals institutionalized means Mode of Adaptation Culture Goals Institutionalized Means Conformity Innovation Ritualism Retreatism Rebellion Karl Marx Conflict theory critical criminology o Laws are reflective of the belief of the group in power o Decline of social solidarity leads to more crime o Capitalism leads to decrease in social solidarity as roles in society become more niche People will depend on others for the production of various goods Those who hold the means of production are those in power Focus on what ought to be rather than what ifs o Getting rid of capitalism is the only method of regaining social solidarity o Communism is the key to rebuilding social solidarity Class divisions capitalism o Bourgeois own the means of production o Proletariat the workers Lumpenproletariat o Will never understand their class that they can never get power o Not helpful to proletariat class at all will not be the ones to start the revolution because they will never realize that they are in a problem in the first place Conflict of interests between different groups will be increased by inequality in the distribution of scarce resources o Imbalance will inevitably produce revolt precipitated by class Conflict theorists generalized consciousness Values and interests in complex societies o A person s values interests are generally shaped by the conditions o Complex societies are composed of people who live under very in which the person lives different conditions Societies that are more complex and differentiated will have more conflicting values interests Patterns of individual actions interests o People tend to act in ways that are consistent with their own values o When values interests conflict people tend to adjust their values to come into line with their interests o Because the conditions of one s life tend to be relatively stable over time people tend to develop relatively stable patterns of action that benefit them personally and what they believe are good right just or at least excusable The enactment of criminal laws o Enactment of criminal laws is the legislative process of conflict compromise in which organized groups attempt to promote defend their values interests o Specific laws usually represent a combination of the values interests of many groups However the greater a group s political economic power the more the criminal law tends to represent the values interests of that group In general the greater a group s power the less likely it is that the group s stable patterns of action will violate the criminal law The enforcement of criminal laws o In general it is easier for law enforcement to process people with less economic political power o As bureaucracies law enforcement agencies tend to process easier rather than more difficult cases The distribution of official crime rates o Due to the process of criminal law enactment enforcement described earlier the distribution of official crime rates in every society will tend to be the inverse of the distribution of political economic power in that society independent of any other factors Conflict theories may serve as a sensitizing mechanism Drawing our attention to a critically important aspect of explaining the crime problem Emphasizes that some crime can be merely social constructs rather than true crimes Policy implications of conflict theories Collectivize the means of production Expand the social safety net feed clothe and educate citizens Prison reform or abolition punishment is violence too Localize law enforcement functions Prosecute white collar crime more vigilantly Decriminalize certain behaviors for victimless crimes Legalize and regulate instead Edwin H Sutherland Differential association theory o 9 main points Criminal behavior is learned It is learned in interaction with others in a process of communication Learning criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups Learning includes techniques of the action direction of motives drives rationalizations attitudes Direction of motives drives learned from legal codes as being favorable or unfavorable We become delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of the law over definitions unfavorable to violation May vary in frequency priority intensity duration 2 dimensions o Behavioral interactional direct association interaction with others to engage in a behavior identification with reference groups o Normative exposure to different patterns of norms values through associations Sociological Community environment plays a key role in crime delinquency People socialized in disorganized neighborhoods are likely to have associations that will encourage criminal adaptations o But not limited to explaining lower class crime Crime is normal rather than
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