Final Exam Study Guide Chapters 6 7 8 and 9 I Social Structure Theories A Socio Economic Structure and Crime 1 People in the US live in a stratified society a Social strata are created by the unequal distribution of wealth and power 2 Our culture extols material success above any other a Sadly persons are unable to compete for such success with members of the upper class and as a result may turn to illegal solutions 3 The inadequacy of the lower class produces a culture of poverty apathy cynicism mistrust etc which is passed from one generation to another a 25 of blacks and 22 of Hispanics live in poverty as compared to 8 of non Hispanics b 25 of children live in poverty B Social Structure Theories 1 Suggest that social and economic forces operating in deteriorated lower class areas are the key determinant of criminal behavior patterns a Theorists challenge those who suggest that crime is an expression of some personal trait or choice 2 Social Disorganization Theory environment that affect crime rates a High unemployment school drop outs deteriorated housing low income focuses on the conditions with the urban b levels In areas undergoing stress normal sources of social control family school law become weak and disorganized 3 Strain theory c Constant resident turnover further weakens Transitional Neighborhoods d Shaw McKay elaborated on this theory with their study on Chicago holds that crime is a function of the conflict between goals people have and means they can use to obtain them legally lower class culture and develops in disorganized neighborhoods a These independent subcultures that form maintain a unique set of values because of strain social isolation is a unique 4 Cultural Deviance Theory b Values are handed down from one generation to the next in a process and beliefs called cultural transmission 5 The Social Ecology School criminality like a Community deterioration a Criminologists began to study the ecological conditions that support b Chronic unemployment c Community fear 6 Cohesive communities whether urban or rural with high level of social control and integration develop collective efficacy mutual trust and willingness to intervene to maintain public order the three forms of efficacy are a b c Public social control police and government programs Informal social control family and friends Institutional social control business churches and local orgz C Strain Theory Anomie 1 Stain theories come in two distinct formulation a Structural strain uses a sociological lens suggests that economic and social sources of strain shape collective human behavior b Individual strain using a psychological lens individual life experiences cause some people to suffer pain and misery which are then translated into anti social behavior 2 Anomie occurs when societies that are moving from preindustrial society which is held together by traditions and shared values mechanical solidarity to a postindustrial system where people are connected by their interdependent needs for one another s services organic solidarity a Messner and Rosenfield argue that the American dream involves the accumulation of material goods and antisocial behavior is a function of cultural and institutional forces i I E Institutional Anomie Thoery 3 Merton s Theory of Anomie found that two elements of culture interact to produce potentially anomic conditions a Culturally defined goals and socially approved means for obtaining them 4 Merton s modes for obtaining goals a Conformity occurs when individual both embraces conventional goals and means to attain them b Innovation individual accepts goals but rejects means i Of the 5 adaptations innovation is most closely associated with criminal behavior c Ritualism they reject goals and prescribe their own i Lowest level of criminal behavior d Retreatism rejects both goals and means e Rebellion involves substituting an alternative set of goals and means 5 Merton s theory does not explain why people choose certain types of crime why people age out of crime and assumes all people share the same goals 6 Angew s General Strain Theory focuses on the individual experiences of strain a He argues that criminality is the direct result of negative affective states D Theories of Socialization 1 Cohens theory of delinquent subcultures says that delinquent behavior of lower class youths is a protest against the norms and values of middle class culture 2 The Theory of Differential Opporutinity states that people in all strata of society share the same success goals but that those in the lower class have limited means of achieving them Chapter 7 II Social Process Theories A Socialization and Crime 1 Social Process Theory view that criminality is a function of peoples interactions with various organizations institutions and process in society 2 Family relations has the most prominent effect on youth a Single parents find it difficult to provide adequate supervision b Children in two parent households are more likely to want to go on to college than kids in single parent house holds 3 Children who fail in school offend more 4 Social learning theory suggests that people learn the techniques and attitudes of crime from close and intimate relationships with criminal peers 5 Social control theory maintains that everyone has the potential to become a criminal but most people are controlled by their bonds to society 6 Social reaction theory says people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such a Also called labeling theory B Social Learning theory 1 Sutherlands differential association theory said criminal acts are related to a person s exposure to antisocial behavior the basic principles are a Criminal behavior is learned b Learning is a by product of interaction c Learning occurs within intimate groups d Criminal techniques are learned e Perception of legal codes motivates drives f Differential associations may vary in frequency duration priority age of children when they first encounter definitions of criminality and intensity importance and prestige attributed to the individual or groups from whom definitions are learned 2 DA theory is critiqued on the basis that a DA suggests criminals are people properly socialized into a deviant subculture i Some argue they have been improperly socialized b Also fails to explains why two people under the same circumstances go about different paths one towards good the other towards crime 3 Differential reinforcement theory
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