Theories of Crime and Deviance (2) Theories of Crime and Deviance (4)

Subcultural: Also related to Education: Pupil Subcultures Critical Theories

Reactive (or "oppositional") Traditional / Instrumental Marxism:

A.Cohen - Status Frustration) Criminals as underclass ("social scum": appropriators of surplus value)
P.Willis: Learning to Labour Law: reflects interests of ruling class:
D.Hargreaves: Social Relations in a Secondary School Economic contracts / regulations
Independent: Social Order
W.Miller (Focal concerns of working class youth) Power (how laws are created and selectively applied)
Anomie and Subcultures: Ideology: how ideas about law. Order, crime etc. are manipulated.
P.Woods (anomie and pupil subcultures) Class struggle
Legitimate and Illegitimate Opportunity Structures
(Cloward and Ohlin: Criminal, Conflict and Retreatist subcultures). Neo-Marxism: Subcultural:
Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies:
Delinquency and Drift (Matza): "Guilt" and Techniques of neutralisation. Resistance (symbolic): Hall and Jefferson. P.Cohen (Mods)
Hegemony (bourgeois)
Feminism (be aware of varieties / differences) Style (and its meaning)
Patriarchy Ethnic and gender subcultures in addition to class and youth
Women as oppressed group / sex class (e.g. McRobbie and Garber)
Legal and status equality
See: Social Distribution of Crime

Theories of Crime and Deviance (3) Theories of Crime and Deviance (5)
Interactionist (Social Constructionism): How is reality socially constructed? Neo-Marxism: Radical Criminology ("Left Idealism"): Early 1970's
Deviance is not a quality of behaviour. Rather it is a quality of how people react Taylor, Walton and Young (UK), Hall (UK), Quinney (USA)
to that behaviour (Becker). Deviance = relative concept. Deviants as "romantics" / "outlaws" (challenge bourgeois hegemony)
Anti-positivist (there can be no universal causes of crime) Fully Social Theory of Deviance involves understanding of:
Labelling Theories: (Becker, S.Cohen, Lemert) Cultural and Subcultural factors, the deviants' meanings, social reaction,
Mead: Self development: The "I" and the "Me" deviant's reaction to this, outcome of the "reaction to the social reaction".
Cooley: The "Looking Glass" Self. Corporate and environmental crime (white collar criminality). E.g. Chambliss
Power Relative autonomy of State
Ideology Hegemonic role of ruling class
Meanings and Negotiation Social class / class struggle
Master labels (Becker)
Deviants as "victims of a labelling process" Neo-Marxism: New Left Realism (1980 / '90's)
Primary and Secondary deviation (Lemert) Lea and Young ("What Is To be Done About Law and Order")
Deviancy Amplification System (Wilkins) Critical of "Left idealism" / "Left Functionalism" (e.g. Radical criminology)
Examples: Cohen (Folk Devils and Moral Panics); Young (Cannabis users); Official Crime Statistics broadly reliable and valid
S.Hall (Mugging) 3 major concepts: Relative deprivation
Folk devils Subculture
Moral panics Marginalisation (political, economic, ideological)
Moral entrepreneurs (individuals / interest groups - media) Local crime surveys (e.g. Islington)
Deviant career Chris.Livesey: www.sociology.org.uk
Labels: stickiness, rejection of, negotiation and re-negotiation.