This document outlines various sociological theories of crime and deviance. It discusses definitions of crime and explanations for why some individuals commit crimes while others do not. These include functionalist theories that see crime as inevitable and serving a social purpose, as well as subculture theories that examine why groups turn to crime due to factors like status frustration or lack of legitimate opportunities. Other approaches covered are interactionist/labeling perspectives, phenomenology, neo-Marxism, and spatial theories examining the relationship between crime and location.

1. Definitions of deviance / crime: crime as ‘relative’, ‘culturally determined’, a ‘social construction’.
Explanations for Crime; why do some people commit crime, whilst others don’t?
PATTERNS of CRIME: Official Statistics: the ‘dark figure of crime’, the Iceberg Effect, AGE / GENDER and CRIME /
ETHNICITY and CRIME . Victim Surveys / Self Report Studies. See also, the relationship between deviance and POWER.
SOLUTIONS for Crime—according to the different sociological theories.
SUICIDE 2. NEW RIGHT:
Positivist v SOCIOLOGICAL 1. FUNCTIONALISM:
Crime is a result of the
Anti-positivist Explanations for Crime Durkheim: Crime as natural,
breakdown of the family
inevitable, universal (‘Society
and community:
Control, punishment and Victims: situational crime prevention / of Saints’), a means of
Norman Dennis
displacement. Environmental crime prevention. ZT. Social and community bringing about social
crime prevention PPP.Marxist/Functionalist view of the role of punishment. (cohabitation, changing
change, reinforcing
Forms of punishment. Positivist vs critical victimology. Victimology re role of women)
boundaries
CARGO factors. Impact of victimisation Etzioni (anti-
Albert Cohen: crime as
communitarianism).
Globalisation, Green Crime and State Crime: functional (a safety device /
Travis Hirschi - social
Crimes of post modern society / global risk society / glocal organisations / warning signal)
bonds (CABI)
primary and secondary green crime. Zemiology. Transgressive criminology. Robert Merton: anomie /
Steven Box - what stops
strain theory: 5 responses, 4
13. The Media and Crime: News values. The media as a cause of people committing crime -
of which are deviant and
crime. Fear of crime / relative deprivation and crime. The media and Moral S factors (secrecy, supply,
occur when society does not
Panics. New forms of crime via new technology—cybercrime social and symbolic
support, skill)
11. REALIST THEORIES: The Underclass Theory:
LEFT REALISM: RIGHT REALISM: Charles Murray
John Lea / Jock Young Links closely to the New
Marginalisation, Relative Right and Functionalism. 3. STRUCTURAL / SUBCULTURAL THEORY:
Deprivation and Subculture are Crime is due to poor Why do GROUPS of people turn to crime? Why does
The key concepts in explaining socialisation, decline in non-utilitarian crime occur?
Crime. ‘The Square of Crime’ civility / respect. Welfare Albert Cohen: Status Frustration
Multi-Agency approach. Links State is seen as too Walter Miller: Lower Class Subculture Focal Concerns
to POST MODERNISM generous creating a Cloward and Ohlin: Delinquency and Opportunity (lack
‘Something for Nothing’ of legitimate opportunity structures)
See also, culture. Links also to
12. FEMINISM Rational Choice Theory,
Control Theory and 4. CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY
SCRUBS! Situational Theories LYNG: Edge Work / KATZ: the Seductions of Crime
PRESDEE: Carnival
DAVID MATZA: Subculture of Delinquency:
10. NEO-MARXISM: deviants are NOT different.
Taylor, Walton and Young: Techniques of Neutralisation / Subterranean Values /
‘The New Criminology’: combines conventional Marxism and interactionism /
labelling theory into a ‘Fully Social Theory’ of deviance.Stuart Hall: ‘Policing Mood of Fatalism - Mood of Humanism / Drift.
the Crisis’: ‘the fully social theory’ applied to the act of ‘mugging’. Youth is a time when social control is weak - social
Hegemony (Gramsci) bonds are weaker, and young people have less
responsibility, so are freer to commit crime.
8. PHENOMENOLOGY: Interpretivist approach
Cicoural, Carlen and Garfinkel: ‘Courts and Common 5. MARXIST SUBCULTURAL THEORY: CCCS
Sense’ Stuart Hall: ‘Resistance through Rituals’: young people
See labelling by lower agencies of social control (police, resent capitalism and form subcultures that they feel
probation service, courts) as significant in WHO gets provide some (‘magical’ resistance to its constraints:
caught for committing crime. eg Teddy Boys, Skin Heads, Mods and Rockers.
7. INTERACTIONISM / LABELLING Theory:
Interpretivist approach 6. SOCIO SPATIAL THEORIES:
Focus on: individual motivation to commit, societal The Chicago School: Shaw and McKay: location of
reaction to crime, labelling and its consequences, offences / offenders. Tipping, social disorder, cognitive
and law creation. Howard Becker: ‘Outsiders’. maps, zones of transition, differential association, noc-
Primary and Secondary Deviance turnal economy, type of housing, lack of leisure etc
Jock Young: ‘Marijuana Users’
Edwin Lemert: Societal Reaction (Stuttering) 9. CONVENTIONAL MARXISM: Chambliss / Pearce:
Erving Goffmann: ‘Institutions’ Capitalism, and the inequalities of the class structure, cause crime:
Links with the work of Stan Cohen: The Media, Folk conventional Marxists ask key questions: who makes the rules, who
devils and Moral Panics. The Amplification of benefits from the rules, who breaks the rules, who gets caught, why
Deviance, the Deviancy Amplification Spiral. break the rules, how fairly are the laws enforced? See the law as
Scapegoating. enforced selectively in favour of the Ruling Class.
Non Sociological Explanations: not accepted by sociologists. More ‘medical’ / scientific. Murray—New Right: “Bio-social”