...Examining Theory Criminology CJS/231 June 27, 2016 Examining Theory Within this essay I will talk about social structure theory related to the video of Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone. Social structure theory is a theory that a person’s place in the socioeconomic structure influences their chances of becoming a criminal. Social structure theories “These theories look at the formal and informal economic and social arrangements (or structure) of society as the root causes of crime and deviance” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). There are three major principles of sociological theories they are: Social disorganization, strain theory, culture conflict theory. Social disorganization “(which depicts social change, social conflict, and lack of social consensus as the root causes of crime and deviance) is closely associated with the ecological school of criminology” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Strain theory is “which depicts delinquency as a form of adaptive problem-solving behavior committed in response to problems involving frustrating and undesirable social environments” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Cultural conflict theory is “which suggests that the root cause of criminality can be found in a clash of values between differently socialized groups over what is acceptable or proper behavior.” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Within this essay I will examine the structure that influences the prisoners to commit more crime within the prison...
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...Lauralee Candelario Professor Lawrie Criminology April 13, 2016 The social learning branch of social process theory suggests that people learn criminal behavior much as they learn conventional behavior. If an individual were to grow up in an environment that fostered the pursuit of academic interests, this intellect trait would have the ability for increased expression rather than if the individual were in an environment that placed little value on learning. This can in turn relate to criminal behavior and social deviance. Various developmental and sociological factors play a role in an individual’s inclination towards exhibiting criminal behavior. One of the most important environmental factors during childhood development is that of socialization or the way a child is taught how to act. Children learn to merely obey the rules of their society. Certain actions are repeated because of directly correlated consequences. A child does not intuitively know that stealing is wrong; they have to be taught through negative consequences that this behavior is not acceptable. They then internalize these rules and eventually believe them to be fundamentally correct. Socialization refers to the developmental period where the ideals of morality and socially acceptable behavior are instilled in a child. If a child is consistently taught how to act through both positive and negative reinforcement, the child will begin to exhibit certain characteristics because they...
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...Criminolgy Fall 2013 3 Major Sources of Crime Data Uniform Crime Report Officially reported crime Counts the # of offences known to police . (Doesn’t count the onest that are not reported (For example, Police Arrests) Crimes Reported Voluntary Participation Self Report UCR Part I Violent Crimes: Homicide, aggravated assault, property crimes, larceny, theft “serious crimes” Sean.007@umb.edu 9/10/13 Risk and Personal Safety Crime isn’t exploding The polls say it’s America’s #1 concern , new prisons, longer sentences. Film: Are we scaring ourselves to Death? What are some of the crime myths identified in the film. Crime Surge Particulary violent crime Old, white, women as victims of crime Stranger homicide Violenct Crime Facts National Commission on the causes and prevention of Violence Primarily an urban phenomenon Offenders are primarily males, youth ages 15-24 years minority, low SES individuals - Victims “...” Perpertartors are most likely to be acquantances Primarily committed by repeat offenders 6% for between 53% and 71% of violent crime. What year was this report published? 1969. Victimolgy Emergence: 1940’s Hans Von Hentig First person to really bring the idea of victim’s role in criminal events Victims precipitaton - idea that the victim brings on the criminal act Who is more likely to be victimized Victim- Offender Link Likelihood of vicitimization ...
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...Social Structure & Social Interaction, Groups, Deviance, Poverty and Social Class Both Sides Microsociology emphasis is placed on social interaction- rules, codes, survival strategies, relationships, face to face contact. 1/54 Study: Speller Learn Test Play Games: Scatter Space Race All 54 terms PrintExportCopyCombine Order by Terms Definitions Microsociology emphasis is placed on social interaction- rules, codes, survival strategies, relationships, face to face contact. Location in Social Structure People's location in the social structure accounts for differences in their behavior & attitudes Ascribed Status involuntary status; a status you inherit o Class of parents, gender, sex, ethnicity, race Achieved Status voluntary status; a status you earn o Student, criminal, doctor, friend Society people who share culture & territory Hunting & Gathering Societies simplest form of society, few social divisions, few people, nomadic, most egalitarian [treat all as equals, no one is rich or poor], society with most leisure time. Role Conflict When what is expected of us in one role is incompatible with what is expected in another role. Role Strain When the same role presents inherent conflict- one role Thomas Theorem If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences- think of people as less than and they will be treated as such. Group members of a group think of themselves as belonging together, they interact with...
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...organizations; focused on different levels of analysis * Use of the scientific method to understand and solve problems relate to people in organizations * Focus on organizational behavior * Individuals: attitudes, behavior, health * Groups/teams: norms, cohesion, conflict * Organizations: firm performance, culture, climate Historical influences: * Fredrick Taylor: first to subject work to scientific study; interested in efficiency * Published Principles of Scientific Management (1911) * Conducted first field experiments like shuffling studies * Time-and-motion studies to identify “one best way” to do a job * Ford example; he found a way to make Ford cars cheaper * Elton Mayo: studied workers at Hawthorne; worked of the Western Electric Co. in late 20’s – early 30’s * Research on effects of lighting, breaks, length of work day, and type of incentive pay on performance * Illumination studies and Hawthorne Effect * Social factors affect behavior in organizations (human relations movement) * Kurt Lewin: * Father of social psychology * Action research * Leader climates/styles * Organizational change process and force field analysis * B= f(P,E) * Behavior is an function between an individual and their environment External perspective: explaining behavior in terms of external events and...
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...Theory of Strain The strain theory explains delinquency as being caused by the strain or frustration of not having an equal opportunity or means to achieve commonly shared goals such as economic or social success. Persons with little formal education and few economic resources are denied the ability to acquire the goals of American society, thus producing a sense of alienation, hopelessness and frustration. Because opportunities for success are more open for the middle – and upper classes, strain is experienced most by those in the lower socioeconomic class, where quality education and employment opportunities are more limited. Strain is more common among lower-class persons, who live in inner-city urban areas that are characterized more by social problems and crime. As a way to enhance educational and employment opportunities and reduce delinquency, the government funded policies such as “Head Start” and job programs for the lower-class youths. The Head Start program is a federal program for preschool children three to five years of age in low-income families. This program promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families. They engage parents in their children’s learning and help them in making progress toward their educational, literacy and employment goals. Significant emphasis is placed on the involvement of...
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...Evaluate the usefulness of Functionalist theories to our understanding of crime and deviance (40 marks) A functionalist analysis of crime and deviance begins with society as a whole. It looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. Durkheim argued that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. Crime is present in all types of society; indeed, the crime rate is higher in the more advanced, industrialised countries. According to Durkheim, crime is an ‘integral part of all healthy societies’. It’s inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (the shared values and moral beliefs) of society. Since individuals are exposed to different influences and circumstances, it is ‘impossible for all to be alike’. Therefore not everyone is equally reluctant to break the law. Durkheim went on to say that crime isn’t only inevitable, it can also be functional. Durkheim argued that it only becomes dysfunctional (harmful to society) when its rate is unusually high or law. He argued that all social change begins with some form of deviance. In order for change to occur, yesterday’s deviance must become today’s normality. Since a certain amount of change is good for society (so that it can progress rather than stagnate), so is deviance. If the collective sentiments are too strong, there will be little deviance, but neither will there be any change, or progress. Therefore the collective...
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...University of Hong Kong, 2001, 2011. Reprinted 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the President, The Open University of Hong Kong. Sale of this material is prohibited. The Open University of Hong Kong Ho Man Tin, Kowloon Hong Kong This course material is printed on environmentally friendly paper. Contents Introduction 1 The focus of criminology 4 What is criminology? Why study crime? 4 6 Developing theory: the foundations of criminology 8 Theorizing about crime before criminology: the classical perspective Positivist criminology 8 10 Sociological criminology The Chicago School Strain and subcultural theories of crime Control theories The labelling perspective Critical criminology 14 15 17 21 23 27 Environmental criminology 30 Jane Jacobs and Oscar Newman Routine activity theory Rational choice theory 30 33 35 Summary 39 References 41 Feedback on activities 43 Readings Unit 2 Introduction The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to the different kinds of theorizing about crime that have constituted the discipline of criminology. Criminology as an academic discipline has existed for well over 100 years. During this time, a number of distinct approaches have emerged, and it is these different approaches that this unit seeks to capture,...
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...Chapter Eight: Deviance and Social Control Chapter Summary Sociologists use the term deviance to refer to any violation of rules and norms. From a sociological perspective, deviance is relative. Definitions of “what is deviant” vary across societies and from one group to another within the same society. Howard S. Becker described the interpretation of deviance as, “…not the act itself, but the reaction to the act that makes something deviant.” This coincides with the symbolic interactionist view. In some cases, an individual need not do anything to be labeled a deviant. He or she may be falsely accused or discredited because of a birth defect, race, or disease. Even crime is relative when interpreting the deviance of the actor. Deviance is based on adherence to and violation of norms. Human groups need norms to exist. By making behavior predictable, norms make social life possible. Consequently, all human groups develop a system of social control, which involves formal and informal means of enforcing norms. Those who violate these norms face the danger of being labeled “deviant.” Violators can expect to experience negative sanctions for the violation of norms. Members of society who conform to societal norms, especially those who go above and beyond what is commonly expected, receive positive sanctions. In some societies, such as the Amish, shaming is a common negative sanction that acts strongly as a means of social control, minimizing deviance. Biologists...
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...Chapter Eight: Deviance and Social Control Chapter Summary Sociologists use the term deviance to refer to any violation of rules and norms. From a sociological perspective, deviance is relative. Definitions of “what is deviant” vary across societies and from one group to another within the same society. Howard S. Becker described the interpretation of deviance as, “…not the act itself, but the reaction to the act that makes something deviant.” This coincides with the symbolic interactionist view. In some cases, an individual need not do anything to be labeled a deviant. He or she may be falsely accused or discredited because of a birth defect, race, or disease. Even crime is relative when interpreting the deviance of the actor. Deviance is based on adherence to and violation of norms. Human groups need norms to exist. By making behavior predictable, norms make social life possible. Consequently, all human groups develop a system of social control, which involves formal and informal means of enforcing norms. Those who violate these norms face the danger of being labeled “deviant.” Violators can expect to experience negative sanctions for the violation of norms. Members of society who conform to societal norms, especially those who go above and beyond what is commonly expected, receive positive sanctions. In some societies, such as the Amish, shaming is a common negative sanction that acts strongly as a means of social control, minimizing deviance. Biologists, psychologists, and...
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...Running Head: Crime in America Economics, Crime, and Prevention in America Clara m. Jones Strayer University Instructor: Dr. Astiage Tondari Economics 405: Economics of Social Issues June 7, 2012 Abstract Economic theories of crime have long been put forward in an attempt to explain criminality. They undertake to explain crime in terms of economic reasons as we as in terms of the structuring of society. Two of the most prolific of these theories look at the country of America and present differing explanations of the causes of crime in this country (Merton 1938; 1949; 1957; 1968; 1995; 1997; 1999; Clubb, 2001). Robert Merton seeks to explain crime in terms of a strain to anomie’ while Elliott Currie’ sees crime as a product of the factors associated with market society. These theories may concentrate specifically on America they are of general application; therefore, one can consider whether or not they explain the causes of criminality in the UK in the present day. There will be more in this paper on Merton and Currie as well as others in this. This paper discusses the effects of child maltreatment, adolescent maltreatment on delinquency and crime, including violet and nonviolent offending. This paper will discuss, gender difference, deviant behavior, and substance abuse (drugs). This paper will discuss will economic analysis classification of crime, deterrence, rehabilitation, incarceration, recidivism, parole, probation, court systems, good and services, and legalization...
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...correctional agencies, designed to treat youthful offenders. FBI- Federal Bureau of Investigation- is the arm of the U.S. Dept. of Justice that investigates violations of federal law, gathers crime statistics, runs a comprehensive crime laboratory, and helps train local law enforcement officers. UCR- Uniform Crime Reports- complied by the FBI, the UCR is the most widely used source of national crime and delinquency statistics Sampling- selecting a limited number of people for study as representative of a larger group Population- all people who share a particular characteristic, such as all high school students or all police officers Dark figures of crime- Incidents of crime and delinquency that go undetected by police. Racial Threat Theory- as the size of the African...
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...Dynamic VS Static Demographic Focuses 1. Size: the number of population in a given areas at a given time. 2. Distribution: population dispersion in geographic space at a given time. 3. Composition: the number of person in sex, age, and other “demographic” categories. 4. Population dynamics: birth, death, and migration. 5. Socioeconomic determinants and consequences of population change --- Population Study. Population Characteristics Population has three compositions (in terms of static): natural composition: by age and sex spatial composition: by province and by urban-rural areas social composition: by marital status, educational status, nationalities, working status, etc. Accordingly, population has three changes (in terms of dynamics): natural change: birth and death migration change: emigration and immigration social change: marriage and divorce, enrollment and drop out Population dynamics affects the population composition. Population composition can be expressed at a point of time, which was called time-point index; Population change can be expressed within duration of time, which was called period index. The Feature of Demography Demography is rarely found as an independent academic discipline in an independent academic department. It is more commonly pursued as a subfield within departments of sociology, economics, Epidemiology, geography, or statistics. However, practice of the field is relatively...
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...(journal). For the Raekwon song, see Criminology (song). Criminology and penology Pentonvilleiso19.jpg Theory[show] Types of crime[show] Penology[show] v t e Sociology Social Network Diagram (segment).svg History Outline Portal Theory Positivism Antipositivism Functionalism Conflict theories Social constructionism Structuralism Interactionism Critical theory Structure and agency Actor-network theory Methods Quantitative Qualitative Historical Mathematical Computational Ethnography Ethnomethodology Network analysis Subfields Conflict Criminology Culture Development Deviance Demography Education Economic Environmental Family Gender Health Industrial Inequality Knowledge Law Literature Medical Military Organizational Political Race & ethnicity Religion Rural Science Social change Social movements Social psychology Stratification STS Technology Urban Browse Bibliography Index Journals Organizations People Timeline v t e Three women in the pillory, China, 1875 Criminology (from Latin crīmen, "accusation"; and Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioral and social sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law. The term criminology was coined in 1885 by Italian...
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...Journal of International Academic Research (2012) Vol.12, No.1. 30 April 2012 An Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Work Life Balance among University Teachers: the case of Pakistan Noor Fatima: Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Pakistan. noor_e_fatimah@hotmail.com Dr Shamim A.Sahibzada: Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Pakistan. shamim@szabist-isb.edu.pk Abstract Balance in work and family life is an emerging challenge for both employees and employers. The present research categorises selected variables as work and family related factors to study work life balance. This paper analyses the determinants of work and life imbalance with respect to male and female university teachers. A total of 146 teacher’s responses from both private and public sector universities are included in the study. Statistical analysis reveals that partner support, colleague support and job resources are positively associated with the work life balance whereas unfair criticism at job is negatively associated with work life balance. Independent sample t-test is used to analyse the effect of independent variables on work life balance with respect to male and female university teachers. The variables, partner support, childcare responsibilities, elder dependency, and colleagues support have different effect when analysed by male and female university teachers as independent samples. Keywords: Work life balance, University...
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