2. Explain the theory of crime causation advanced by: a. Merton\'s Anomie theory

Question

2. Explain the theory of crime causation advanced by: a. Merton's Anomie theory (P.207-210 b. Cohen's lower-class delinquency (P. 216-218) c. Cloward's and Ohlin's theory of differential opportunity (P.218-220) d. Southerland's differential association theory (P. 240-243) e. The labeling perspective (253-259 top) 3. Discuss the following about the juvenile and adult courts (Ch. 16 a. Trace the history of the juvenile court. b. Cite Supreme Court decisions that changed the way juvenile cases are processed. c. Explain the differences and similarities between the Juvenile and Adult justice systems Discuss the steps involved in processing a case in Adult Court from arrest to sentencing(for example, probable cause, arrest, booking, preliminary hearing, arraignment, bail, jury, judge, defense attorney, district attorney, conviction, pre-sentence investigation, sentence, etc.). (Ch. 16) 4. Then, identify 3 problems pertaining to the processing of cases by the police, and 3 problems pertaining to the processing of cases by the courts, and propose a solution as to how each problem can be avoided or corrected Describe the functions of the police as a. Preventing or deterring crime b. Targeting crime c. Investigating crime (Ch. 17) 5. 6. Discuss the following about the prison system in the us: a. b. c. The types of prisons that currently exist in the US The differences between male and female prisons Three major problems that currently plague the prison system, and propose solutions to these problems. (Ch. 18) P. 2 of 2

Explanation / Answer

2.Anomie refers to the confusion that arises when social norms conflict or don't even exist. In the 1960s, Robert Merton used the term to describe the differences between socially accepted goals and the availability of means to achieve those goals.Merton stressed, for instance, that attaining wealth is a major goal of Americans, but not all Americans possess the means to do this, especially members of minority and disadvantaged groups. Those who find the “road to riches” closed to them experience anomie, because an obstacle has thwarted their pursuit of a socially approved goal. When this happens, these individuals may employ deviant behaviors to attain their goals, retaliate against society. Edwin Sutherland coined the phrase differential association to address the issue of how people learn deviance. According to this theory, the environment plays a major role in deciding which norms people learn to violate. Specifically, people within a particular reference group provide norms of conformity and deviance, and thus heavily influence the way other people look at the world, including how they react. People also learn their norms from various socializing agents—parents, teachers, ministers, family, friends, co?workers, and the media. In short, people learn criminal behavior, like other behaviors, from their interactions with others, especially in intimate groups. The differential?association theory applies to many types of deviant behavior. For example, juvenile gangs provide an environment in which young people learn to become criminals. These gangs define themselves as countercultural and glorify violence, retaliation, and crime as means to achieving social status. Gang members learn to be deviant as they embrace and conform to their gang's norms. Cohen said lower-working-class boys want to achieve the success which is valued by mainstream culture. But due to educational failure and the dead-end jobs that result from this they have little chance of achieving these goals. This results in status frustration, the boys are at the bottom of the social structure and have little chance of gaining a higher status in society. This is similar to Merton’s theory, however Cohen said that instead of turning to crime as Merton said, they reject the norms and values of mainstream society and instead turn to the norms and values of a delinquent subculture. In this subculture the boys can achieve success because the social group has different norms and values from the rest of society. So in this culture a high value is placed upon criminal acts such as stealing and vandalism which are condemned by mainstream society. In these subcultures the individual who lacked respect in mainstream society can gain it by committing crimes such as vandalism and truancy. Because the crimes reward the individual with respect there is not always the need for a monetary value to commit a crime, so the subcultural perspective explains why people commit non-utilitarian crimes. Differential opportunity theorists, Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin, determined that there were three paths individuals faced with limited opportunities would use to achieve success. The three subcultures are based on the stability of the environment. They are: Crime - in a neighborhood that is stable, and in which opportunity for crime exists, the individual will turn to crime as his or her alternative. Stability in this instance means that a hierarchy of criminal organization exists, and that the teen is able to move through the ranks to establish himself or herself. Conflict - this subculture is typical of disorganized areas of low socioeconomic opportunity. The area is characterized by a mix of groups trying to establish dominance. Although there is crime against others to fund the various organizations, people within the groups achieve based on their success at conflict. Teens fight to gain territory and prestige for their gang. Retreatist - in some instances, teens are unsuccessful at both legitimate and illegitimate enterprises. In this case, the individual ''drops out'' of society. Status is gained by drug use, or by membership in a separatist gang (examples: teenagers in the Goth or grunge cultures). It is a theory of delinquency that incorporates the concept of opportunity structure - society provides both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities for behavior and these opportunities meet different needs; People share same goals but have limited means to achieve them; Young people are likely to join gangs leading to criminbal behaviour. The labelling Theory of Crime is associated with Interactionism – the Key ideas are that crime is socially constructed, agents of social control label the powerless as deviant and criminal based on stereotypical assumptions and this creates effects such as the self-fulfilling prophecy, the criminal career and deviancy amplification. Labeling theories of crime are often referred to as social reaction theories, because they focus primarily on the consequences of responses or reactions to crime. These responses or reactions typically focus on three sets of actors: (1) informal social others, such as the friends, parents, or partners of persons committing crimes, and who disapprove of the offender’s behavior; (2) organizations or institutions such as the criminal justice system, whose function it is to “do something about” crime; and (3) those who perceive a threat by some behavior and want to see legislation passed to outlaw it. All of these very diverse actions have one thing in common: they are all reactions to crime. As such, they are said to be “labels” because they have the quality of attaching a name or a signature to someone or some behavior;hence the name labeling theory. Labelling theory believes that deviance is made worse by labelling and punishment by the authorities, and it follows that in order to reduce deviance we should make fewer rules for people to break, and have less-serious punishments for those that do break the rules.An example of an Interactionist inspired policy would be the decriminalisation of drugs. Due to time constraints,the rmaining questions can be asked as anoter question,they will be answered,thankyou

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