New Game Plan - Criminological Theory - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminology

Download New Game Plan - Criminological Theory - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminology in PDF only on Docsity! The New Game Plan • TODAY: Review conflict, Marxist and cover Feminist • Thursday: Introduction to Lifecourse Theory + Sampson and Laub • Anything left over we can cover on the last class (in syllabus, this is an open day) Docsity.com Variations of Critical Theory • Conflict Theory • Marxist/Radical Theory • Left Realism/Peacemaking • Feminist Criminology Docsity.com Empirical Evidence • The formulation of law – Interest groups’ influence on law-making – Research on consensus over laws • The operation of the CJS – Research on “extra-legal” variables • RACE, CLASS, GENDER Docsity.com Conflict: An Explanation of Street Crime • Thorston Sellin (1938) – Cultural conflict theory – Gist: violate laws of the majority simply by following the norms of one’s own reference group • George Vold (1958) – Group conflict theory (crime that results from conflict) Docsity.com Marxist Criminology • Instrumental Marxist Position – Hard line position • Crime and the creation and enforcement of law the direct result of capitalism • Structural Marxist Position – Softer Position • Governments are somewhat autonomous • Over time, the direction of the law (creation and enforcement) will lean towards the capitalists Docsity.com Criticisms of Marxist Criminology • An “underdog theory” with little basis in fact • Are “socialist societies” any different? • Other capitalist countries have low crime rates • Most crime is poor against poor—Marxists ignore the plight of the poor. Docsity.com New Directions in Radical Theory • Left Realism & Peacemaking Criminology – Recognize that crime is “real problem,” but the answer is simply a more “just” or “caring” world • Problem = no longer a “theory” in any sense – How the world “should be” rather than how it really is Docsity.com Elliott Currie • “Market Society” revisited – Not “capitalism causes crime” • Many capitalist countries have low crime rates • Sweeden (bottom up) • Japan (top down) – “Mean spirited” capitalism causes crime – But How? Docsity.com Feminist Theory The Gender Ratio The “Feminization of Crime” The Generalization Problem Docsity.com The Gender Gap or Ratio • Males dominate Criminal Offending – UCR data • Total Offending Male to Female is 3.5 to 1 • Serious Violent Male to Female is 5 to 1 – Relationship holds for self-report data, over time, across societies • One exception is for juvenile “status offenses” Docsity.com Is the gender ratio shrinking? • Yes and No • Yes: – The gender gap has shrunk a little bit, but still very large • % increase in female offending is misleading • b/c small base rate, minor increases are amplified • Adler’s “Women’s Lib” hypothesis – You’ve come a long way baby, but you still commit “traditional” female crimes Docsity.com And the winners are… • Antisocial Attitudes • Delinquent Peers • Gender Roles • Combination of these three “knocks gender out” of the picture – Or, “controlling” for these factors, gender no longer predicts delinquency Docsity.com The “Generalizibility Issue” • Patriarchal society  Males also dominate criminological theorizing – Are males biased in their perspective? • Traditional image of females as “good” • If delinquent or criminal = pathology – Tests of delinquency based on males? – Can “male” theories of crime explain female delinquency? • Similar questions have been raised regarding intervention/treatment Docsity.com Factors Unique Female Offending? • Gender Roles • Physical Maturity – Caspi et al = Delinquent Peers x early Maturity • Sexual abuse • Self-esteem Docsity.com