Sociological Explanations

So far we've looked briefly at a couple of pre-classical perspectives on crime and punishment - The Code of Hammurabi & Demonology - as well as the classical school in which Beccaria & Bentham proposed individuals are hedonistically motivated and commit crime on their own volition which runs counter to later biological explanations which proposed criminals are 'born' and, according to Lombroso, are evolutionary throwbacks (atavistic).

Over time and with the development of different approaches our understanding of the nature of crime and the factors which contribute to criminal behaviour has also developed. This week we turn our attention to a SOCIOLOGICAL explanation of crime, specifically MARXISM.

but first!

Give this Kahoot a bash to check your understanding of what we've covered so far...

KAHOOOOOOT

Your timeline should be coming along nicely at this point and hopefully includes the following (at least):

A brief summary of pre-classical ideas on crime and punishment
A summary of the key points of the classical school on criminology including:
- Who (Beccaria & Bentham)
- When (Late 18th c)
- Why (In response to barbaric / inconsistent approach)
- What (Crime is the result of hedonistic motivation (for pleasure / avoid punishment) and free will /rational choice. Punishment should serve as a deterrent by being swift, certain and proportional to the crime)
A summary of the key points of the biological perspective on criminology, including:
- Who (Cesare Lobroso)
- When (L'uomo Delinquente (Criminal Man) published 1876)
- Why (To recognise that biological variations can lead to variations in behaviour)
- What (Criminals are BORN atavists. Criminals can be identified via anthropometric characteristics. The response to crime should be geared towards treating the individual rather than punishing the criminal act)

SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME

CLASSICAL

BIOLOGICAL

SOCIOLOGICAL

THIS WEEK

PSYCHOLOGICAL

NEXT WEEK

Lets walk before we run... first up, we need to understand what 'SOCIOLOGICAL' is...

"sociology...

... is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies and how people interact within these contexts."

***

Within sociology, there are literally dozens of theories offering different commentaries and explanations for all sorts of aspects of society from culture to politics to crime to you-name-it.

We only need to focus on one sociological theory (we might do another if there's time).

This page will look at criminology mainly from a FUNCTIONALIST perspective. HOWEVER, when it comes to your timeline and end of unit assessment, please feel free to select a different sociological theory or theories IF YOU WANT. For example, you could look at MARXISM, FEMINIST THEORY OR FOCUALT or a combination of any or all of these.

Like previous weeks, the activity this week will be to update your timeline (or notes) with details on a sociological theory of crime so as you work through the page, try to take notes on the key points!

Remember, for your assessment you will need to provide a (200 word) "description of a key contribution of one sociological approach such as the work of functionalists or Marxist criminology."

This page contains information on both FUNTIONALIST EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME and MARXIST EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME. Learning about both is the goal but if time's short, prioritise FUNCTIONALISM over MARXISM

functionalist theory

There are a lot of thinkers who have contributed to functionalist theory over time. For simplicity's sake, we're focussing on the contributions of one of the founding fathers of functionalist thinking - Emile Durkheim

For anyone interested in this topic, I'd go and check our Robert Merton's 'Strain Theory' too

Defining functionalism... from a sociological perspective, functionalist theory can be defined as "the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society"

It wasn't specifically formulated to explain crime and deviant behaviour but to explain all aspects of society. Nevertheless, when we apply the above definition to crime, we end up with something like "crime serves a function and is necessary for the survival of a society..."

HAVE A THINK...

So, at it's most basic, a functionalist theory of crime suggests that crime serves a FUNCTION within society.

Are there any positive societal outcomes of crime?

(i.e., is crime all bad or does it play a positive role of some kind?)

Émile Durkheim: Durkheim formally established sociology as an academic discipline and, with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is commonly cited as the principal architect of modern social science and father of sociology.

functionalist theory

For a general introduction to functionalist theory, check out this video on founding father, Émile Durkheim.

Durkheim's Functionalist Theory

NOWADAYS WE HAVE LOTS OF THEORIES ABOUT THE WHYS AND WHATS OF SOCIETY. WHAT MAKES FUNCTIONALIST THEORY ANY DIFFERENT / IMPORTANT TO SOCIOLOGY?

Émile Durkheim's ideas about how societies work was ground-breaking for the time (late 19th century) and helped to establish Sociology as a distinct scientific field! Before this time, and similarly to many other fields which we now collectively call 'social sciences' or 'humanities', the study of society (sociology) was lumped in with philosophy in general.

Durkheim's contributions sought to separate sociology from other disciplines, opening the door for subsequent thinkers to build on this theory and introduce their own! Also, as one of the earliest pure sociology theories, Durkheim was one of the first people to investigate and put forward a theory for how societies develop (from small to large) and are held together

WRITE IT DOWN

In your own words, write down why functionalist theory (in general) was important in Sociology...

social order

Social order is a massively important concept within sociology. The term is used to describe a level of stability within society.

Social order is achieved when there is balance within and between the different elements of society. What is stopping society from devolving into all-out anarchy?

activity

Read the article below and, in your own words...

a) write down a definition of 'social order'

b) note down how 'social order' is maintained

Defining Social Order

with me so far?

Functionalist theory and the contributions of Émile Durkheim were crucial in the formation of sociology as a distinct discipline
Social order occurs when the elements within a society are working cohesively
A functionalist approach to sociology would say that each aspect of society serves a FUNCTION in maintaining social order

Taking the last point above and focussing in specifically on crime...

how can crime have a positive effect?

As with any other aspect of society, functionalist theory states that deviance or crime serves an important function within society... From an individual perspective, that doesn't make a whole bunch of sense.

How can something we generally accept as bad (crime) be beneficial for society and help us to maintain social order?

social regulation

The way a society reacts to deviant or criminal behaviour serves an important function in establishing behavioural boundaries.

When society reacts negatively to an act of deviance (i.e., the perpetrator gets arrested!) it sends a message to the wider society that this behaviour is not acceptable, thus establishing boundaries.

social integration

While we all have different opinions, there are some acts so universally abhorrent that they actually strengthen social cohesion within a society.

Watch the video above for a couple of examples.

Now think about what the killing of George Floyd. Is there any evidence of social integration as a result of this and similar scenarios? What about the BLM movement?

social change

Sometimes the legal system lags social change. According to Durkheim, by testing the 'boundaries' of acceptable behaviour. Crime can help to promote change within society.

A key example here would be changing laws around homosexuality. Until recent decades, homosexuality was considered deviant in many supposedly progressive nations. Over time and with relentless pressure on the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, thinking and laws have changed.

activity

1) Name 3 important functions of CRIME within society and provide and explanation of each (in your own words).

Without crime "Durkheim argued that crime only became dysfunctional when there was too much or too little of it – too much and social order would break down, too little and there would not be sufficient capacity for positive social change."

karl marx: 1818 - 1883

Even if you don't know what it is, you've probably heard of Marxism at some point. Eponymously named, at a basic level, Marxism can be described as the collected theories of Karl Marx...

Marx was a critic of what he saw as failings of the capitalism-reliant political and economic systems of Western nations of the time and, along with his buddy Friedrich Engels, laid down his theories in what has become known as the 'Communist Manifesto' published in 1848.

WATCH EITHER OR BOTH OF THE VIDEOS HERE: ARE THE ISSUES DISCUSSED STILL APPARENT TODAY OR HAVE THINGS CHANGED?

ALTERNATIVE READING MATERIALS

Wiki Simple - Marxism

Capitalism vs Socialism

REFLECT

Next week you will be asked to share your thoughts on this and anyone who hasn't got something will have to do these questions as homework.

I MEAN IT

After watching the above videos or reading the articles, see if you can put down your thoughts on the following. The prompts could fuel a dissertation but just jot down some key points and YOUR OPINIONS.

How does Capitalism Work?
Criticisms of Capitalism
How does Marx's solution, Socialism, work?
Criticisms of Socialism / Defence of Capitalism
Do we live in a capitalist or communist society?
Can you name 3 capitalist and 3 communist countries?

(Shock-horror, you might need to do some research to answer that last one :o :o )

HOPEFULLY BY NOW YOU'RE REALISING THAT MARX AND HIS BUDDIES WEREN'T PARTICULARLY FOND OF CAPITALISM. I KNOW WE'VE NOT MENTIONED CRIME YET, DON'T WORRY WE'LL GET TO THAT BUT TO UNDERSTAND THE MARXIST APPROACH TO CRIME WE OBVIOUSLY NEED A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERYING THEORY SO BEAR WITH ME!

key points ACTIVITY

These are all the key terms you could try to include in your timeline

Using the article below, can you answer the following:

Define 'proletariat'
Define 'bourgeoisie'

What does the 'exploitation of labour' mean?
Can you provide and example?
What does 'Dialectical Materialism' mean?
What is a 'Classless Society' and how does it differ to the current setup?

Marxism - Wiki Simple

This is tricky stuff but you NEED to know it to understand how Marxist theory can be applied to crime so at this point, if you don't know what Marxism is (at a very basic level) go back and review the materials.

According to Marx's view, free market capitalism benefits the most ruthless and aggressive members of society (a view also posited in John Ronson’s The Psychopath Test).

What do you think?
Do you think being ruthless is a benefit in a capitalist society?

Psychology note! Hare (he came up with the 'psychopathy checklist') reports that about 1 percent of the general population meets the clinical criteria for psychopathy. Hare further claims that the prevalence of psychopaths is higher in the business world than in the general population. Figures of around 3–4% have been cited for more senior positions in business.

the marxist approach to crime

Now that we've got a background in what Marxism actually is, we can look at how the theory can be applied to explain crime and deviance. Marx himself didn't directly write all that much on crime and punishment, however, from his theoretical project was spun an entire literature of radical criminology, which interprets punishment with the help of the vision Marx's theory lends. This literature is essentially critical of punishment. Marxists deny not only the justness of, but also the conventional justifications given for, legal punishment.

Think about it, Marx and co were HUGELY critical of capitalism, seeing it as the root of many evils... including crime

if you're wondering when might be a good time to take a break / breather, i'd say here. big text incoming.

Below is split into two main chunks, the marxist theory on punishment and the marxist theory on crime itself (the why of it)

Marx on punishment

In an article written for the New York Daily Tribune on capital punishment, Marx makes clear enough his understanding of the practice of legal punishment as a whole:

"Plainly speaking, and dispensing with all paraphrases, punishment is nothing but a means of society to defend itself against the infraction of its vital conditions, whatever may be their character. Now, what a state of society is that which knows of no better instrument for its own defense than the hangman, and which proclaims through the "leading journal of the world" [The Times ] its own brutality as eternal law?"

think about it

Look past the old-timey fancy-speak, what is Marx actually saying here?

Does he support punishment in its current form?
What purpose does he say punishment serves?
What do you think Marx means by the 'vital conditions' of society?
When we 'defend' these, who is really benefitting? (which class)

In this passage Marx is making a claim and a judgment. The judgment is that punishment is brutal. The claim Marx makes is the core claim of radical criminologists: that punishment is an instrument used by society to defend itself so that it may maintain itself - punishment is useful in preserving society. What Marx barely hints at here, but which is central to the Marxist argument, is that it is precisely because of its use that punishment is unjust.

The Marxist (to generalize) understands capitalist society to be divided between two classes, the property-owning bourgeoisie and the propertyless proletariat. The state, with its legal and political apparatus, claims to represent the interests of all members of society, but in fact it allows the property-owning class to perpetuate its unjust domination over the propertyless. A typical version of the Marxist argument goes like this:

"The legal system is an apparatus that is created to secure the interests of the dominant class. Contrary to conventional belief, law is a tool of the ruling class. The legal system provides the mechanism for the forceful and violent control of the rest of the population. In the course of the battle, the agents of the law serve as the military force for the protection of domestic order. Hence, the state and its accompanying legal system reflect and serve the needs of the ruling class. The primary interest of the ruling class is to preserve the existing capitalist order…. This is accomplished ultimately by means of the legal system"

marx on the causes of crime

activity

Psst! Along with a brief description of the basic tenets of Marxism, these are likely to be the key points on your timeline this week

On a blank sheet of paper / document / slides / whatever you're using to take notes, read the article below and, in your own words, explain the heading below.

Capitalism is Crimogenic - see if you can get at least 3 reasons WHY capitalism is criminogenic (the more the better though)

Marxist Theory of Crime

timeline activity

As usual, submit your updated timeline or notes for this week on Teams. It's 'Sociological Explanations' this week

You know what time it is... update those timelines with information on a sociological theory of criminology. You can choose to do Marxism but don't feel that you HAVE to. If you would prefer to research and write about a different sociological approach, feel free! Consider the following:

The basic principles of the sociological theory you've chosen (in general)
Who founded or contributed to the early development of the theory and when / how (key writings?)
What does the theory say about crime and the causes of crime?
What does the theory say about punishment / law?
Do you agree / disagree with the explanations (evaluate)

Resources & additional activities

Punishment Theory & Practice

Marxism - Wiki Simple

Additional Activities: https://sellfy.com/revisesociology/p/juqd/

Additional Activity: https://criminology.uk.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Page-112-Marxism-and-crime.pdf

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