"A sociologist'sview on the problem of littering and potential solutions"

Nic GroombridgeSt Mary’s University College

Litter Webinar 18 October

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SociologistSociologist

but a sociologist of crime (or criminologist) with ‘green’ pretensions (my PhD on ‘car culture’ more of a problem than ‘joyriding’)

green criminology or green perspectives in criminology?

a ‘watermelon’? (green on the outside, red in the middle)

seeking to avoid being an ‘avocado’

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‘avocado’

not happy with metaphor/analogy

but concerned about a populist punitiveness in any discourse about crime, deviance or anti-social behaviour

but back to criminology

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criminologycriminology (whether psychological or sociological or any other version) tends to look at mid range or very obvious crimes and wrongs

so rarely war or terrorism and not as much on volume crimes like car theft or burglary as their volume might dictate

the exciting (‘gangs’) or what told by funders (‘gangs’ again) to look at

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alternative alternative criminologiescriminologies

proliferation of attempts to understand/deal with crime over time and across political spectrum

some prefer to talk of ‘harm’, or the ‘harm perspective or even zemiology rather than ‘crime’ or ‘criminology’

so environmental harms might be studied (theoretically including litter) but more usually harms caused by Government or Corporations

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so not litter thenso not litter then

litter clearly a volume crime but often seen (dismissed?) as a nuisance

Yet often given a glancing mention in criminology texts but not actually studied

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green criminology any green criminology any better?better?

less mid-range than conventional criminology but, like radical criminologies and zemiology, tends to go for the ‘big’ questions and the ‘big’ ‘baddies’ (hence the watermelon)

so no litter here either

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Right RealismRight RealismWilson and Kelling 'Broken Windows’

We suggest that ‘untended’ behavior also leads to the breakdown of community controls. A stable neighborhood of families who care for their homes, mind each other’s children, and confidently frown on unwanted intruders can change, in a few years or even a few months, to an inhospitable and frightening jungle. A piece of property is abandoned, weeds grow up, a window is smashed. Adults stop scolding rowdy children; the children, emboldened, become more rowdy. Families move out, unattached adults move in. Teenagers gather in front of the corner store. The merchant asks them to move; they refuse. Fights occur. Litter accumulates. (1982, page 2 of webversion)

Only mention of litter in their work but often picked out by criminologists and ...

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Dart ContainersDart ContainersThe Broken Windows theory refers to an article by sociologists Dr. James Q. Wilson and Dr. George Kelling that first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in March of 1982. In that article, the authors put forth the hypothesis that general disorder in communities contributes to the rise of serious crime. The article focused on the analogy of a broken window. If a window is broken and not repaired quickly, soon more windows will be broken as the perception that no one cares about the building spreads. When many of the windows have been broken, the feeling is created that no one cares about the street and soon other structures will be vandalized.

Litter and graffiti can act like broken windows. If not corrected these problems create the impression that no one cares about the area and making it seem dangerous.

We've all seen and heard the slogans. And we all know that litter is just plain bad. What many people, however, are unwilling to admit, is that litter is a "people issue" not a product issue.

previously on their website

and and Keep America BeautifKeep America Beautifulul

Poole [a KAB, Louisiana volunteer] was instrumental in bringing Dr. George Kelling, renowned for his “broken windows theory”, to the 2005 Keep Louisiana Beautiful state conference where she organized a special meeting for him to address New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and state legislators. Poole’s goal was to help change the perception among Louisiana community and political leaders that litter is merely a cosmetic problem. Dr. Kelling explained how one broken window sets off a chain reaction of physical deterioration, which leads to crime, economic downturn and a lessened quality of life.

Which brings us to the litterature (!)

The LitteratureThe Litterature

Common themes with some criminology but apart from mention of Broken Windows no explicit reference to sociology.

So for instance ...

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KBT v Sykes and KBT v Sykes and MatzaMatza

Sykes and Matza propose the five Techniques of Neutralization.

Denial of responsibility. - Delinquent will propose that he/she is a victim of circumstance and that he/she is pushed or pulled into situations beyond his/her control. ("It wasn't my fault!")Denial of injury. - Delinquent supposes that his/her acts really do not cause any harm, or that the victim can afford the loss or damage. ("Why is everyone making a big deal about it; they have money!")Denial of the victim. - Delinquent views the act as not being wrong, that the victim deserves the injury, or that there is no real victim. ("They had it coming to them!")Condemnation of the condemners. - Condemners are seen as hypocrites, or are reacting out of personal spite, thus they shift the blame to others, being able to repress the feeling that their acts are wrong. ("They probably did worse things in their day!")Appeal to higher loyalties. - The rules of society often take a back seat to the demands and loyalty to important others. ("My friends depended on me, what was I going to do?!")

Sociological Sociological Criminology Criminology suggests ...suggests ...

design and situation can be manipulated to help (but I’m against litter but also sterility)

law and punishment don’t often work and may make things worse (on individuals but not necessary corporations/firms)

appropriate ‘policing’ can work

‘social bonds’: ‘attachment’ ‘involvement’ etc

Some suggestionsSome suggestions• ‘justifiers’ and ‘blamers’ may be using techniques

of neutralisation but we do need more bins and action from the authorities and less packaging

• wider critiques of (over) consumption likely to have more impact than criticism of individuals

• use of law and direct action against companies (FoE/Schweppes)

• Green Police?

My fearsMy fears

litter will be used to criminalise

this worsened by growth of privatisation in Local Authorities and CJS

litter picking as punishment

My hopes to ...My hopes to ...

add littering to criminology - it is serious and worthwhile -

including green criminology. We should start at the bottom on the earth as it were

to make links with the ‘litterarti’

that you