Social Class and Age

Crime and deviance:

A2 Sociology

Unit 4

Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (This links to age)

• C&D Act 1997 was the biggest overhaul in Juvenile Justice in more than 50 years.

• Was the result of an earlier white paper called ‘Misspent Youth’ which won New Labour the 1997 election.

• It saw the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility in England & Wales to 10 years

• It also saw the introduction of...

* Also abolished the death penalty for treason and piracy

What do we know?Youth Crime Statistics

Facts • 70% of youth crime committed by 7- 8% youths• Huge cost of incarceration • 76% re-offend within two years • £2,300 savings from preventing a single youth crime

(Cooper & Lybrand 1994)• £1.5m annually to deal with crime related damage in

one street in Braunstone, Leicester.

Youth ViolenceYouth Violence• One of the most visible forms of

violence– Nightlife, Sports Events– Gang Violence

• Hidden forms– School Bullying

• Individual– Male

• Relationship– Poor Parental Supervision

• Community– Presence of Gangs

• Societal– Alcohol Availability

World Cup drinking will fuel violence on our streets say

police

England vs Trinidad and Tobago 9 million extra pints sold

Coleman 1987

Has used the term ‘social capital’ to help explain why some youths do and some do not get into crime.

Social capital refers to the social advantages a person has access to, in particular:

•Strong family relationships•High levels of interaction between parents and children•Clear rules and values in the home

Coleman found a link between these factors and low rates of juvenile crime

Social Capital has been taken up by many policy makers and fits in well with the New Right

approach

Criticisms Of Social Capital theory:

It is a vague concept

It is too easy to talk in such generalisationsSingle parents etc are an easy target and are made scapegoatsMany single parent families are very stable and secure and do not produce juvenile delinquents

2. Social Class

Marxists and others argue that social class is the significant factor

MC parents can be poor parents too but because of cultural and economic capital can avoid the pitfalls of juvenile delinquency

3. It’s not all the lower WC

Marxists and others argue that the concentration on lower class crime ignores the big area of white collar crime

How does this relate to what we know?

• Stanley Cohen - Folk devils and moral panics• Albert Cohen - Status Frustration• Sub-cultural theories – illegitimate

opportunity structure (Cloward & Ohlin)• Hirschi – bonds of attachment

(attachment, commitment, involvement and belief)

Age – class and crimeAge – class and crime

Key factsKey facts

Young, working class are Young, working class are more likely to commit more likely to commit criminal acts than older, criminal acts than older, middle class.middle class.

A typical prisoner in the U.K A typical prisoner in the U.K will be under 30 and working will be under 30 and working class.class.

Offending rises steeply from Offending rises steeply from 10-18 then declines sharply 10-18 then declines sharply after 24.after 24.

Functionalism – Age and classFunctionalism – Age and class

Functionalists like Merton say Functionalists like Merton say young working class people young working class people commit crime because they commit crime because they strive for success but lack the strive for success but lack the necessary educational skills and necessary educational skills and qualifications. They want the qualifications. They want the goal of success but must achieve goal of success but must achieve it illegitimately. (Innovation)it illegitimately. (Innovation)

Subcultural theory – Age and Subcultural theory – Age and classclass

Young working class people join Young working class people join gangs because they are gangs because they are frustrated at their status in frustrated at their status in mainstream society. They solve mainstream society. They solve this by rejecting mainstream this by rejecting mainstream norms and values, joining a gang norms and values, joining a gang and achieving a status through and achieving a status through non-utilitarian crimes.non-utilitarian crimes.

Right realism – classRight realism – class

Right realists like Charles Right realists like Charles Murray believe that Murray believe that single parent families fail single parent families fail to socialise their children to socialise their children effectively due to a lack effectively due to a lack of male role models, of male role models, they also grow up to be they also grow up to be welfare dependant.welfare dependant.

Left realism – Age and classLeft realism – Age and class

Most crime is committed by working class Most crime is committed by working class people against working class people. people against working class people. Perhaps because Perhaps because relative deprivationrelative deprivation, , individualismindividualism and that fact we live in a and that fact we live in a bulimic societybulimic society (the idea that we are (the idea that we are exposed to consumer products but cannot exposed to consumer products but cannot consume them).consume them).

Labelling theory – Labelling theory – age and classage and class

Young working class Young working class people especially people especially boys are more likely boys are more likely to be stopped and to be stopped and searched and labelled searched and labelled as criminals by the as criminals by the police and courts.police and courts.

Social Class – The Facts

• A variety of data show a link between social class and known offending.

• For example, 41 per cent of prisoners are from social classes IV and V (19% of the general population) against only 18 per cent of prisoners from social classes I, II or III (45% of the general population) (Walmsley et al., 1994).

• A study of persistent young offenders also found that only eight per cent were from households whose head was in non-manual employment(Hagell and Newburn, 1994).

What Do Self Report Studies Say?

• Generally, though, studies of self-reported offending show less difference in offending between social classes (Riley and Shaw, 1985; Graham and Bowling, 1995).

• In the YLS, men in social classes IV and V were more likely to be serious or persistent offenders than others. For women the same pattern applies, although there were relatively less among those in social class I and II.

Key Words

• White Collar Crime: A crime committed by a person of high social status against a company or a person. (Sutherland)

• Corporate Crime: Crime committed by a company.

• Blue Collar crime: Crime committed by the working class.

Merton

• Merton (functionalism) believes that working class, young males are more likely to be criminal because of educational failure.

• Which group would Merton argue that they fit into?

Environmental Theories

• They tend to look at why working class areas have higher rates of crime than middle class areas.

• They focus on arguments such as the ‘Zones of Transition’ and differential association.

• Owen Gill suggested that police labeling and deviancy amplification may push up crime in certain areas.

Social Action Theory

• They believe that the young working class (boys) are negatively labelled by the police and the courts. They are seen as criminal.

• This is illustrated by Chambliss and his work on the Saints and the Roughnecks.

Social class and crimeSocial class and crime

MarxismMarxism

The working class are no more criminals The working class are no more criminals than anyone else, however the law protects than anyone else, however the law protects the bourgeoisie so the working class the bourgeoisie so the working class become easier to criminalise. The working become easier to criminalise. The working class get harsher punishments compared class get harsher punishments compared with those who commit white collar crimeswith those who commit white collar crimes. . White collar crimeWhite collar crime

Crimes committed by Crimes committed by office workers office workers ((middle/upper class)middle/upper class) like fraud, these are like fraud, these are often hidden from often hidden from public view.public view.

Blue collar crimeBlue collar crime

Crimes committed by Crimes committed by manual factory manual factory workers (workers (working working class),class), these are street these are street crimes like theft which crimes like theft which are in public view.are in public view.

Corporate crimeCorporate crime

Very difficult to prosecute Very difficult to prosecute due to problems of who is due to problems of who is responsible and who is a responsible and who is a victim. victim. Much Corporate Much Corporate crime is not dealt with crime is not dealt with criminally but criminally but administratively administratively by by external agencies like the external agencies like the EPA (Environmental EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the Protection Agency) and the Trading Standards Agency. Trading Standards Agency. Only serious cases go to Only serious cases go to court.court.

Case study – Guinness affairCase study – Guinness affair

False claims of success led to high share prices and False claims of success led to high share prices and company directors making millions. company directors making millions. Gerald RonsonGerald Ronson received a one -year sentence in Ford (open prison) received a one -year sentence in Ford (open prison) and was released on parole after serving about 6 and was released on parole after serving about 6 months. He is still a successful businessman and months. He is still a successful businessman and one of Britain's 100 richest people.one of Britain's 100 richest people.

Overall Evaluation

• New Left Realists argue that all social class and all ages commit crimes, but that violent crimes are more likely to be committed by young working-class black men.