Essay on Crime: Sociology and Lower Class Crime

Submitted By shona-asken
Words: 624
Pages: 3
Open Document
Sociology
Examine the role of access to opportunity structures in causing crime and deviance. Crime is where an individual commits and act in a way that violates the law. Deviance can also be a crime as this is where an individual's behavior or action goes against what is socially accepted by society.
Different sociologists hold different views on the causes for crime and deviance in society. Functionalists refer to access of opportunity structures within society. Merton suggests that crime and deviance can be explained through the `strain to anomie' theory. This is where it is near impossible to achieve socially approved goals which ends in frustration and the individual turning to criminal means in order to get what they want, which is a quick fox answer. This theory has two main elements under lining it: these are structural and cultural. Deviance is the result of strain between these factors. Merton argues that an individual’s position in the social structure affects their response to the strain as he identified different types of adaptation, an example of a form of deviance is the `innovator' where an individual accepts the goal of money and success, but however uses `new' illegitimate means such as theft and fraud to achieve it.
Disadvantaged groups that are denied these opportunities to achieve legitimately are within the ethnic minorities and the lower classes. This theory claims that when opportunity is inaccessible, crime and deviance is the result as it is an easy faster option for what they want.
Merton’s theory is supported by patterns within crime statistics which has been criticised as it may show working class to have higher levels of lower levels of crime such as robbery but middle class crime may be covered up such as fraud, so this level of crime may not be part of his statistics. Statistics show that most crime is poverty crime, suggesting the high value of material wealth. In addition lower class crime rates are highest, demonstrating that this group has the least opportunity to achieve wealth legitimately.
In addition Marxists would criticize this theory as it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce laws in ways that criminalise the poor and not the rich, rather than the access of opportunity structure.
Cohen is a subcultural theorist who agrees with Merton's view of deviance stemming from lower
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Crime: Sociology and Lower Class Crime

Crime: Sociology and Upper Class Children Essay

Crime and Deviance Crime is an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable, while Deviance is the fact or state of departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in a social or sexual behavior. There are great differences between the two, but each can easily lead to another. One may think that every crime is a deviant behavior, but in some societies that behavior may not be seen as a crime, but as a social…

Words 1776 - Pages 8

Sociology Mid Term Essay

Ashley Monteiro March 11, 2015 Sociology Mid-Term 1. A. The key components of sociology are systematic study, the individual, society and the consequences of difference. Systematic study means that sociologists draw their conclusions about society based on experiences or observations rather then belief’s or authority of others. The most common way to collect data is through surveys. Another common way to collect data is through participant observation. Sociology is associated with groups, but focuses…

Words 3775 - Pages 16

Paper Assignment

Table 1: Sociology 2M Paper Assignment, Assault by Age Age Zero Assaults 1 or More Under 18 50% 50% 18 to 20 63% 37% 21+ 48% 52% 18 to 20 year olds are less likely to commit assaults Table 2: Sociology 2M Paper Assignment, Victim of Theft by Education Self-control Education Never Victim of Theft 1 or more thefts High School Graduate 27% 73% College+ 48% 52% The more Education, the less likely you will be a victim of theft Table 3: Sociology 2M Paper Assignment, Ethnicity and Assault Social…

Words 2716 - Pages 11

Crime and Social Control Essay

In my introduction to Sociology class last semester, we discussed the major differences between “Crime in the Streets” versus “Crime in the Suites.” The underlying factor separating these crimes could be tied into conflict theory in general, and how those in power, the ‘ruling class’, dictate what is considered crime, and what is not. However, the distinction does not end there. The power elite not only dictate what is crime, but also who is punished for the same crimes. Minorities, like African-Americans…

Words 1368 - Pages 6

Essay on The Field of Criminology

IP 1 Theories of Crime Barbara Sigler Dr. Telesco Abstract Although criminologists, criminalists, and forensic psychologists have criminal justice in common, we must not confuse these three important occupations with each other. Each one has a specific job duty to perform, and all play an important part in criminal justice. There are two categories used when identifying what type of crime was committed, blue collar crimes are usually violent in…

Words 1170 - Pages 5

Introduction to Sociology essay work in progress

Introduction to Sociology “Sociology is the scientific study of human groups and social behaviour, including its origins, development, organisations, and institutions”. (Anon., n.d.) It uses various methods of investigation and analysis to develop knowledge about social order, social disorder and social change. Sociology and psychology are both social sciences, and deal with behaviour. Sociologists focus on groups of people -- societies, including culture, religion and traditions. Sociologists…

Words 3378 - Pages 14

Sociological Analysis

never taken sociology before, it simply was not a required course back then, the university curriculum in Ukraine locked of any elective courses, all the classes were set at the beginning and they all were required. I kind of knew, that sociology is the science of human interactions with in the context of our lives, how one’s life is shaped by others he interacts with. That is all I knew or may be guessed. So now, when I was introduced to basic sociology and one week before finishing class, my notion…

Words 985 - Pages 4

course notes Essay

Sociology Semester 2 2011 Sociology 100 – Issues and Themes in Sociology University of Auckland Semester 2 2011 Sociology Semester 2 2011 Sociology 100 – Issues and Themes in Sociology • • The sociological perspective/way of seeing society has been described by Bauman as “the habit of viewing human actions as elements of wider figurations: that is of a non-random assembly of actors locked together in a web of mutual dependency.” (pg. 7 of ‘Being Sociological’) According to Peter…

Words 8678 - Pages 35

Essay about The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison

out the wealthy (meaning both middle- and upper-class offenders) at each stage of the process and thus produces a distorted image of the crime problem. Before entering into this discussion, three points are worth noting: First, it is not my view that the poor are all innocent victims persecuted by the evil rich. The poor do commit crimes, and my own assumption is that the vast majority of the poor who are confined in our prisons are guilty of the crimes for which they were sentenced. In addition, there…

Words 12487 - Pages 50

Criminology: Crime and Raffaele Garofalo Answer Essay example

criminality where we get drug money transformed into clean money. Infiltration of legal business is when we have the dirty money transferred to clean money by establishing a business to pretend that the money is coming from legitimate sources. Computer crime is where we use cyberspace to get informations through the internet and also to transfer funds. Illicit arms trafficking is where we have a clandestine market to sell arms mostly to terrorists. Trafficking in persons is when we use slave work by smuggling…

Words 1153 - Pages 5