Theories Exam 4 Study Guide PDF

Exam 4 study guide 1.​ Conflict Theory 2.​ Racial Threat Hypothesis (Blumer & Blalock) 3.​ Feminist Theory (Meda Chesney) 4.​ Feminist Theory of CJS 5.​ Developmental & Life Course Theories (Terrie Mottiff) (Gluck & Gluck) ( Sampson & Laub) 6.​ Integrating Crimin...

Exam 4 study guide 1.​ Conflict Theory 2.​ Racial Threat Hypothesis (Blumer & Blalock) 3.​ Feminist Theory (Meda Chesney) 4.​ Feminist Theory of CJS 5.​ Developmental & Life Course Theories (Terrie Mottiff) (Gluck & Gluck) ( Sampson & Laub) 6.​ Integrating Criminal Theory Elliott 1.​ CONFLICT THEORY Society is divided into groups with competing ideals and values. -​ Groups with more power control society -​ Members of decrease powerful group may still act according to their own internal group norms BUT… -If those group norms differ from dominant group norms then they are violating the “law” and will be punished. - Group & Culture Conflict is an explanation of… Law & CJ and Criminal Behavior System of Mechanisms: Informal & Formal to control deviation and promote conformity. Informal: administered by family and friends -SOCIALIZATION: The process of teaching and learning values, norms etc. Formal: The law 2 THEORIES: CONSENSUS & FUNCTIONALIST THEORY CONSENSUS THEORY: (Durkheim, Sumner, & Weber) ​ Formal system of laws and enforcement  ​ Reflection of general agreement in society ​ Reflect folkways and mores FUNCTIONALIST THEORY: ( Trevino) Law functions for “ greater public welfare” by… ​ Orderly resolution of disputes ​ Regulation of disruptive behavior ​ Controlling crime through its symbollic function DOMINANT GROUPS: Society with Power to shape public policy, law and enforcment CRIMINAL DEFINITIONS or LAWS: Acts that conflict and or violate the norms and values of the dominant groups in society. Process of law making, breaking and enforcement is a DIRECT reflection of deep seated and fundamental conflict between groups for power and control. Social Characteristics: Sex, race, age, social class. Social position: Education, occupation & political standpoint, influence. 2.Racial Threat Hypothesis (Blumer & Blalock) Relationship between the presence of “threatening” social groups and crime control efforts. As minority racial groups populations grow. Minority groups -​ Get increase power, increase economic resources and increase political influence -​ Get to a point where they can compete with whites Whites feel -​ Physically threatened -​ Feel as though their power is jeopardized Whites feel the need to -​ Protect their privilege and power  -​ Take down minority groups Mixed empirical support - That the percentage of minority population is positively related to crime control efforts: increase PD force. Increase racial disparities in application of punishment and social control. -increase likelihood of jail/prison -Black lynching -Felons voting rights limits 3. Feminist Theory (Meda Chesney) Wrote the book: Girls, delinquency and juvenile justice Feminist Movement 3 waves 1st wave: mid 19th century to 1960’s -​ Demanded and gave: Voting, education and representation -​ Suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment 2nd wave: 1960-70’s Demanded: -​ Social equality -​ Womens reproductive rights 1.​ Griswold v. Connecticut: found unconstitutional to prohibit married couples from using contraception. 2.​ Eisentadt v. Baird: legalized contraception for ALL 3.​ Roe v. Wade: Legalized acces to abortion in the first trimester -​ Equal protection against violence by intimate partners ( E.P.A.V.B.I.P) Biden + Violence against women act (1994) 3rd wave: 1990’s -​ No one single definition of “femininity” -​ Social Construction of “gender” -​ Intersectionality: Account for class, race, and sexuality 4.Feminist theory of CJS “Major blind spot” of criminology: A failure to understand and recognize the significance of gender and sex roles in society. Patriarchy: Fundamental principle of societal organization. Gendered societal norms, and expectations. In a Patriarchal society…. -​ Rights & privileges of males are superior -​ Rights & privileges of females are subordinated CJ policies and decisions effect: Male Domination and function to support patriarchy by… -​ Discriminating against women -​ Reinforcing traditional female sex and family roles Features of contemporary feminist criminology: 1.​ Explicit commitment to intersectionality 2.​ Understanding of the unique position of women in male dominated CJ fields 3.​ Focus on masculinity and gender age gap in serious crime 4.​ Critical assessment of media on demonization of minority girls & women 5.​ Recognition of importance of women/girls studies Chivalry Hypothesis: Justice system is male dominated and males hold traditional attitudes towards girls/women. -​ Women are objects -​ Refuse to subject females to harsh CJ punishment -​ Increase lenianct for girls/women in JJS & CJS Chivalry may also be a product of paternalism Chivalry is extended to: Selectivity hypothesis: Middle class and white women Typicality hypothesis: Women charged with crimes that are “traditional feminine sterotypes” Increase harsh punishment for: Poor and minority women and women who violate feminine norms. ( Mixed empirical support) Increase punitive treatment of girls for minor status offenses: running away etc. Girls receive harsher punishment because the system “sexualizes” their offenses as a threat to traditional sex-role expectations. (Chesney) Feld (2009)- decrease in girls arrests for status offenses BUT increase in girls arrests for minor assault charges. Bootstrapping: JJS relabeled girls as delinquent. Transitutionalization- Majority of non-criminal referrals to private residential psychiatric facilities are girls. Masculinity Hypothesis: women assume masculine characteristics due to changes in traditional sex roles and equality. Economic Marginalization hypothesis: Female offender are largely, poor/underemployed and the head of the household w children and lack alternative options. Gendered pathways approach: Focuses on life experiences and developmental trajectories of girls/women who become involved in crime. Uses descriptive approach that giuves voice to and acknowledges physical and sexual abuse common to many female offenders. -SINGLE MOST DISTINGUISHING FACTOR OF FEMALE INMATES!! -55% OF FEMALES IN JAIL REPORT PRIOR ABUSE Gendered context approach ( Steffensmeier & Allan) Examines degree to which males and females -​ Encounter different normative expectations and opportunities for offending -​ Add different meanings to similar events and situations. Gendered differences influence: criminal motivations and criminal oppurtunities 5. Developmental & Life-Course Theories Looks at criminal behavior over time Research shows that: -Criminal activity peaks in adolescence, then gradually declines in older age groups Age crime debate Age crime curve: increase crime rate in early adolescence, peaks in mid to late teenage years and decline in early adulthood. Emerging Adults: Between 18-25yrs old. Critiques ( Gottfredson and Hirschi) “Misapplication” of age crime distribution to advocate for longitudinal methods vs. cheaper cross sectional Age crime curve is an artifcat of changes in opportunity not in criminal propensity. Focus on explaining if, how and why certain factors may effect… Onset-initial criminal activity Continuity-continuation of criminal activity Change-desistance/termination of criminal activity 5 Dimensions: 1.​ Prevalance- how many people involved 2.​ Frequency-number of offenses by actively involved 3.​ Age of Onset-age of 1st crime ever Minor crime peaks 13-14yrs old Serious crime peaks 17-19yrs old 4.​ Age of desistance-age of last crime 5.​ Criminal career length-total number of years as a criminal Developmental Taxonomy: Terrie Moffitt One of 1st efforts to identify different patterns in criminality at different ages or developmental stages in the life-course. Developmental or “dual taxonomy theory” of crime. 2 groups: Adolescence Limited offenders and Life course persistent offenders Life course persistent offenders: Only small percentage of youth are these offenders Some biological and genetic basis for LCP rooted in neuropsychology and developmental psychology. Causes of Adolescence Limited offenders rooted in maturity gap See delinquency as a “pathway” to adulthood. Learn delinquency from LCP through process of social mimicry Empirical Evidence: Overwhelming support for AL and LCP groups and subgroups Life course theories: Glueck&Glueck Harvard Glueck and Glueck did a study using 500 boys sent to a reform school in 1930’s Rob sampson and John Laub: - Rob Sampson discovered several boxes of Gluecks data in harvard law basement -Developed the “Age-graded theory of informal social control” Understanding that desistance from crime is a process NOT an event. Draw heavily on social control theory (Hirschi) Informal social control explaines changes in criminal behavior over the Life-course Turning points: can produce gradual changes in social control and social oppurtunities 3 turning points: marriage, meaningful employment and military service Emphasis on the role of FAMILY in exercising both -Relational control (attachment) -Instrumental control (supervision) Theory Refresher: Theory: A statement or explanation based on an observation. Hypothesis: A possible explanation that can be empirically tested or theoretically accounted for Criminal Theories tries to explain: Why there are variations in group and individual crime rates. Theory is developed in three ways: 1.​ Directly 2.​ Theory competition 3.​ Theoretical integration Elliott was strongly in favor of integration whereas Gotfredson and Hirschi were not. 4 varieties for integrating theory: 1.​ Conceptual integration 2.​ Propositional integration 3.​ Within-level 4.​ Cross-level Theorist to remember: ​ Elliot- Model of strain, bonding & learning ​ Krohn- Network analysis ​ Thornberry- interactional theory ​ Title- Control balance theory