Sociology · May / June 2021 · Paper 22 · Question 3

0495

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The question as text

According to official crime statistics there are clear patterns and trends in the types of crime committed and in offending rates. Many sociologists believe that material deprivation explains why 3 crime occurs, others argue that stigma is a better explanation. However, functionalists do not agree and would look at other factors instead.

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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘stigma’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. a bad label. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. a label that changes the labelled person’s positive self-image into a negative one.
3(b)[4]
Describe two examples of rehabilitation used to reduce crime. Candidates will be expected to describe two examples of rehabilitation used to reduce crime. Possible answers:
restorative justice – the offender and victim meet allowing the offender to see the consequences of his/her crime and to apologise for it;
work and employment – criminals may be given access to work experience and placements in order that on release from prison they are ‘work ready’;
training schemes – vocational education, practical skills training and access to jobs may be provided to prisoners in order to equip them to work once released from prison;
education – prisoners may be able to access educational programmes in prison that allows them to focus on something positive and thus improve their work opportunities on release;
treatment programmes/rehab centres – medical and psychological intervention may be provided in order to treat addictions and criminal behaviour e.g. violence;
community service – giving back to the community and putting the crime committed ‘right’ is used as a way of making criminals see the error of their ways;
mentoring – positive role models may be assigned to criminals either in prison or in the outside world in order to show them a better, non- offending lifestyle;
other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).
3(c)[6]
Explain how material deprivation may lead to crime. Candidates should discuss how material deprivation may lead to crime. Possible answers:
the lower classes do not have as much wealth and income as the higher classes and so may turn to crime to buy the goods they want;
poverty – in countries without welfare benefits some people may have no choice but to turn to crime to survive;
unemployment – those without a job may struggle to survive, even if welfare benefits are available, therefore may turn to crime e.g. shoplifting, robbery;
material deprivation may cause some people to join criminal gangs in order to make money e.g. drug dealing, human trafficking etc.;
consumer society – Marxists believe we are pressured to buy consumer goods through advertising and the media culture – if you can’t afford to buy them then this might result in crime;
status frustration – Cohen – young people in particular may be frustrated by their inability to afford consumer goods due to material deprivation and thus may turn to crime instead;
Marxism – there may be a sense amongst the lower classes that society is unfair and unjust and thus that crime is legitimised in order to combat material deprivation;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well-developed way or cover several points in less detail.
3(d)[8]
Explain why functionalists believe there is crime in society. Candidates should discuss the reasons why functionalists believe there is crime in society. Different types of crimes may be discussed in candidate’s answers. Possible answers:
a limited amount of crime in society is seen as socially necessary, beneficial and inevitable;
value consensus – laws make it clear where the boundaries of unacceptable and acceptable behaviour lie and crime helps to reinforce this to individuals in society;
social change – crime is a useful tool for measuring the need for changes to be made in society e.g. rioting and social inequalities;
Merton’s strain theory – everyone strives for success but not everyone can achieve this, causing a societal strain which can often result in crime being committed;
Cohen – status frustration – young working class males in particular may feel frustrated by the disadvantages and inequalities they face in society and so become criminal;
New Right, Murray – inadequate socialisation in non-nuclear families contributes to a rise in crime e.g. the underclass;
Cloward and Ohlin – access to the illegitimate opportunity structure allows individuals in certain deprived areas to climb the ‘crime career ladder’;
Miller – focal concerns – the values of the working class are not dis- similar to those of criminals therefore it is unsurprising that lower class individuals commit crime e.g. violence, assault;
Job creation – functionalists believe that crime creates jobs (police, prisons, courts etc) – this is economically functional for society;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7–8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well-developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
3(e)[15]
To what extent are the official crime statistics accurate? Candidates should consider the ways in which the official crime statistics are accurate. In evaluation, the reasons why they may not be accurate should be discussed. This may be generically or candidates may choose to focus on specific social groups e.g. women, older people, middle class etc. Possible answers: FOR
the official crime statistics are used by the Government to present a picture of crime and to decide policy, this makes them credible;
official statistics of crime are based on police/court/prison records – these are all formal agents based upon evidence, arrests and convictions and thus are accurate;
official statistics present an up-to-date picture of crime, typically released annually by departments such as the Home Office, thus making them accurate;
the quantitative data found in statistics means that they can be used to see accurate patterns and trends in crime and offenders as well as to make comparisons e.g. over time or between different social groups;
positivists believe that the official crime statistics present an accurate, scientific, reliable picture of crime;
because the crime statistics show a national picture of crime they can be seen to be both representative and generalisable, meaning that the picture produced is more accurate;
other reasonable response. AGAINST
many crimes do not appear in the official crime statistics – they are seen to be the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as they do not reflect the dark figure of crime. Therefore interactionists see them as a social construction;
criminal acts that are not recognised as crimes never make it into the official statistics e.g. a lot of cyber-crimes – this reduces their accuracy;
a lot of crimes committed are never reported to the police e.g. victims of sexual crimes, crimes involving gangs or family members etc – how then can the crime statistics be accurate?;
many crimes that are reported to the police are not recorded by them as crimes e.g. there is not perceived to be enough evidence to proceed, it’s a domestic matter etc. – this means the crime statistics cannot be accurate;
official statistics merely show a national average picture of crime, they do not show the accurate picture in specific areas or communities – something that the Left realist local victim surveys have tried to address;
victim surveys ask a sample of people what crimes they have been a victim of and can therefore reveal some of the dark figure of unreported crime which challenge the official picture e.g. the CSEW/BCS showed that young working class males are most likely to be victims of crime – this shows how the crime statistics are not accurate;
self-report studies are confidential surveys asking about criminal acts committed – this anonymity is likely to encourage people to reveal crimes that do not appear in the statistics so producing a more accurate picture;
Marxism – the official statistics hugely under-estimate the amount of white-collar and corporate crime, being a tool of the ruling class therefore they are not accurate;
feminism – the official statistics hugely under-estimate the amount of sexual crimes and domestic abuse of women – local feminist victim surveys have shown just how much of an issue this really is and have demonstrated that the crime statistics are not accurate;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two- sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9–12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well-developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well-developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.

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