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Sociology · Oct / Nov 2021 · Paper 22 · Question 3

0495

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The question as text

Some social groups are more likely than others to feature in the official crime statistics such as, the young, the working class and males. These social groups are also over-represented in the 3 penal system and can be the focus of a moral panic. However, some sociologists are critical of the accuracy of the official measurements of crime, as many crimes are under-reported to the police.

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Show the answer and mark scheme

  • 3(a)[2]

    What is meant by the term ‘penal system’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. prison. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. the formal agencies responsible for overseeing the punishment that has been imposed on an offender by the court.

  • 3(b)[4]

    Describe two types of crimes that are under-reported to the police. Possible answers:

    trivial crimes – crimes perceived to be petty or everyday occurrences are unlikely to be reported as it’s not worthwhile;
    uninsured items – crimes where there is no benefit to the victim in reporting it are unlikely to be reported;
    domestic abuse – some crimes are perceived as a private matter and therefore are unlikely to be reported;
    family/friendship ties – crimes where the offender is known to the victim are unlikely to be reported;
    gang crimes – some crimes will not be reported because the victim will be concerned for their safety – the fear of reprisal;
    victimless crimes – drug abuse is unlikely to be reported as there is no clear victim of a crime;
    invisible crimes e.g. fraud – in many white-collar crimes people are not aware they have been a victim therefore do not report it;
    corporate crimes – big businesses often dismiss staff and deal with matters internally rather than involving the police so as not to damage their reputations;
    any other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).

  • 3(c)[6]

    Explain how moral panics are created. Possible answers:

    exaggeration – the behaviour of the group identified by the media is reported as worse than it really is through sensationalist language and images so creating a moral panic (e.g. Cohen’s ‘Mods and Rockers’ study);
    further deviance occurs – as a result of the moral panic deviancy amplification may occur through social reactions (e.g. Young’s ‘The Drugtakers’ – a good study to show how the media can create deviancy amplification and folk devils through the creation of a moral panic);
    prediction – the media claim that further deviance will occur and will be worse unless firm action is taken and so create a moral panic;
    symbolisation – the media show how the folk devils (those identified as the ‘baddies’) can be recognised e.g. by their appearance, clothing etc. and this stereotype then becomes part of the moral panic;
    pressure – the media can put pressure on other agencies e.g. the Government, schools and parents to control the deviant behaviour showcased in the moral panic – this is a key feature of how it is created;
    stigmatisation – the folk devils in a moral panic are shown to be very different to ‘us’ – this is a negative representation often based on easily recognised stereotypes and part of how a moral panic is created;
    crime/deviancy occurs – something happens in society that occurs more than once and offends society’s morals and values, e.g. urban knife crime;

    this is then taken by the media and turned into a negative story and a moral panic;

    Fawbert’s study on ‘the hoodies’ could be used to illustrate the role of stereotyping and labelling in the creation of a moral panic;
    any 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 juvenile delinquency occurs. Possible answers:

    peer pressure – young people are thought to be under a lot of pressure to conform to peer group norms – if these involve criminality then this will lead to juvenile delinquency;
    gangs – young people make up the vast majority of gang members – gangs are based on criminal and deviant behaviour e.g. drug dealing, initiation rites etc;
    postmodernism – thrills and excitement – many sociologists believe that young people commit crime because it gives them a ‘buzz’ and is exciting;
    edgework – young people are more likely to take risks than older people who will have more to lose e.g. work, family etc. – this can often result in juvenile delinquency;
    Matza ‘drift’ – he believes that it is normal for young people to engage in criminal and deviant behaviour as it is part of their adolescent life stage, a deviant phase;
    functionalism – extended period of youth – juvenile delinquency is seen to be ‘part of growing up’ when adolescents are searching for their identity (not yet an adult, no longer a child) – transition stage;
    imitation and role models – young people are more likely to be influenced by the actions of others than the older generation therefore media representations of ‘gangsta’s’ and criminality as glamorous may affect the younger generation;
    Marxism – juvenile delinquency occurs as a form of resistance to the inequalities of capitalism e.g. protest groups, activism, sub-cultures;
    boys are more likely to offend than girls – this may be due to pressures to appear masculine by being aggressive and competitive which can lead to criminality e.g. joining deviant sub-cultures;
    advertising/consumer culture – young people are subjected to a constant stream of adverts for consumer items and lifestyles that they are unlikely to be able to afford;

    this may be another reason for them to turn to juvenile delinquency;

    lack of education – poverty/material deprivation may ensue for young people who are unable to find a job/high paying job;
    discrimination – juvenile delinquency can occur due to societal discrimination e.g. of ethnic minority youths who then feel anger towards an unfair society e.g. BLM;
    in-school deviance – students may join anti-school sub-cultures and engage in deviant behaviour due to being labelled unfairly by teachers, resulting in a self-fulfilling prophecy and a deviant master status;
    any 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 is social class the best explanation of crime? Arguments for:

    official crime statistics show that most crimes are committed by members of the working/under class, therefore social class must be an explanation for why crime is committed;
    socialisation – the lower classes may have been socialised into a different set of values than the higher classes e.g. immediate gratification – this may lead them into crime (Miller focal concerns);
    Merton’s strain theory – Western societies socialise individuals to believe in the American Dream but in reality these levels of success are not available to everyone and are harder to achieve for the lower social classes, who may then turn to crime in order to gain the things they desire;
    relative deprivation – members of the lower classes may be more likely to steal goods that they see the higher classes enjoying but that they cannot afford legitimately, thus leading to crime;
    Marxism – some actions of the lower classes are criminalised and the law is selectively enforced so that the powerful are less likely to have their actions defined as criminal. This makes it seem as though being from a lower social class is part of the explanation for crime;
    Cohen status frustration – the lower social classes are likely to have a low status in society and thus may turn to crime in order to improve this through illegitimate means e.g. gangs;
    Cicourel ‘typical delinquent’ – his study showed that the law enforcement agencies have a stereotype of who the typical criminal is and that being working class is part of this – this means those in the working class are more likely to be stopped and searched and arrested than other classes;
    education – the lower classes are less likely to have a good education which then impedes upon their job prospects, perhaps making crime an attractive ‘career choice’ where rewards can be high (illegitimate opportunity structure);
    white-collar/corporate crime – these types of crime demonstrate links between crime and the higher social classes through the workplace;
    any other reasonable response. Arguments against:
    age – young people commit a lot more crime than other age groups, therefore maybe it is age that is the best explanation;
    gender – males commit a lot more crime than females, therefore maybe it is gender (masculinity) that is the best explanation;
    ethnicity – some ethnic groups commit more crimes than others, therefore perhaps it is ethnicity that is the best explanation;
    OCS validity – sociologists recognise that the official crime statistics do not give us a true picture of crime therefore the assumption that crime is committed largely by the lower classes (based on OCS data) could be misplaced;
    dark figure of crime – a significant number of crimes never feature in the OCS and therefore any trends in criminality (e.g. that crime is committed mainly by the lower class) should be treated with caution;
    is the criminal’s social class position really the best explanation for middle class crimes such as fraud or is it more to do with greed?;
    expressive crimes – it is difficult to align social class with sensible explanations for expressive crimes such as murder and assault;
    feminism – feminists believe that the criminal justice system is patriarchal and that men are the problem when it comes to crime – low rates of conviction for sexual assault, rape, domestic violence against women etc;

    this all leads them to believe that the best explanation for crime is not class based, but gender;

    any 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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