Sociology · Oct / Nov 2023 · Paper 22 · Question 3
0495
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Official crime statistics reveal a clear trend that most crimes are committed by males. Some sociologists claim it may be due to different gender socialisation. Other sociologists blame factors 3 such as material deprivation and involvement in criminal sub-cultures. However, a criticism of the official crime statistics is that they do not show the true extent of all crimes committed. For example, white-collar crime often goes unreported.
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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘material deprivation’? One mark for a partial definition, e.g. being poor. Two marks for a clear definition, e.g. being short of the material goods needed and wanted in society.
3(b)[4]
Describe two criminal sub-cultures. Possible answers:
youth sub-cultures e.g. mods, rockers, punks, skinheads – taking drugs, violence, anti-social behaviour, etc.;organised criminal sub-cultures – Sutherland – criminal behaviour is highly organised to maximise profits e.g. the Mafia;gangs – a sub-culture based on a strict hierarchy that may be involved in drug dealing, human trafficking, violence, etc.;retreatist sub-cultures – drug and/or alcohol addicts, often involved in crime to fund their addictions;conflict sub-cultures – Cloward and Ohlin’s illegitimate opportunity structures and turf wars involving criminal sub-cultures;underclass sub-cultures – Murray – children socialised into deviant norms and values form criminal sub-cultures;criminal groups that operate online such as hacking groups often issue ransom threats against individuals, businesses or even the government e.g. the group Anonymous;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 formal agencies of social control deal with crime. Possible answers:
police – suspected criminals are targeted and areas are monitored in order to deter and prevent crime;police arrest – the police have the power of arrest and so can detain suspected criminals for investigation, thus dealing with crime;courts – sentencing – in dealing with crime they decide upon innocence or guilt and then decide upon the appropriate sentence for the crime;government – can alter existing laws and introduce new legislation in order to deal with a crime problem or a new form of crime;surveillance – CCTV and police cameras may be used to monitor behaviour and to deter criminality;punishment – negative sanctions can be imposed in order to ensure that crime is dealt with effectively e.g. prison, fines, corporal punishment;prisons – incarceration – lock people away and remove their freedom and contact with family to prevent re-offending and so deal with crime;prisons – crime within prisons can be dealt with through additional time added to sentences, solitary confinement, loss of privileges, etc.;community sentencing – offenders have to give back to the community in some way (e.g. cleaning graffiti) and so learn from their mistakes – this deals with the problem of crime;death penalty – the most severe crimes in some countries will be dealt with by the death penalty;rehabilitation – counselling, addiction services, education and training may be offered through the criminal justice system to try and reduce offending and deal with the crime problem;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 white-collar crime often goes unreported. Possible answers:
victims not aware – if the victims are not aware a crime has been committed then it will not be reported e.g. online fraud;mutually beneficial – many white-collar crimes benefit the organisation as well as the individual and therefore are unlikely to be reported;reputation – companies do not want to gain a bad reputation and therefore may choose to hide the crimes being committed in order to protect themselves from police scrutiny;dealt with internally – white collar crimes are often dealt with internally by the organisation rather than reporting to the police;normalisation – there are some areas of work where fraud and theft are normal e.g. tax evasion, fiddling expenses, and so such crimes will not be reported;stereotypes – most white-collar criminals do not fit the stereotype of the ‘typical offender’ (Cicourel) and so are not suspected of committing crimes, making the reporting much less likely to occur;power and status – those committing the crimes may be in powerful positions and therefore people may be reluctant to report them/the crime for fear of reprisals;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 maybe 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 does gender socialisation explain why females commit less crime than males? Possible answers: Arguments for:
Oakley – differential gender socialisation – processes such as canalisation and manipulation teach girls to be caring, gentle and maternal and males to be aggressive and active – much more similar to criminality – therefore females commit less crime;male norms and values learnt through socialisation – these are often closely associated with criminal behaviour (Miller) e.g, toughness, unemotional, aggressive – this is the result of socialisation and explains the lower levels of offending for females than males;family ideology – feminism – girls are socialised to believe that their role is to be family/home centred and to involve children – this is not compatible with criminality and so explains their lower levels of offending;bedroom culture – McRobbie – females spend a lot more time than males in the private sphere and therefore are far less likely to be involved in criminality as they are socialised to see the home as their domain, whereas males, socialised to spend more time in the public sphere, are likely to commit more crime;functionalism – sex-role theory (Parsons) – by being socialised to perform the expressive role females are gentle and caring, the opposite of criminals – the reverse is true for males in the instrumental role and so explains their criminality;masculinity – feminists claim crime rates may be higher for males because there is pressure on them to act in a hegemonic masculine way from socialisation in the family and peer group, being criminal is an example of this and so explains their higher levels of offending unlike females who are socialised into more compliant femininity;cult of femininity – feminists believe girls are socialised into an ideology of beauty and appearance, often through the media – this feminine identity where you are judged on your looks not your actions is less likely to lead to crime;parental role models – boys see father committing crimes so imitate that themselves, whereas this isn’t the case for girls;peer group – female peer groups are typically more conformist whereas male peer groups may exert peer pressure and socialise boys to commit crime e.g. criminal sub-cultures, gangs, anti-schools sub-cultures, etc.;media role models – many criminal male role models can be found in the media, where committing crime and the successful lifestyle it brings is glamorised and de-stigmatised – this may socialise boys to accept criminal norms and values whereas role models for girls are less likely to be deviant;media representations – the media creates ideals of males and females in society and whilst males may be seen in dangerous, criminal roles this is rarely the case for females – so teaching both genders their acceptable behaviours in society;any other reasonable response. Arguments against:biological – males have more testosterone and a bigger physical build than females and so are more naturally inclined to criminality;social control – Heidensohn – females have less freedom when they are young than males and so have less opportunities to commit crime;ladettes – Jackson – her research shows how females are starting to adopt more masculine norms and values as society becomes more equal and so are committing more crimes;rising female crime rates – the statistics show that female crime is rising as women move into the workplace and are subjected to financial pressures which goes against gender socialisation theory;chivalry thesis – Pollak – perhaps females have always committed more crime than was realised, but they have got away with it because they do not fit the stereotype of a criminal and can manipulate the system with their femininity;opportunity – females are less likely to be at work then males and so have less opportunities to commit crime e.g. white-collar;public spaces – in some cultures females are more controlled in public spaces than males and so do not have the freedom to commit crime that a male does have;material deprivation – shoplifting is a crime closely linked to females which implies that financial reasons may explain why some females commit crime, regardless of their socialisation;strain theory – Merton – females may suffer less strain to anomie than males as they are not seen as the conventional breadwinner and thus this, rather than gender socialisation, may explain their lower levels of offending;status frustration – Cohen – this subcultural theory suggests young working-class males are frustrated by their low status in society and thus turn to crime – nothing to do with gender socialisation;Murray – inadequate socialisation – this New Right theory does consider socialisation important in determining whether an individual commits crime – boys living in female headed single parent families without male role models may turn to crime due to a lack of discipline and moral guidance;expressive crimes – are often associated with females and are thought to be fueled by emotions/pre-menstrual syndrome, etc., not linked to gender socialisation;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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