Sociology · Oct / Nov 2024 · Paper 22 · Question 3

0495

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The question as text

Official crime statistics show how much crime has been committed in society. There are different explanations for why some social groups commit more crime than others. Masculinity is one 3 sociological explanation. Informal and formal agencies of social control prevent deviant behaviour and can make individuals conform. Some sociologists argue that more rehabilitation is needed.

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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘rehabilitation’? One mark for partial definition e.g. counselling services/addiction programmes/re–socialisation. Two marks for clear definition e.g. work or education to help offenders realise they were wrong to commit a crime/when offenders are encouraged to change their norms and values in order to conform to society’s expectations.
3(b)[4]
Describe two limitations of official crime statistics. Possible answers:
dark figure of crime – sociological research demonstrates that there is a large figure of crime that is not officially known about and so does not feature in the OCS making this measure incomplete;
unreported crime – crimes not reported to the police will not feature in the OCS (e.g. a private affair, too embarrassed, afraid of repercussions etc.) making them inaccurate;
unrecorded crime – the police do not record all crimes reported to them and so these crimes do not appear in the OCS e.g. crime categorised as a family matter making them inaccurate;
victimless crimes – crimes without an obvious victim will not feature in the OCS e.g. drug taking, status crimes making them inaccurate;
white-collar crime – non-official measures of crime show that this type of crime is frequently not reported or recorded and so rarely appears in the OCS (Marxism) making them incomplete;
police discretion – police forces and officers often focus on different crimes to one another meaning that reliability may be low, e.g. one force cracks down on drug dealing and targets and prosecutes offenders whilst another targets and prosecutes shoplifting – there is thus little comparability;
institutional racism – stop and searches done by the police disproportionately feature ethnic minorities so the OCS are biased and ethnic minorities are thus over-represented in the OCS;
quantitative data – statistics are only numbers and therefore do not show reasons for crimes being committed or the impact upon victims they lack validity;
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 informal agencies of social control can make individuals conform. Possible answers:
personalisation – there is often a personal relationship between the individual and the informal agent that makes it more difficult to be deviant, e.g. family;
sanctions – negative comments, ridicule, disapproving looks etc. can all be used by informal agencies in order to discourage deviance;
rewards – praise, treats, presents etc. can all be used by the informal agencies in order to encourage conformity;
internalisation – the informal agencies aim to get individuals to internalise society’s accepted norms and values so that they self-regulate their thoughts and actions and thus become conformist, even when alone;
family use techniques such as canalisation and manipulation (Oakley feminism) to encourage gendered socialisation, norms and behaviour;
peers use techniques such as peer pressure in order to persuade individuals to conform to the peer group’s norms and values, e.g. gangs;
media use techniques such as imitation and role modelling to persuade individuals to act and think in a particular way, e.g. beauty standards and ideals;
education uses the hidden curriculum and hierarchies to encourage conformity, e.g. the gendered curriculum/hierarchy;
workplace uses fear of losing your job, social exclusion and alienation (Marxism) to keep the workforce passive and conformist to the ruling class elite;
religion uses narratives, rewards and sanctions to encourage conformity and to discourage deviance e.g. the belief in heaven and hell, religious teachings etc.;
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 community sentencing is an effective way of dealing with crime. Possible answers:
loss of personal freedom – taking away a person’s ability to control their own actions is seen as a punishment and thus the fear of losing this freedom means that most people conform to the rules or do not deviate enough to get community sentencing – deterrence;
tagging – monitoring an individual’s movements through electronic surveillance ensures that the offender cannot commit further crimes and therefore keeps the public safe;
curfews – imposing restrictions on an individual’s movements is a good way of preventing them from entering certain areas or going out at particular times, this can often prevent crimes happening;
community service – it makes offenders give something directly back to the community that they have committed crimes against and is therefore an effective way of trying to make amends;
skills building – community sentencing can often be a way for offenders to build their skill set and so improve self-confidence and self-motivation, e.g. through teamwork, communication skills, punctuality etc. – this will reduce future likelihood of offending;
sanctions – if the specific regulations and requirements of the community sentence are not followed then the offender will face further, more serious sanctions to ensure conformity – most offenders will therefore conform in order to avoid these;
job opportunities – much community sentencing involves offenders completing unpaid work;
this may be painting, joinery, caring etc. and can often increase the networks needed to open up future employment possibilities – having a job is likely to reduce the chances of further re- offending;
humiliation/shame – it can often be a public punishment, e.g. offenders in public wearing a ‘uniform’ deters others/the offender from committing further crime and humiliates the offender;
rehabilitation – community sentencing makes offenders realise there are consequences for their actions, thus making it an effective way to deal with crime and prevent further re-offending;
fair system of punishment – the punishment fits the crime, i.e. if you vandalise a park you will be made to clean that park, this means offenders and others in the community can see a clear link between offending and punishment which is likely to prevent further crime;
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 is masculinity the best explanation for crime? Possible answers: FOR:
asserting masculinity – men show they are men in different ways such as working hard and providing for their family but some may turn to crime to compensate for their inability to support a family as breadwinner (Mac an Ghaill, crisis in masculinity);
postmodernism – Katz, Lyng, edgework – adventurous and risk-taking behaviour, e.g. joy-riding, stealing, football hooliganism are ways a man’s masculinity may lead to crime;
aggression – assault, domestic violence etc. are ways some men show their masculinity and are all criminal/deviant;
doing masculinity – Messerschmidt – some males turn to crime if they are unable to demonstrate their masculinity through other, legitimate means;
white-collar crime – within their employment men are more likely to commit such crimes due to masculinity as the crime may be motivated by money or needing to fulfil the provider role for their family;
status frustration – Cohen – having a status as masculine is important to young males and if this status cannot be achieved legitimately, e.g. at school or work, then males may try to achieve it through crime instead;
gang crime – to be successful in a gang and climb the hierarchy gang members often need to prove their masculinity through initiation ceremonies and rites of passage – these are often criminal, e.g. assault;
Miller’s focal concerns – working class men – behaving in an overtly masculine way is seen as a norm for working class males and this culture often leads them into crime;
Hyper-masculinity – Sewell – a subculture of black masculinity provides peer support which makes up for the boys’ sense of rejection by their perhaps absent fathers, and for the sense of racism and injustice they feel from wider society which often results in criminal behaviour, e.g. resistance to authority/racism;
toxic masculinity – through media representations, the male gaze (Mulvey) – using maleness in a criminal way to assert authority and maintain power is seen to be legitimised;
masculine gender role strain theory – the strain for males to be masculine (avoiding emotions and vulnerability) can explain acts of criminal violence committed by males – this is often seen as the only way they can show hegemonic masculinity;
sexual crime – feminists claim that men use sexual crimes to reinforce and maintain their power in both private and public spheres and that their masculinity is central to this law-breaking behaviour – patriarchal terrorism;
any other reasonable response. AGAINST:
diversity – what it means to be masculine today has diversified and therefore masculinity per se cannot explain crime as it is not a universal concept, e.g. Connell marginalised/complicit masculinities;
female crime – self report studies indicate that relatively large numbers of females commit crimes, despite often not appearing in the official crime statistics – this cannot be explained by masculinity;
Marxism – relative deprivation may be a more reasonable explanation for instrumental crime than masculinity;
racism – discrimination and racial injustice may be a more useful explanation for crime than masculinity and would perhaps help to explain the high conviction rates of young, black males;
postmodernism – crime is seen to be exciting and fun therefore when it is committed this is not about proving one’s masculinity but instead about enjoyment;
Matza drift theory – Matza explains why so many young people commit crimes (most of which do not appear in the official crime statistics) believing it is about experimentation and the transition into adulthood not masculinity;
labelling theory – Becker – crime may be better explained by labelling than masculinity, e.g. high stop and search rates for ethnic minorities, police stereotypes, police targeting etc.;
functionalism – crime is not caused by masculinity but by the need in society to deter others from crime through degradation ceremonies acting as a warning function to others;
inadequate socialisation – Murray, New Right – not being adequately socialised into society’s norms and values better explains crime than masculinity does, e.g. single parent families/the underclass;
changing male roles – males are no longer expected to be breadwinners and providers – many men are househusbands or have female partners who are the main breadwinner therefore committing crime to fulfil the masculine role no longer makes sense;
intersectionality – one factor alone, e.g. masculinity, can rarely explain why a crime has been committed – typically there are more complex factors at play than this;
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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