Sociology · May / June 2025 · Paper 21 · Question 3
0495
As printed in the paper
Show the answer and mark scheme
3(a)(i)[2]
Define the term peer group. Award one mark for a partial definition, e.g. your friends. Award two marks for a clear definition, e.g. people of the same status and age.
3(a)(ii)[2]
Define the term hate crime. Award one mark for a partial definition, e.g. racial assault. Award two marks for a clear definition, e.g. offences in which the victim is targeted because of certain characteristics e.g. religion, age, sexuality or race.
3(b)[2]
State two strengths of using official statistics to measure crime. Award one mark for each correct strength (up to a maximum of two). Possible responses:
patterns and trends in crimes committed can be easily seen;quantitative data means comparisons over time/between social groups can easily be made;they show what types of people are offenders and victims;they are published online and so are easily accessible and free;they can be used to see what crimes are increasing and what crimes are decreasing;they are typically published every year and so are up to date;they are published by the government and based on police and court records so can be trusted;they show data for an entire nation and so are both representative and generalisable;they are reliable – standardised data;any other reasonable response.3(c)[6]
Explain three reasons why people commit instrumental crime. Award one mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of three). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of three). Possible responses:
for money – financial reasons such as poverty and material deprivation can lead some people to instrumental crime;capitalist consumer culture – even higher class people may commit instrumental crimes e.g. white-collar/corporate crime as a way to maximise profit,due to a lack of opportunity – high unemployment rates and reduced job opportunities may lead some people to commit crime;to improve social position – instrumental crime can increase status and position within the hierarchy (e.g. gangs) which cannot be achieved legitimately – Cohen’s status frustration;for material possessions – relative deprivation, the feeling of having less than others in your community/society, often fuelled by the media may lead some people to commit instrumental crimes as a way to gain these desirable goods;due to prejudice and discrimination – instrumental crime may be the intended response to perceived inequalities that leaves the perpetrator feeling disillusioned about the unfairness of society i.e. being unable to get a job s/he is qualified for;a means of resistance – the feeling experienced by many marginalised groups of being targeted and treated unjustly by the police may lead to instrumental crimes e.g. BLM protests, riots and looting as forms of instrumental crimes;to prove masculinity – the culture of masculinity means some males may commit instrumental crime in order to prove or increase their masculinity e.g. violence/assault;any other reasonable response.3(d)[6]
Explain three aspects of the postmodern view of crime. Award one mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of three). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of three). Possible responses:
individualism – reasons for crime cannot be generalised as every individual has their own personal reasons for committing crimes meaning all the traditional sociological explanations are flawed;social construction of crime – there is no definite, agreed definition of crime as crime varies enormously over time and between cultures. This means there is no point investigating why people become criminals because certain behaviours may or may not be criminal in different cultures and at different times;crime as fun – Katz – crime is seen to be exciting and fun and therefore for young people this is the reason it’s committed;edgework – Lyng – crime is about risk taking behaviour as a temporary escape from societies rules, control and boundaries;harm caused by crime – postmodernists believe we should study more about the harm caused by crime to society and individuals e.g. green or corporate crimes;emotional link – crime may be related to individual feelings and emotions in a particular moment or context rather than being caused by wider social and structural factors;any other reasonable response.3(e)[8]
Discuss the view that crime and deviance vary cross-culturally. Use Table A to mark answers to this question. Possible responses:
laws – some things are legal in some countries but illegal in others e.g. possession of cannabis;morals – in the West monogamy is valued and marrying more than one person at a time would be considered a criminal offence whereas in other cultures polygamy is both legal and widely accepted;religion – this may directly affect the laws e.g. Shariah law in Islamic nations affects every part of an individual’s life in contrast to civil laws and secular cultures;sub-cultures – what is defined as deviant in some sub-cultures is not the same as others e.g. punks have brightly coloured Mohican hairstyles and ripped, offensive clothing whereas this is not deemed acceptable or appropriate by wider society;social class – Miller ‘focal concerns’ – working class culture can be linked to street culture and low level criminality and Miller’s research found that this was accepted as a normal part of life whereas for other social classes this would be viewed as deviant and unacceptable;age – younger people are more likely to push the boundaries and engage in criminal/deviant behaviour than older people because it is seen as fun, risk-taking behaviour (Katz & Lyng);ethnicity – some ethnic groups may have cultural practices that infringe the laws of a country e.g. possession of marijuana in the UK is illegal and yet is commonly used by some ethnic groups;gender expectations – in Afghanistan the Taliban have no state-run domestic abuse shelters for female victims and instead send them to prison, girls cannot get a secondary or higher education and they are banned from many public places. These laws themselves would be considered criminal and deviant in many other cultures;punishment – some countries use capital/corporal/physical punishment to deal with criminals e.g. the Middle East, whereas other countries adopt a more rehabilitative approach to crime e.g. Scandinavia;tribal culture – Mead, New Guinea – feminine characteristics and behaviour of males was the norm in one of the tribes she studied compared to hegemonic masculinity and a stigmatisation of feminine males as deviant in the West;gangs – gang culture normalises and, indeed, values criminal and deviant behaviour such as violence and murder whereas wider society condemns this and perceives it as criminality;any other reasonable response.3(f)[14]
Evaluate the view that non-custodial sentencing is the most effective type of punishment. Use Table B to mark answers to this question. Possible responses for:
community sentencing – the offender is made to do unpaid, compulsory work for a set period of time. This is typically related to the offence in some way e.g. a conviction for vandalism may result in a sentence where property has to be repaired. This teaches the offender about the consequences of crime making them reconsider their future actions;financial penalties – this kind of sentence is often used for less serious crimes whereby a sum of money must be paid by the offender to the court and/or the victim as punishment for the crime committed. In a capitalist society this can be more effective than prison as money is highly valued and so by losing this an offender will be put off from re-offending in the future (deterrence);rehabilitation programs outside prison – this could be for addiction, education and training or mental health – these often run alongside other non-custodial sentences and ensure that the offender is ‘treated’ so that the chance of future re-offending is lessened as the issue causing crime is no longer there;capital punishment – some countries and states operate the death penalty as they do not believe that prison is a serious enough sentence for the most awful, heinous crimes. Capital punishment protects citizens and sends a clear message to prolific offenders that crime will not be tolerated, so deterring them from a life of crime;corporal punishment – a physical punishment that causes pain e.g. flogging or whipping. The shame of such a public punishment is enough to deter many from committing crime whilst for others if this punishment is imposed it is something that they do not wish to repeat – again making it an effective form of punishment;exile and ostracism – having to leave one’s home and community, receiving an injunction or a restraining order and/or being shunned by the community is an effective punishment as it firstly prevents the crime from happening and secondly places feelings of guilt onto the offender that are not desirable. This thus also deters others from committing crimes;surveillance – e.g. curfews, electronic tagging and having to avoid certain areas/people – by watching the offender criminal behaviour is prevented as they must follow the rules imposed or face more severe sanctions. These restrictions mean that the offender will not be tempted to re-offend and that the public are safe, making it a very effective punishment for crime;probation – a period of time within which the offender is monitored within the community – the offender is closely monitored by the authorities and also has regular meetings with a probation officer who can help with training and employment needs. It is an effective way of checking whether an offender has been reformed and is safe to live within the community without offending, thus making it a very effective form of punishment;police cautions – for minor offences when the offender accepts their guilt, an official police warning is given as a sentence rather that anything more serious. This is a cost effective and quick way of dealing with more minor offences with a clear message to offenders that any further law breaking will result in more serious consequences;social media and vigilante groups – the growth of social media means that messages, images and posts spread quickly. Being threatened or attacked by members of the community is a big deterrent to offenders as is the thought of their image being all over the internet. This makes it an effective form of punishment;informal methods of punishment – fear of letting loved ones down, family and friends, and being shamed through the crimes committed can be the worst form of punishment due to the emotional connections involved. This therefore prevents crime as individuals do not want to face stigma and shame from family/peers/teachers/colleagues etc.;cost – non-custodial sentencing is often a cheaper alternative than incarceration and this means that it can be thought of as more effective for a country as more of it can be offered with the aim of reducing crime;any other reasonable response. Possible responses against:prison as a deterrent through loss of freedom – this is the most effective type of punishment because prisons are negatively represented in the media and people know that if they are incarcerated there will be a loss of liberty. This all helps to put people off from committing crimes – far more so than non-custodial sentencing;prison prevents further offending in society – non-custodial sentencing cannot guarantee that the offender will not commit another crime whereas prison can contain the individual, remove them from society and thus prevent offending from being able to take place;prison rehabilitation programs – access to education, training, addiction treatment and therapy/counselling are far easier and cheaper to access inside prisons than outside. In terms of rehabilitation, this therefore means that custodial sentencing is most effective as it is the way most criminals will access support to help them not offend again;poor living conditions in prison – in many countries the prison regime is tough and unappealing. This is also the image portrayed through the media. This ensures prison is seen as a deterrent to crime and is an effective punishment;restorative justice in prisons – new programs have been introduced into many prisons whereby offender and victim (or victim’s family) are able to meet and talk as a way to ensure offenders realise the impact their criminality has on others. The success rates in terms of reduced rates of re-offending is high, showing the effectiveness of custodial sentences;severity of prison regimes – having limited freedom, reducing social contact, making work compulsory and forcing accountability for the crimes committed can only happen through custodial sentencing – this makes this form of punishment more effective than any non-custodial sentences can be;Scandinavian prisons, an alternative approach – not all prison systems have high levels of recidivism, violence and anti-social behaviour. Custodial sentencing can be gentler and more rehabilitative, as in places like Norway and Sweden, and in such a context the custodial sentences are the most effective punishment as they are able to combine re- socialisation with a removal of the offender from the criminal context and the criminal connections;New Right criticisms of non-custodial sentencing as being ‘too soft’ on crime – the right wing view is that the only way to effectively punish criminals and reduce repeat offending is to ‘get tough on crime’. Policies such as zero tolerance and three strikes are thought to be far more effective deterrents than any of the non-custodial options;public safety – prisons are the only method of punishment that can guarantee the public’s safety as the offender is removed from society and locked away. Custodial sentencing is thus more effective than non- custodial.informal social control – it may be the informal agencies that are the most effective at preventing crime as they are able to socialise and inculcate individuals at an early age into conformity and the view that crime is wrong;any other reasonable response.
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