Orthodox Theories on Crime and Deviance and Crime and Deviance in the Caribbean Breaking the law is typically understood as something deviant and is needed to be reduced. There is a constant goal by governments to lower crime rates in their country but crime, surprisingly, is considered by most Functionalists as being “healthy for society.” Without crime society can fall apart. The orthodox view is that crime in developing countries is the product of social change. It is a transformation from a traditional to a more modern stage of development. Modernisation is seen as a disruption to society involving urbanisation, industrialisation and de-population of the countryside which causes imbalances such as overcrowding in the larger cities and a state of anomie or normlessness. According to Ken Pryce (1976) however, “In the third world, the rising crime rate is not a product of modernisation per se, but a symptom of a particular type of “development of underdevelopment.” The Caribbean focuses on mainly economic development and profits which only benefits a minority of the population (usually upper class) and therefore there will be a higher unemployment rate where people will have to search for means of survival by illegitimate means such as prostitution and violence. The usual victims of unemployment are the young lower- class males. Robert Merton states that in every society there are those who share cultural goals for success where people usually work to achieve wealth and material possessions. People sometimes break the rules to achieve success if there is no legitimate opportunity structure and this in turn creates a situation of anomie. Norms will no longer affect behaviour and deviance is encouraged. Individuals respond to anomie in different ways and their reaction will be shaped by their position in the social structure. Merton created five possible ways in which people respond to success goals: 1) Conformity, 2) Innovation, 3) Ritualism, 4) Retreatism and 5) Rebellion. The majority of the young lower- class, unemployed males in the Caribbean live by the use of Innovation which rejects legitimate means and turns to deviant means
There are many views on crime and deviance and many theories to why they occur.
Criminological theories interpret the competing paradigms of Human Nature, Social Order, Definition of Crime, Extent and Distribution of Crime, Causes of Crime, and Policy, differently. Even though these theories have added to societies understanding of criminal behaviour, all have been unable to explain why punishment or treatment of offenders is unable to prevent deviancy, and thus are ineffective methods of control. The new penology is a contemporary response that favours the management of criminals by predicting future harm on society. However, all criminological theories are linked as they are a product of the historical time and place, and because of their contextual history, they will continue to reappear depending on the current state of the world, and may even be reinvented.
In chapter 5 of Images of color, images of crime author Peggy McIntosh refers to White privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that can count on cashing in each day, but about which 'meant' to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks. It is apparent that white people receive unearned advantages and benefits that are not accessible to people of color. In fact, how can someone even question that the fact that people of color are treated differently than Whites, when African Americans constitute a significant portion of individuals who are incarcerated today. Here is an example of an experience that I had a few years ago that made me realize that I was treated differently because I was not white. I worked at the Ymca for about three years at a summer camp, which was predominantly white. I loved working there, but I kept to myself because I was treated differently from my co-workers. In fact, the white individuals that I worked with would constantly ma...
This paper looks at the different theories of criminal behavior that explain why people commit crimes. It goes deeper to analyze the specific theories in a bid to determine why a person may commit a certain crime and another person under the same circumstances may not. The paper focuses on key factors that motivate unruly behavior among people and why such factors are present in some people and not in others. In doing so, the paper leans more on children in order to determine how delinquency behavior is progressively imparted on them as they undergo developmental trajectory.
We live today in the societies which are shaped by rules and norms that must be follow. At the same time, people establish their own way to do things or not and when these people break or not respect the established rules, that’s is called deviance. According to Henslin “Deviance is the violation of norms (rules or expectations)”. I will define deviance as set of behaviors that are beyond the rules accepted by society or a group of people.
Deviance has been primarily studied as a disorder of the individual from a medical and psychological standpoint. In assessing deviance as a fundamental component of the human condition, it becomes clear how external social forces and circumstances can increase the likelihood of behavior that does not conform to established social norms. There are four theories that seek to explain the causation of deviance through social forces: strain theory, control theory, social learning theory, and labeling theory. According to strain theory, deviance thrives in the gap between emphasized goals and prescribed methods. People have been socialized to accept key values; However, they do not have access to the approved means of realizing those values,
It is exceedingly high relative to its industrialized status and other nations (Maume & Lee 2003). Robert Merton looked into this and developed classical-anomie theory. The basis of this theory states that crime is not only stem from the individual, but also from the society itself. As stated by Schoepfer and Piquero, America’s culture is founded in Universalism (2007). Universalism is the drive for success that is usually revolved around material objects. Malaysia is also becoming a more industrialized, materialistic culture, and because of this, it has seen a significant rise in crime (Teh 2009). Merton also agreed that there were strains in American society and that the idea of the American Dream and how it actually works, along with other social structures, is a reason there is crime in this country (Maume & Lee 2003). Since the creation of Merton’s Anomie theory, it has undergone several changes and additions. Cloward and Ohlin added to his theory on what happens with youth violence in gangs in urban areas (Messner & Rosenfeld 2007). While this theory has gained favor since the 1980s on, Messner & Rosenfeld felt that it was incomplete; they state that Merton looked over the institutional structure of the society and went on to make their own version known as Institutional-Anomie theory (2007). Institutional Anomie theory take a close look at the economic, political, educational, and
Within this essay there will be a clear understanding of the contrast and comparison between left and right realism, supported by accurate evidence that will support and differentiate the two wings of realism.
Secondly, the society is based on consensus which displays the matter of traditional aspects of crime. Thirdly, orthodox criminology is based on a historical traditional methodology. Fourthly, police and state organizations have been described as deterrence and rehabilitation through the court system. Fifthly, Orthodox criminology crime issue describes the focus that society is a problematic study which is focusing on the criminal himself of herself. Therefore, this displays a more narrow solution to the individual themselves instead of the society. “Finally, the last orthodox criminology is a distinctive behavior that described as law” (Lynch & Michalowski, p.65). “In the study of crime that it’s stated the orthodox criminology has the acknowledgement of general theories” (Lynch & Michalowski,
Conflict criminology strives to locate the root cause of crime and tries to analyze how status and class inequality influences the justice system. The study of crime causation by radical criminologist increased between 1980s and 1990s as this led to the emergence of many radical theories such as Marxist criminology, feminist criminology, structural criminology, critical criminology, left realist criminology and peacemaking criminology (Rigakos, 1999). In spite of critical criminology encompassing many broad theories, some common themes are shared by radical research. The basic themes show how macro-level economic structures and crime are related, effects of power differentials, and political aspects in defining criminal acts.
Conscious efforts to critique existing approaches to questions of crime and justice, demystify concepts and issues that are laden with political and ideological baggage, situate debates about crime control within a socio-historical context, and facilitate the imagination and exploration of alternative ways of thinking and acting in relation to crime and justice. (p. 3).
Winslow, R. W., & Zhang, S. (2008). Contemporary Theories of Crime. Criminology: a global perspective (). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Crime exists everywhere. It is exists in our country, in the big cities, the small towns, schools, and even in homes. Crime is defined as “any action that is a violation of law”. These violations may be pending, but in order to at least lower the crime rate, an understanding of why the crimes are committed must first be sought. There are many theories that are able to explain crimes, but three very important ones are rational choice theory, social disorganization theory and strain theory.
The Caribbean may be a great place to vacation, but is it safe? The Caribbean is known for its relaxed atmosphere and beautiful landscape, but countries in the region are poor and getting poorer and becoming increasingly unsafe. The region “depends for its livelihood on entertaining people who want carefree holidays to escape the harsh realities of life” (Canute, 2002). Because of “poverty, inequality, and social marginalization” (Canute, 2002) countries in the Caribbean are subject to massive crime that affects their economies. In addition, they are the unfortunate victims of their geographic location. Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Perry Christie, states, “We straddle the sea lanes and flight paths between producer countries in South America and the vast consumer markets to the north of us. We are caught in the middle” (Canute, 2002). Drug trafficking is particularly affecting the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad where large crime organizations set up operations.
MacDonald, H. (2010, January 4). A crime theory demolished. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870359090504574638024055735590.ht