to which social class do most crime victims belong?course hero

What are the factors other than social class that affect crime?

It is quite possible that factors other than social class are much more significant and, in many cases, can account for similar statistical results: Ecological explanations (do not confuse with green crime !): Ecological explanations for crime examine how crime is distributed among different geographical locations.

What is the link between social class and victimization?

Data provided by the National Crime Victimization Survey indicate that although the link between social class and victimization varies according to crime, overall, people who are less well-off tend to bear a greater burden as crime victims, particularly with respect to crimes of violence.

Is the social class– criminality relationship specific to a certain race?

Given the contradictory results of these research efforts, it would be difficult to suggest that the social class– criminality relationship was specific to a certain race or gender.

Are poor households more likely to be victims of crime?

The difference between rich and poor households as victims of property crime is less dramatic, although for the more serious crime of burglary, poor households face greater risks than rich ones.

What are the social class differences in crime?

Social Class. Findings on social class differences in crime are less clear than they are for gender or age differences. Arrests statistics and much research indicate that poor people are much more likely than wealthier people to commit street crime. However, some scholars attribute the greater arrests of poor people to social class bias ...

Why are crime rates so high in urban areas?

Urban areas have high crime rates in part because they are poor, but poverty by itself does not completely explain the urban-rural difference in crime, since many rural areas are poor as well. A key factor that explains the higher crime rates of urban areas is their greater population density (Stark 1987).

Why do young people commit street crimes?

Young people commit a disproportionate amount of street crime, in part because of the influence of their peers and their lack of stakes in conformity. The disproportionate involvement of African Americans and Latinos in street crime arises largely from their poverty and urban residence.

Why are people from all walks of life more likely to break the law?

While people from all walks of life commit street crime, some people are still more likely than others to break the law because of their social backgrounds . These social backgrounds include their gender, age, social class, urban/rural residence, and race and ethnicity. Despite their inaccuracies, the three data sources discussed in ...

Do males have higher crime rates than females?

Studies find that parents watch their daughters more closely than they watch their sons, who are allowed to stay out later at night and thus have more opportunity to break the law. Males have higher crime rates than females.

Is there a social class relationship between white collar crime and street crime?

If we consider both street crime and white-collar crime, then there does not appear to be a social class-crime relationship, since the poor have higher rates of the former and the wealthy have higher rates of the latter.

Do social scientists stroll the streets at night?

Reflecting this conclusion, one sociologist has even noted, with tongue only partly in cheek, that social scientists know they should not “stroll the streets at night in certain parts of town or even to park there” and that areas of cities that frighten them are “not upper-income neighborhoods” (Stark, 1987, p. 894).

Which sociological research has specifically examined the relationship between the police and the social class background of offenders?

Interactionism, Social Class and Crime. The main piece of sociological research which has specifically examined the relationship between the police and the social class background of offenders is Aaron Cicourel’s ‘Power and The Negotiation of Justice’ (1968)

Which group believes that more egalitarian societies based on the values of cooperation and mutual assistance have lower crime rates?

Marxists hold that more egalitarian societies based on the values of the co-operation and mutual assistance, have lower crime rates. Marxists argue that although they are hidden from view, the crimes of the elite exert a greater economic toll on society than the crimes of the ‘ordinary people’.

What is the second stage of juvenile delinquency?

The Second Stage is that the young person is handed over to a juvenile delinquent officer. This officer will have a picture of a ‘typical delinquent’ in his mind. Factors associated with a typical delinquent include being of dishevelled appearance, having poor posture, speaking in slang etc.

What does Lea and Young argue about crime?

Lea and Young argue that crime has its roots in deprivation, but deprivation itself is not directly responsible for crime – for example, living standards have risen since the 1950s, so the level of deprivation has fallen, but the crime rate is much higher today than it was in the 1950s.

What did Merton see crime as?

Merton saw crime as a response to the inability of people to achieve material wealth, emphasising the role of material or economic factors. Albert Cohen put more emphasis on cultural factors (values and status) rather than material factors in explaining working class crime.

What did Robert Merton argue about crime?

Robert Merton argued that crime increased when there was a strain (or gap) between society’s success goals (achieving material wealth) and the available opportunities to achieve those goals through legitimate means (having a well-paying job). Merton called this imbalance between goals and the ability to achieve them ‘anomie’.

What are sociological perspectives on crime?

Sociological Perspectives on controlling crime – the role of the community and policing in preventing crime. Sociological Perspectives on Surveillance. Sociological Perspectives on Punishment. Social Class and Crime. Ethnicity and Crime.

What is the most problematic misconception about the criminogenic nature of economic and social disadvantage?

Most problematic about the apparent misconception of the criminogenic nature of economic and social disadvantage is that policies implemented on the basis of this assumption are more harmful to the lower classes.

What does it mean if the structural contradictions of poverty and inequality are more likely to result in individuals committing ordinary

Thus, if the structural contradictions of poverty and inequality are more likely to result in individuals committing ordinary crimes , it means that the poor are also more likely to be the victims of street crimes. VII. Social Class, Crime, and Policy. Most problematic about the apparent misconception of the criminogenic nature ...

How can government policies increase or decrease the criminogenic consequences of income and wealth inequality?

Government policies can increase or decrease the criminogenic consequences of income and wealth inequality by choosing to pursue preventive or punitive justice strategies. Preventive strategies, such as preschool education of poor children, housing subsidies, and income support policies for poor families, will help reduce the negative effects ...

What are nonelite social groups?

The nonelite social groups that together comprise the vast majority of the American social landscape are almost entirely absent from the law-making process. As a result, the laws and policies that shape how we define crime are more likely to reflect the values, life experiences, and interests of the upper echelons of society.

What are some of the most common punitive strategies?

Punitive strategies, which are far more prevalent today, attack crime through get-tough tactics such as determinate sentencing, “wars” on crime and drugs, and removal of rehabilitation programs from prisons.

Do laws reflect the interests of the upper echelons of society?

Of course, laws and policies do not reflect the interests only of the upper echelons of society. Across social classes, there are many areas of consensus over the definition of crime. Both the rich and the poor agree that murder, rape, and burglary should be treated as crimes.

Is social class a victim of crime?

Although there is some debate about the relationship between social class and criminality, the link between social class and criminal victimization is well-known and commonly accepted.

What is the definition of middle class crime?

Although theoretically it could mean any crime committed by members of that class, it is generally used to describe the crimes most associated with the middle class, for example, fraud and tax evasion , rather than, for instance, violent crimes that happen to have been committed by a middle‐class individual.

What are some factors other than social class that are more significant?

It is quite possible that factors other than social class are much more significant and, in many cases, can account for similar statistical results: Ecological explanations (do not confuse with green crime !): Ecological explanations for crime examine how crime is distributed among different geographical locations.

How do sociologists approach class?

Different sociologists approach class in different ways: traditional Marxists focus on the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and their separate relationship to the means of production; other sociologists consider class stratification more in relation to job roles and incomes. The police and the Crime Survey of England and Wales do not collect data ...

Why are sociologists interested in social class?

Board: Sociologists are interested in why people from some social classes are more likely to commit crimes than others, and that the types of crime which people from different classes may commit differ significantly. Social class is an identity based on shared socio‐economic status. Different sociologists approach class in different ways: ...

Why do white collar criminals brush it under the carpet?

Historically, these crimes have been treated more leniently, and sometimes the associates of white‐collar criminals will help to "brush it under the carpet" in order to avoid the negative publicity.

What is corporate crime?

Corporate crime refers specifically to crimes committed by companies rather than individuals, although individuals might well be found to have ultimate criminal responsibility, e.g. the CEO. Most commonly, corporate crimes will involve fraud or tax evasion.

Who developed the idea of an underclass?

New Right sociologist Charles Murray developed the idea of an underclass. He suggested that the welfare state created welfare dependency and that there were perverse incentives in the welfare system that created a criminal underclass of jobless, welfare‐dependent, dysfunctional people ( see right realism above)

Why is crime more prevalent among the lower class?

Some criminologists held that crime would be shown to be more prevalent among the lower class if official police data or court records are used to determine criminality. As previously mentioned, they argued that people from lower classes are more likely to underreport their criminal behavior on self-report surveys.

Why is there little consensus about social class and criminality?

There is no shortage of research studies that have examined this relationship; however, there is little consensus because of inconsistent findings and inclusive results.

What is the result of high socioeconomic status causing increased risk taking and social power?

Delinquency in the higher social classes, on the other hand, was the result of high socioeconomic status causing increased risk taking and social power, and diminished the commitment to conventional values, all of which then predispose these youth to delinquency.

What is the dark figure of crime?

This measure of crime simply did not take into account the reality that many crimes go unnoticed or unreported, or for some other reason simply do not become known to those who wish to count them . This unknown and uncounted crime is referred to as the dark figure of crime.

Does criminal justice net haul the poor?

Clearly, the criminal justice net hauls in the poorest of the poor. What this tells us about the link between social class and criminal behavior, however, remains controversial. Some scholars argue that the disproportionate representation of poor people in prison is indicative of their overinvolvement in crime, ...

Is there a way to determine if someone is telling the truth about their criminal behavior?

Their argument was that there is no way to determine whether people in self-report studies are telling the truth about their criminal behavior. Doubters suggested that self-report surveys were better measures of a participant’s willingness to tell the truth about his or her criminality.

Is crime more likely among people in higher social classes?

For example, some studies have concluded that crime is more likely among people in higher social classes, whereas others have found criminality more prevalent among the lower classes. Some of these inconsistencies are traced to the different research methods used to study this relationship. These include different data collection methods; different ...

What is social class?

Social class refers to a group of people with similar levels of wealth, influence, and status. Sociologists typically use three methods to determine social class: The objective method measures and analyzes “hard” facts.

What are the unskilled workers in the working class called?

Unskilled workers in the class—dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses—usually are underpaid and have no opportunity for career advancement. They are often called the working poor. Skilled workers in this class—carpenters, plumbers, and electricians—are often called blue collar workers.

What is the underclass in the media?

The media often stigmatize the lower class as “the underclass,” inaccurately characterizing poor people as welfare mothers who abuse the system by having more and more babies, welfare fathers who are able to work but do not, drug abusers, criminals, and societal “trash.”.

What is the middle class?

The middle class. The middle class are the “sandwich” class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. They divide into two levels according to wealth, education, and prestige. The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, ...

What is the upper class?

The upper‐upper class includes those aristocratic and “high‐society” families with “old money” who have been rich for generations. These extremely wealthy people live off the income from their inherited riches. The upper‐upper class is more prestigious than the lower‐upper class.

Which is more prestigious, upper class or lower class?

The upper‐upper class is more prestigious than the lower‐upper class. Wherever their money comes from, both segments of the upper class are exceptionally rich. Both groups have more money than they could possibly spend, which leaves them with much leisure time for cultivating a variety of interests.

What is Social Class, and Why is It Important?

When discussing social class, we frequently hear terms such as upper class, middle class, lower class, working class, and underclass. These terms attempt to differentiate social groups according to their access to economic, social, political, cultural, or lifestyle resources.

Exploring the Social Class–Crime Link

Whereas the origin of social classes is relatively clear, the effect of social class divisions on crime is less so. Annual reports of the characteristics of people arrested in the United States provide insight concerning gender, age, race, and ethnicity but tell us little about social class characteristics such as income, occupation, or residence.

Explaining the Relationship between Social Class and Criminality

Although the relationship between social class and crime remains contested and unclear, it has not prevented the development of a number of theoretical explanations, which are formulated around the belief that poor people simply commit more serious crime.

Perceptions of Crime as a Lower-Class Phenomenon

Perceptually speaking, there appears to be a consensus among a large segment of the U.S. population that crime is largely the product of the behavior of lower-class populations.

Social Class and Criminal Victimization

Although there is some debate about the relationship between social class and criminality, the link between social class and criminal victimization is well-known and commonly accepted.

Social Class, Crime, and Policy

Most problematic about the apparent misconception of the criminogenic nature of economic and social disadvantage is that policies implemented on the basis of this assumption are more harmful to the lower classes.

Whose Crimes Are More Harmful?

In addition to the conflict over who is more likely to commit crime, there is considerable disagreement about whose crimes cause the most harm.

Consensus Theories, Social Class and Crime

Interactionism, Social Class and Crime

Marxism, Social Class and Crime

• Marxists argue that while working class crime does exist, it is a rational response to crimogenic capitalism. Moreover, all class commit crime, and the crimes of the elite are more harmful than street crime, but less likely to be punished. Crimogenic Capitalism 1. Capitalism encourages individuals to pursue self-interest before everything else. 2. ...

See more on revisesociology.com

Right Realism/ Underclass Theory and Crime

Left Realism, Social Class and Crime