CRIME: 4 mark and 6 mark Exam Questions and
Answers
1. Outline two reasons why functionalists see crime as inevitable. (4 marks)
correct answer: -
-Durkheim would argue that not everyone is equally,ettectively and entirely socially into shared norms and
values. Therefore it is inevitable some individuals would be prone to deviate.
-in complex modern societies, there is the diversity of lifestyles and values. Ditterent groups develop their
own subcultures with distinctive norms and values and what members of the subculture regard as normal,
mainstream culture may see as deviant.
2. Outline two criticisms of Merton's Strain theory. (4 marks) correct answer: -
Marxists argues that strain
theory ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce laws which criminalises the poor but not
the rich.
-Strain theory only accounts for utilitarian crime for money gain, it ignores crimes to do with violence
and its also hard to account for state crimes such as torture.
3. Outline two types of deviant subculture. ( 4marks) correct answer: - Criminal
subcultures, provide youths
with an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime. - Another deviant subculture is conflict
subcultures. They arise of high population turnover. This results in high levels of social disorganisation
and prevents a stable professional criminal network developing.
4. Outline three ways that corporate crime is invisible (6 marks) correct answer: -
Corporate crime is
invisible due to the media, give very linked coverage to corporate crime thus reinforcing the stereotype
that crime is a working class phenomenon. So they describe corporate crime is sanitised language as
technical infringements rather real crime. For example, embezzlement becomes "accounting
irregularities".
-Another way C.C is invisible. The crimes are often complex and law enforces are often understatted,
under resourced and lake the technical expertise to investigate ettectively.
-Under reporting, often the victim is society at large and the environment rather than an identifiable
individual. Individuals may be unaware that they have been victimised e.g. Buying into PPI. Even when the
1/
5
, victims are aware, they may not regard it as real crime. Equally they may feel powerless against a big
organisation and so may never report it or know who to report it to.
5. Outline three criticisms of Marxist approaches to crime and deviance (6
marks) correct answer: - A criticism of Marxist is that It ignores the relationship between crime and
non-class inequalities such
as ethnicity and gender
-It is too deterministic; not all poor people commit crime despite the pressures of poverty
-Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates; for example the homicide rate in Japan and
Switzerland is a fifth of that in the United States.
2/
5
Answers
1. Outline two reasons why functionalists see crime as inevitable. (4 marks)
correct answer: -
-Durkheim would argue that not everyone is equally,ettectively and entirely socially into shared norms and
values. Therefore it is inevitable some individuals would be prone to deviate.
-in complex modern societies, there is the diversity of lifestyles and values. Ditterent groups develop their
own subcultures with distinctive norms and values and what members of the subculture regard as normal,
mainstream culture may see as deviant.
2. Outline two criticisms of Merton's Strain theory. (4 marks) correct answer: -
Marxists argues that strain
theory ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce laws which criminalises the poor but not
the rich.
-Strain theory only accounts for utilitarian crime for money gain, it ignores crimes to do with violence
and its also hard to account for state crimes such as torture.
3. Outline two types of deviant subculture. ( 4marks) correct answer: - Criminal
subcultures, provide youths
with an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime. - Another deviant subculture is conflict
subcultures. They arise of high population turnover. This results in high levels of social disorganisation
and prevents a stable professional criminal network developing.
4. Outline three ways that corporate crime is invisible (6 marks) correct answer: -
Corporate crime is
invisible due to the media, give very linked coverage to corporate crime thus reinforcing the stereotype
that crime is a working class phenomenon. So they describe corporate crime is sanitised language as
technical infringements rather real crime. For example, embezzlement becomes "accounting
irregularities".
-Another way C.C is invisible. The crimes are often complex and law enforces are often understatted,
under resourced and lake the technical expertise to investigate ettectively.
-Under reporting, often the victim is society at large and the environment rather than an identifiable
individual. Individuals may be unaware that they have been victimised e.g. Buying into PPI. Even when the
1/
5
, victims are aware, they may not regard it as real crime. Equally they may feel powerless against a big
organisation and so may never report it or know who to report it to.
5. Outline three criticisms of Marxist approaches to crime and deviance (6
marks) correct answer: - A criticism of Marxist is that It ignores the relationship between crime and
non-class inequalities such
as ethnicity and gender
-It is too deterministic; not all poor people commit crime despite the pressures of poverty
-Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates; for example the homicide rate in Japan and
Switzerland is a fifth of that in the United States.
2/
5
