AQA Sociology Crime and Deviance- A level Exam
Questions and Answers
1. What is a Crime? correct answer correct answer: An act which breaks the criminal laws of
society and is punishable by law.
2. What is Deviance? correct answer correct answer: Behaviour which is disproved ott by most
people in society. As it breaks norms, morals
and values.
3. What is white collar crime. correct answer correct answer: Commited in the courcse of
legitmate employment, its a financial abuse of occupational role. eg. Fraud, insider dealing, tax
evasion.
4. What is corporate crime? correct answer correct answer: Is when a company commits
a crime.
5. According to Durkheim why is Crime functional? correct answer correct answer:
'Crime is an intergral part of all healthy
societys'. It is inevitable, because not every one is going to equally commited to the collective sentiments.
However too much crime = dysfunctional society as it suggests that somthing is wrong in society and
needs resolving.
6. What is Mertons value consensus? correct answer correct answer: The expected norms,
morals and values in society.
7. According to merton what are the five ways in which memebers in
society could respond to their goals. correct answer correct answer: Conformity- accepting
society and institutionalised means of acheiving them.
Innovation- Accepting the goals ( eg- wealth) but rejecting institutionalised means, and deviating from
them. Ritualism - rejecting the gaols but going along with the institution. Its deviant because it results
from strong socialised to conform to expected behaviours.
Retreatism - rejecting goals and rejecting the institution. Decent into alcholism.
Rebellion - Creating a new society against the mainstream.
8. According to Croall why is White Collar crime difficult to convict. correct answer
correct answer: White collar crime
is morally ambiguous as it's victimless as its crime aginst business. It's an
indirect ottence. Ottenders are invisble, Diflult to blame it on. Complex, as no one really understands it
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,fully. The public deosn't fear it
9. What is the new Criminology according to neo Marxists Taylor, Walton,
Young? correct answer correct answer: Crime takes place when a capitalist system where some people
have a lot of wealth and power, wheras the
fustrated majority don't. These inequalitys are the root of crime.
10. Define right realism? correct answer correct answer: The right wing political
perspective, emphases James Q Wilson and emphasing 'zero tolerance'. Follows Wilsons broken
window theory, which argues minor occurances of crime/deviance escalate within a neighbourhood.
11. What do right realists argue about crime? correct answer correct answer: A lack
of disicipline in education and familys lead
to increased crime. Permissive attitudes of self - indulgents and anti - social behaviour. When the costs
of crime out weigh the benfits.
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, To solves these we must incease the costs of crime, reduce oppurtunitys for crime, more police prevalent
witin communitys. A face to face relationship between authoritys and communitys, a stress on preventing
crime.
12. What is Right Reaslism Zero tolerance? correct answer correct answer: Involves
the police strictly clamping down on minor
criminal activities such as littering, begging, graflti and other forms of antisocial behaviour. To create an
example to the rest of society.
13. According to Right realist Clark and Coleman 1980 why do people
commit crime? correct answer correct answer: Argues criminals will engage in crime if the benefit
out weigh the costs. (rational choice theory). Its a part
of human nature.
14. What deos Charles Murray and the new right argue? correct answer
correct answer: Argues that the underclass are particularly insufleciently intergrated into
societys norms and values. The undercalss are prone to crimes, especially violent, because they failed
in education.
15. According to right realist Ernest van den Haag (1975) why should
society be highly socialy controlled? correct answer correct answer: Adopts a very poor veiw of
humanity as willling to cheat to 'get on' and therefore some groups need to be controlled for their
own good. Like durkheim, crime is functional, however we must advocate
tough punishments to prevent uncontrolable levels of crime.
16. Cristisms of Right realism? correct answer correct answer: According to Platt and
Tackie, they critises this approach for concentrating and exclusively on working class crime and
ignoring the crime of the powerful.
17. Define Left realism? correct answer correct answer: The left wing political perspective,
empahsis the importance of tackling deprivation and to respond to the needs of the communtiy.
18. What do left realists argue about crime? correct answer correct answer:
Lea and Young developed left realism, which expliains crime through the deprived and
minority ethnic groups. Crime is a real problem for orginary people and explain it through a socal
and economic relationship. Explains crime in terms of subculture, relative depivation and
marginalisation.
19. What do left realists Lea and Young argue about rising crime rates
correct answer correct answer: Statistics cannot soley explain crime. Tackling black minority
crime head-on through policing has only lead to more crime. Because police taget and discriminate them,
the deprived community leads to the black youth having low aspertions and are
more likely to turn to crime.
3/
17
Questions and Answers
1. What is a Crime? correct answer correct answer: An act which breaks the criminal laws of
society and is punishable by law.
2. What is Deviance? correct answer correct answer: Behaviour which is disproved ott by most
people in society. As it breaks norms, morals
and values.
3. What is white collar crime. correct answer correct answer: Commited in the courcse of
legitmate employment, its a financial abuse of occupational role. eg. Fraud, insider dealing, tax
evasion.
4. What is corporate crime? correct answer correct answer: Is when a company commits
a crime.
5. According to Durkheim why is Crime functional? correct answer correct answer:
'Crime is an intergral part of all healthy
societys'. It is inevitable, because not every one is going to equally commited to the collective sentiments.
However too much crime = dysfunctional society as it suggests that somthing is wrong in society and
needs resolving.
6. What is Mertons value consensus? correct answer correct answer: The expected norms,
morals and values in society.
7. According to merton what are the five ways in which memebers in
society could respond to their goals. correct answer correct answer: Conformity- accepting
society and institutionalised means of acheiving them.
Innovation- Accepting the goals ( eg- wealth) but rejecting institutionalised means, and deviating from
them. Ritualism - rejecting the gaols but going along with the institution. Its deviant because it results
from strong socialised to conform to expected behaviours.
Retreatism - rejecting goals and rejecting the institution. Decent into alcholism.
Rebellion - Creating a new society against the mainstream.
8. According to Croall why is White Collar crime difficult to convict. correct answer
correct answer: White collar crime
is morally ambiguous as it's victimless as its crime aginst business. It's an
indirect ottence. Ottenders are invisble, Diflult to blame it on. Complex, as no one really understands it
1/
17
,fully. The public deosn't fear it
9. What is the new Criminology according to neo Marxists Taylor, Walton,
Young? correct answer correct answer: Crime takes place when a capitalist system where some people
have a lot of wealth and power, wheras the
fustrated majority don't. These inequalitys are the root of crime.
10. Define right realism? correct answer correct answer: The right wing political
perspective, emphases James Q Wilson and emphasing 'zero tolerance'. Follows Wilsons broken
window theory, which argues minor occurances of crime/deviance escalate within a neighbourhood.
11. What do right realists argue about crime? correct answer correct answer: A lack
of disicipline in education and familys lead
to increased crime. Permissive attitudes of self - indulgents and anti - social behaviour. When the costs
of crime out weigh the benfits.
2/
17
, To solves these we must incease the costs of crime, reduce oppurtunitys for crime, more police prevalent
witin communitys. A face to face relationship between authoritys and communitys, a stress on preventing
crime.
12. What is Right Reaslism Zero tolerance? correct answer correct answer: Involves
the police strictly clamping down on minor
criminal activities such as littering, begging, graflti and other forms of antisocial behaviour. To create an
example to the rest of society.
13. According to Right realist Clark and Coleman 1980 why do people
commit crime? correct answer correct answer: Argues criminals will engage in crime if the benefit
out weigh the costs. (rational choice theory). Its a part
of human nature.
14. What deos Charles Murray and the new right argue? correct answer
correct answer: Argues that the underclass are particularly insufleciently intergrated into
societys norms and values. The undercalss are prone to crimes, especially violent, because they failed
in education.
15. According to right realist Ernest van den Haag (1975) why should
society be highly socialy controlled? correct answer correct answer: Adopts a very poor veiw of
humanity as willling to cheat to 'get on' and therefore some groups need to be controlled for their
own good. Like durkheim, crime is functional, however we must advocate
tough punishments to prevent uncontrolable levels of crime.
16. Cristisms of Right realism? correct answer correct answer: According to Platt and
Tackie, they critises this approach for concentrating and exclusively on working class crime and
ignoring the crime of the powerful.
17. Define Left realism? correct answer correct answer: The left wing political perspective,
empahsis the importance of tackling deprivation and to respond to the needs of the communtiy.
18. What do left realists argue about crime? correct answer correct answer:
Lea and Young developed left realism, which expliains crime through the deprived and
minority ethnic groups. Crime is a real problem for orginary people and explain it through a socal
and economic relationship. Explains crime in terms of subculture, relative depivation and
marginalisation.
19. What do left realists Lea and Young argue about rising crime rates
correct answer correct answer: Statistics cannot soley explain crime. Tackling black minority
crime head-on through policing has only lead to more crime. Because police taget and discriminate them,
the deprived community leads to the black youth having low aspertions and are
more likely to turn to crime.
3/
17
