Public Disorders and Criminology - Literature review Example

PUBLIC DISORDER AND CRIMINOLOGY School Introduction Public disorder refers to a breach of civil order or peace. This is usually depicted by breakdown of law and order, non-functioning emergency services, unavailable public utilities, disruption to normal life and suspension to usual modes of governance. Crime has got many theories, some traditional and others more current facilitated by technology. For instance, the rational factor which refers to committing crimes based on the punishment accorded. More stringent punishments can be avoided by performing the “lesser” crimes. The following are some of the theories about crime. Social disorganization theory Subcultural theory, control theory Symbolic interractionism Marxist criminology Routine activity theory Social disorganization theory Social disorganization theory says that poor and economically deprived neighborhoods experience more crime. This is because these neighborhoods have high populations thus stressing the social structure which fails to develop. This makes it difficult to maintain social order in a community. In the London riots for example, one of the attributions for the rioter’s behavior was social exclusion (Gareth Morrell Et al. 2011). This was evident during the interview as one of the rioters stated the cause of their actions was being looked down upon. Various journalists also have identified poverty and growing gap between the rich and the poor as causative factors. Strain theory (social strain theory) Strain theory (social strain theory) says that mainstream cultures are saturated with dreams of opportunity, freedom and prosperity. Most people buy into this dream and hence making it a powerful cultural and psychological motivation. It is what the society expects of its citizens and what is actually achieved by those citizens (Robert S. Agnew, 2008). Due to various social pressures, strain theory says that affected individuals develop the following behaviors, conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism or rebellion. Hence if the social structure of opportunities is unequal and prevents the majority from realizing the dream, some will turn to crime so as to realize that dream. Others will retreat and get into gangs and drug abuse. In the London 2011 riots, the most affected area was Tottenham. David Lammy, an MP, said that Tottenham has the highest rate of unemployment in London and eighth highest in the United Kingdom. Historian David Starkey blamed the black gangster culture saying that it has influenced the youths of all races. The BBC received approximately 700 complaints about his statement that “whites have become black.” Subcultural theory Subcultural theory focuses on small cultural groups fragmenting away from the mainstream to form their own values and meanings about life. Adom K. Cohen, 1955 suggested that delinquency among lower class youth is a reaction against social norms of the middle class. Some youth may adopt social norms specific to those places, these may include been rebellious and disrespect for social authority. These youth may be tempted to take up criminal activities which have lucrative benefits over legal options like minimum wage paying jobs. There is also an issue about class where some crimes are seen as “imaginary solutions” to problems belonging to a subordinate class. In the London 2011 riots, the BBC reported that the West Midlands riot police officers were issued with plastic bullets to use against the looters but never used them. Trevor Ellis, a 26 year old from Brixton Hill died from a shooting in Croydon, South London. Ruthlessness was also evident when a 68 year old man, Richard Bowes was attacked by members of a mob while attempting to stamp out a fire in a litter bin in Ealing. Bowes’ attackers inflicted severe head injuries which resulted into him developing a coma. The whole rioting process resulted to 186 police officers injured and also 5 police dogs, ten firefighters and destruction of two fire vehicles. This highlights disrespect for social authority. Control theories Control theories focuses on explaining why people don’t engage in crime as opposed to the other theories which explain why people engage in criminal activities (Hirschi, T. (1969). The main characteristics include (i)Attachment to others (ii)Belief in moral validity of rules (iii)Commitment to achievement (iv)Involvement in conventional activities The more a person displays these activities, the more likely he will not engage in criminal activities. People with low self control are prone to become a criminal. Social bonds through peers, family members and society at large can have a countering effect on one’s low self control. For poor families parental control, referred to as chaperonage is necessary to prevent the development of deliquescent children. Theorists argue that criminals are able to temporarily neutralize internal moral social behavioral constraints through techniques of neutralization. For example, someone with a desire to buy a yatch and has self control is likely to exercise patience and wait until funds are enough to buy a yatch while a person with no self control is likely to resort to illegal activities so as to fund the purchase of the yatch. In the London riots, Christina Odone links the riots to a lack of male role models citing that most criminals do not have a father a figure. This has been linked further with England’s having the worst record in family breakdown in Europe. Thus family breakdowns have a negative impact on a child’s self control as they normally become intolerant (Bernd Marcus, 2004). Symbolic interactionism Symbolic interactionism focuses on the relationship between the powerful state, media and conservative ruling elite and other less powerful groups. The powerful groups have the ability to become the ruling class and the less powerful groups engage in processes of generating income (Katherine Berrnette Et al. 2014). The ruling class can impose their meanings on the less powerful groups; though means such as labeling minor delinquent youngsters as criminal. These youngsters often take on board the label and indulge in crime. Daily Telegraph columnist Peter Oborne suggested that mirror decay was bad in both the top of society and at the bottom. He cited the bankers’ bonuses, MPs’ expenses scandal and phone hacking scandal as setting poor examples to the public. This facilitated the unrest in London as the brunt of the scandals fell to the public who in turn felt the urge to pay back in terms of rioting. In the Financial Times cartoonist Ingram Pinn depicted a Union Flag being broken through by a looter in a hood carrying a stolen box of Adidas trainers, preceded by two men in suits carrying piles of cash, one saying “MPs Expenses” and another “Bankers’ Bonus”. Marxist criminology Marxist criminology says capitalistic societies create social and economic environments that favor crime. It focuses on causes of change, the disruptive forces in industrialized societies, and how society is divided by power and wealth (Carl B. Klockars, 2006). Karl Marx said that the law is the mechanism through which one social class; usually the ruling class keeps all the other classes in an unfair position. Through the tactics employed by the ruling class, most of the people in the modern society who do not belong to the ruling class continuously disempowered socially, economically and politically.. Criminologists usually assert that political power is used to reinforce economic inequality by embedding individual property rights and the resulting poverty is one of the cases of crime as a means of survival. Marxists on the other hand argue that a socialist society with communal ownership of the means of production would have much less crime (Mark Et al. 1983). In the London 2011 riots, among the many causes of rioting were the moral decay of the leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of citizens. MPs’ expenses scandal, bankers’ bonuses and phone hacking scandals are some of the ways the “ruling class” has embezzled the society. This in turn led to poverty levels increasing hence rioting enabled criminal activities to function. Routine activity theory Routine activity theory is a controversial one among criminologists because it states that crime is unaffected by social causes like poverty, inequality and unemployment (Alice Hutchings Et al. 2009). For instance, after World War II, economy of Western countries was booming and the welfare states were expanding. Yet there was a significant increase in crime in Western countries during this period. According to Felson and Cohen, the reason for the increase in crime is because a prosperous community provides opportunity for crime to occur. England is a first world country with many resources and a lesser population compared to third world countries. Illiteracy levels are so low that one may wonder what the cause of the London riots was. Amongst the possible reasons for the cause of the rioting was sheer fun; rioting for fun, not because you are in need of something but because of the thrill and fun in the activity. Reference Alice Hutchings and Hennessey Hayes, (2009). Routine Activity Theory and Phishing Victimisation: Who Gets Caught in the ‘Net’? CARL B. KLOCKARS (2006) THE CONTEMPORARY CRISES OF MARXIST CRIMINOLOGY. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Katherine Bennett, Taylor Brickley (2014). Labeling and Symbolic Interaction Theories of Crime. The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Mark Colvin, John Pauly (1983) A critique of Criminology: Toward an Integrated Structural-Marxist Theory of Delinquency Production. University of Chicago. Berd Marcus (2004). Theoretical Criminology. Self-Control in the General Theory of Crime: Theoretical implications of a Measurement Problem. Sage Publications. Hirschi T. (1969) Key Idea: Hirschi Social Bond/ Social Control. Causes of delinquency. Berkely. University of Carlifornia Press. Robert S Agnew (2008). Strain Theories. Encyclopedia of social problems. Emory University. Sage Publications. Gareth Morell Et al. (2011). The August Riots in England. Understanding involvement of young people. National Centre for Social Research. Wikipedia (2011) England Riots. [Online] Available from:en.wikipedia.org/wik /2011_England_riot Wikipedia (2015) Criminology. [Online] Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminology Wikipedia (2015) Routine activity theory. [online] available from: En.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routine_activity_theory Read More