Crime control, surveillance, punishment, victims and the criminal justice system

Welcome to Crime Control and Justice!

Hello! In this chapter, we are looking at the "sharp end" of sociology. Once a crime has happened (or to stop it from happening), how does society react? We will explore how we try to prevent crime, how we watch each other (surveillance), why we punish people, and who the "victims" actually are. This is a vital part of Paper 3: Crime and Deviance.

Don't worry if some of the theories feel a bit abstract at first. We’ll break them down using everyday examples to make sure you're ready for any exam question!

1. Crime Prevention and Control

Sociologists look at different ways the government and police try to stop crime before it starts. There are three main approaches you need to know:

A. Situational Crime Prevention (SCP)

This approach is all about making the crime harder to commit. It doesn't care why the person wants to commit a crime; it just wants to stop them in the moment. It is linked to Right Realist views and "Rational Choice Theory" (the idea that criminals weigh up the risks and rewards).

• Target Hardening: Making things harder to steal or break into (e.g., window locks, CCTV, or anti-climb paint).
• Increasing the Risk: Making it more likely the criminal will get caught.
• Example: Putting a steering wheel lock on a car. The thief might still want to steal a car, but they won't steal this one because it's too much effort.

B. Environmental Crime Prevention

This is based on the "Broken Windows" idea. If a neighborhood looks messy (broken windows, graffiti, litter), it sends a signal that no one cares. This invites more serious crime.
The solution? Zero Tolerance Policing. This means police crack down on even the smallest "anti-social" behaviors to prevent bigger crimes from starting.

C. Social and Community Crime Prevention

This is the Left Realist approach. Instead of just fixing windows or locks, this looks at the root causes of crime, like poverty, unemployment, and poor housing. If you improve people's lives and give them opportunities, they are less likely to turn to crime.

Quick Takeaway: SCP fixes the situation; Environmental fixes the neighborhood; Social fixes the person's life.

2. Surveillance: The Watchful Eye

Surveillance is how we monitor people to control their behavior. In modern society, we are watched more than ever before.

The Panopticon

Imagine a prison where there is a central tower and all the cells are arranged in a circle around it. The prisoners can't see into the tower, so they never know if they are being watched. Because they might be watched, they behave well all the time.
Sociologists argue that modern society is like a "Panopticon." Because of CCTV and data monitoring, we start to self-discipline—we follow the rules because we feel the "watchful eye" on us.

Synoptic Surveillance

In the past, it was usually "the few watching the many" (the government watching us). Today, we have Synoptic Surveillance, where "the many watch the few." Think of people filming police officers on their smartphones or celebrities being tracked by the public on social media. Everyone is watching everyone!

Did you know? Some sociologists believe surveillance has become so common that we are now in a "surveillance assembly," where our data from different places (credit cards, GPS, internet history) is joined together to create a digital picture of who we are.

3. Punishment: Why do we do it?

When someone breaks the law, the Criminal Justice System (CJS) punishes them. But what is the point of punishment? There are two main justifications:

• Reduction: Preventing future crime. This can be through deterrence (scaring them off), rehabilitation (teaching them new skills), or incapacitation (taking away their ability to commit crime, e.g., prison).
• Retribution: This is about "revenge." The idea that the criminal deserves to suffer because they caused suffering. It's about paying back a debt to society.

Sociological Perspectives on Punishment

Functionalism: Punishment is good because it reinforces social solidarity. It reminds everyone else what the rules are and brings law-abiding citizens together in their shared outrage.

Marxism: Punishment is a way for the ruling class to stay in power. Prisons are used to "sweep up" the unemployed and the poor who might otherwise threaten the capitalist system. Marxists also notice that punishment often reflects the economy—in the past, we used physical pain; now we use "time" (prison) because in capitalism, "time is money."

Quick Review: Is prison effective? Many sociologists point out high recidivism rates (people re-offending after release), suggesting that while prison incapacitates, it may not rehabilitate very well.

4. Victims of Crime

Who is a "victim"? It seems simple, but sociologists argue that "victim" is a social construct. Some people who are harmed are not officially recognized as victims.

A. Positivist Victimology

This looks for patterns in who becomes a victim. It often focuses on victim proneness—the idea that some people are more likely to be victims because of their lifestyle or characteristics (e.g., being young, out late at night, or leaving doors unlocked).

B. Critical Victimology

This is linked to Conflict theories (Marxism and Feminism). It argues that the state has the power to decide who is a "victim."
Example: If a worker is injured at work because a big company ignored safety laws, the state might call it an "accident" rather than a crime. The worker is denied the "label" of victim. Critical victimology focuses on structural factors (like poverty or patriarchy) that make powerless groups more likely to be harmed and less likely to get justice.

Patterns of Victimisation

• Class: The poorest groups are most likely to be victims of street crime.
• Ethnicity: Minority ethnic groups are at higher risk of being victims of both personal and racially motivated crime.
• Gender: Men are more likely to be victims of violence by strangers; women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

5. The Criminal Justice System (CJS)

The CJS includes the police, the courts, and the prison service. Its role is to maintain social order. However, different perspectives see the CJS differently:

• Interpretivists argue that the CJS is made up of individuals who use their own labels. Police might focus on certain "types" of people (young, working-class males) because of their own stereotypes.
• Feminists argue the CJS is patriarchal. For example, in rape cases, the female victim is often treated as if she is on trial, while the system fails to protect women from domestic harm.
• Marxists argue the CJS focuses on "street crime" while ignoring "suite crime" (corporate crime committed by the wealthy).

Summary Checklist

Before you move on, make sure you can explain:

1. The difference between situational and social crime prevention.
2. How the "Panopticon" explains surveillance.
3. Why Marxists think the prison system benefits the ruling class.
4. Why a "victim" might not always be labeled as one by the state.

Top Tip for the Exam: If you get a question on Crime Control, always try to compare the Right Realist approach (locks, CCTV, police) with the Left Realist approach (fixing poverty and inequality)!