1. 1. Assess the contribution of postmodernism to sociologists understanding of crime and deviance in today’s society (21 marks)
Some sociologists believe that we now live in a post-modern society that has a distinct set of characteristics in comparison to modern
society. This essay will discuss the changes that have taken place in postmodern society and how this impacts upon our understanding of
Some and deviance.
crime sociologists believe that state crime is the most serious form of crime while other sociologists will disagree and suggest things like
green of the corporate crime and streetsome of the characteristics of postmodern society?
Some crime, What are crime are more serious. This essay will examine these points of view.
State crime can be
characteristics of post- How can state crime be defined? What different form does state crime take with and example for each?
defined as
modern societies are....
Some sociologist suggests Why is state crime the most serious form of crime?
that state crime is serious
One of the key changes in How has this influenced our understanding of the causes of crime?
for the following reasons.
post modern society is the
One problem with state
collapse of the meta What are human rights and why is using this definition problematic
crime is that
narratives. it is hard to
define one change in post
One other way around How has our conception of what crime is has changed?
this is to define itis our
–modern society as
violation of human rights.
understanding of what
Some sociologists have
crime is has had to How to Cohen and Kelman explain the occurrence of state crime?
tried to
change. explain how the
statekey post-modernist
One justifies its crimes What has Foucault say about surveillance and crime and how is it relevant to today’s society?
again this shows how
thinker is Foucault, his
serious itsocial a problem.
work on is as control and
Other sociologists really
surveillance seemshave How has globalisation contributed to our understanding of crime?
suggested to our the key
important one of
features of post-modern
understanding of post-
society is globalisation.
modernism and crime.
Other sociologists have How has globalisation contributed to our understanding of crime?
Other sociologiststhe key
suggested one of reject What is green crime? What are examples of primary and secondary green crimes?
the view of post-modernis
features that stat crime
the most globalisation.
society is serious form of Why is green crime important to study? (strengths)
crime and would suggest
that modern theories of
Post green crime is more What are the strengths of postmodernist theories?
serious. useful because
crime are
Some sociologists reject How has green crime been criticised?
the views of green
However, other What are the weaknesses of post modernist theories?
criminologists.
sociologists have
Some sociologists suggest
suggested postmodern Describe an example of corporate crime.
that corporate and white
theories of crime are
collar crimes are even
limited because. Why is it important to study corporate crime?
more sociologists believe
Many serious that state Describe one modernist theory of crime (e.g. Marxism) and explain what type of crime it is still useful in
crime.
that society has not How has the study of white collar crime and corporate crime been criticised?
explaining today.
entered a post-modern
Conclusion
stage. Therefore, many
modernist theories of
crime and deviance may
be useful in understanding
crime and deviance.
Conclusion
2. ‘State crime is the most serious form of crime.’ Using sociological arguments and evidence assess the above statement. 21
marks
3. Assess sociological perspectives on crime reduction strategies. (21 marks)
Different sociologists take very different approaches in their understanding of crime reduction and its effectiveness this essay will essay a
range of points of view on this.
Right realists have suggest that crime is caused by the underclass, What is meant by situational crime prevention?
those on long term benefits, single parent families and welfare
dependency. They believe that crime is caused by rational choice,
What is meant by surveillance?
where offenders weigh up the costs vs benefits of offending their
views on crime prevention involve making the costs higher and
tougher punishments. What is zero tolerance policing?
One criticism of these approaches is they have simply displaced Explain what is meant by displacement theory?
crime. Another issue is zero tolerance policing may not be

2. effective.
Why might clear up rates of ZTP be misleading?
How have right realists been criticised for their views?
Left realists would disagree with right realist approaches to crime Explain the left realist approach to reducing crime.
reduction as they do not really deal with the root cause of crime
which is poverty. They think in impoverished areas communities
have broken down, people cannot gain employment due to
deprivation this leads to criminal subcultures. In these areas the
relationship between the police and community has broken down.
How have left realist approaches been criticised?
Left realism has been influential on New Labour Governments What is social exclusion and how did it influence social policy?
approach to crime prevention.
What crime prevention measures did new labour take?
Some sociologists have suggested that New Labours approach has What are the strengths and weakness of New labours polices?
been effective but others disagree.
One other major form of crime prevention is punishment, such as What trends have occurred in relation to prisons in recent years?
prison the effectiveness of punishment is largely dependent on
how you view its aims.
What does Foucault say about prisons?
What do Marxists and Functionalists say about punishment?
Conclusion
4. Assess sociological research and explanations of the relationship between mass media and crime and deviance. (21 marks)
This essay intends to discuss a range of issue that relate to the influence of mass media on crime and deviance. It will consider the
relationship between news, fiction and moral panics on crime and deviance and also consider whether the mass media can have a direct
effect on criminal and deviant behaviour.
One of the key ways crime and deviance is represented in the How is crime represented in fiction and how does this distort our
media is fiction. Sociologists have suggested that the crime in images of crime?
fiction gives society an unrealistic view of crime.

3. How has reality TV distorted our understanding of crime and
deviance?
Another key way that our understanding of crime is distorted is due How is crime distorted in the news?
to its reporting in the news, due to news values and agenda setting.
Another way in which news reporting distorts our understanding of Explain examples and process of moral panics and media
crime is through the concept of moral panics. amplification according to Cohen and Hall.
However, some sociologists have criticised the concept of moral How has the process of moral panics been criticised?
panics.
In contrast to the above some sociologists suggested that the Explain in what ways the media can have a direct effect upon
media has a direct impact upon our behaviour. One example of behaviour
this is the idea of the hypodermic model.
However, some sociologists have suggested that there is mixed Explain one piece of evidence that supports the idea media effects
evidence on direct media effects. behaviour.
What criticism can we make of the idea that media directly effects
behaviour?
Conclusion
5. Assess sociological explanations and research on the relationship between patterns of offending and ethnicity. (21 marks)
Official statistics indicate there are What are some of the differences in patterns of offending in different ethnic minority groups in
differences in the offending rates of the UK?
different ethnic groups in the UK.
This essay will explore these
differences and sociological
explanations of these differences

4. One explanation of the differences in How did Gilroy explain differences in patterns of offending?
patterns of offending is the work of
Gilroy.
What evaluation can we make of Gilroy’s work?
In contrast to Gilroy, Hall suggests How did Hall explain differences in patterns of offending?
that may be an alternative
relationship between offending and
ethnicity.
What evaluation can we make of Hall’s work?
In more recent times Left Realists How do left realists explain differences in patterns of offending?
have suggested that rather that ethic
differences being a moral panic they
take issue of ethnicity and offending
as a real problem that needs real
solutions. What evaluation can we make of left realist work?
In contrast to all of the above, may What evidence is there that the criminal justice system is racist?
sociologists suggest that ethnic
minorities are not more criminal than
the white majority. These patterns
are simply the result of a racist
criminal justice system.
Conclusion
6. Assess sociological explanations and research on the relationship between patterns of offending and gender. (21 marks)
Official statistics indicate there What are some of the differences in patterns of offending between men and women ?
are differences in the offending
rates of men and women. This
essay will explore these
differences and sociological
explanations of these differences

5. One explanation of why women How does Heidenson explain differences in patterns of offending?
offend less is Heidenson?
What evaluation can we make of her work?
Carlen is a feminist writer that How did Carlen explain differences in patterns of offending?
agreed with Carlen in many
ways, however, she took a
slightly different view of the
reasons why women offend less.
She did this by examining female
offenders.
What evaluation can we make of her work?
In contrast to the above Adler How does Adler suggest that women’s offending rates have changed?
suggests that women are
becoming as criminal as men.
She explains this via the
liberation hypothesis.
What evaluation can we make of her work?
In contrast to all of the above What evidence is there that the criminal justice system is biased in favour of women?
Pollack suggested that women
may well be as criminal as men
but the criminal justice system is
biased in their favour. He calls
this idea the chivalry thesis. What evidence is there that it is biased against women
One final point to consider is the idea that men may simply commit more crime than women. For example, Messerschmidt suggests that
men may use criminality to express subordinate forms of masculinity. For example, if a man cannot be a successful breadwinner and
express hegemonic masculinity they may innovate and become a pimp or drug dealer to express their masculinity.
Conclusion
7. Assess sociological explanations and research on the relationship between patterns of offending and victimisation and age. (21
marks)
Official statistics indicate there are What are some of the differences in patterns of offending and victimisation and age?
differences in the offending rates

6. and victimisation and age. This essay
will explore these patterns and
sociological explanations of this.
One explanation of why young How does Cohen’s theory explain delinquency?
people are more criminal is Cohen’s
idea of delinquent subcultures.
What evaluation can we make of Cohen’s work?
Matza is a sociologist who disagrees How does Matza explain delinquency?
with Cohen’s explanation he suggests
that young people are more criminal
but this is not due to subcultures. He
takes a very different approach to
explaining delinquency. What evaluation can we make of his work?
In contrast to the above Left and How would right realists explain delinquency?
Right realists would explain why
young people are more criminal in a
different way.
What evaluation can we make of their work?
How would left realists explain delinquency?
What evaluation can we make of their work?
Conclusion
10. Assess sociological explanations and research on the relationship between patterns of offending and victimisation and
class. (21 marks)

7. Official statistics What are some of the differences in patterns of offending and victimisation and class?
indicate there are
differences in the
offending rates and
victimisation and
class. This essay will
explore these
patterns and
sociological
explanations of this.
One explanation of How do Marxists explain differences in offending rates?
why working class
people are more
criminal is Marxist
explanation.
How does Chambliss study support Marxist explanations?
How can we evaluate Marxist explanations of crime and deviance?
In contrast to the How would right realists explain working class crime?
above Left and Right
realists would explain
why the working
classes are more
criminal in a different What evaluation can we make of their work?
way.
How would left realists explain working class crime?
What evaluation can we make of their work?
Conclusion
11. Assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide. (21 marks)

8. Different sociologists have taken to the study of suicide. Postivists and interpretivists have totally different views about society, sociology
and how to study suicide. This essay will explore these various strengths and weaknesses of these approaches in explaining suicide.
Durkheim was one of Explain Durkheim’s approach to studying suicide and what theory of suicide he came up with.
the first sociologists to
study suicide. He took a
positivist approach to
suicide.
How can we evaluate Durkheim’s research?
Interpretive sociologists How did Douglas criticise Durkheim’s approach how did he suggest that suicide be studied?
disagree with
Durkheim’s approach
and explanation of
suicide.
How can Douglas work be evaluated?
One criticism of Douglas How did Atkinson approach studying suicide and what did his research reveal?
is he did not take his
work far enough
Atkinson took an
interactionist approach
to the study of suicide.
How can his work be evaluated?
In contrast to the How did Taylor approach studying suicide and what did his research reveal?
above, Taylor was a
sociologist who wanted
to move beyond the
positivist and
interpretivist debate on
suicide. He took a
realist approach to
suicide.
Concluison