4.3.5

Age & Crime

Test yourself on Age & Crime

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Age and Crime

According to statistics there is a link between age and crime.

17 and below

17 and below

  • Younger people tend to commit more crime especially if they live in urban areas where more opportunities arise for crime.
  • The peak age of crime is 17, when young people tend to be:
    • Most motivated by material factors (such as obtaining the latest gadgets.)
    • Easily influenced by their peers.
25 and over

25 and over

  • After the age of 25 people tend to start working, having families and this could be why there is a steep decline in crime.

Youth and Crime

Young people engage in more risk taking behaviour (Lyng), are stereotyped by police and can be affected by poor socialisation.

'Edgework' (risk taking behaviour):

'Edgework' (risk taking behaviour):

  • Lyng argues that young people are looking for excitement.
  • They engage in deviant acts because it provides a thrill.
  • This ‘buzz’ is caused by the rise in their adrenaline levels.
  • By having peer support they feel invincible and they feel that they don’t care whether they get caught.
Stereotypes (police and media):

Stereotypes (police and media):

  • Police have stereotypes about who can be criminal and who can’t.
  • One group that fits their profiling is young people.
  • This is why they are highly represented in the statistics as they are being targeted by the police and they are being constantly checked.
Socialisation:

Socialisation:

  • Some people are not properly socialised through primary and secondary socialisation which has an effect on their behaviour.
  • Some others might have the wrong role models.
Socialisation cont.

Socialisation cont.

  • Some children are socialised into believing in the following:
    • Considering aggression as an important part of masculinity and being a man.
    • Fatalism-nothing can be done to change how things are.
    • Fighting and arguing are seen as normal.

Treatment of Young Offenders

There is a debate on whether young offenders should be sentenced or educated. Cohen's work on delinquent subcultures can be referenced.

Punishment over education

Punishment over education

  • Arguments for sentencing youths:
    • They need to be punished in order to learn that deviant acts come with a price.
    • Punishment will help them learn the norms and values of society which will prepare them for reintegration.
    • They have broken the written rules, so they should be sanctioned.
    • Any danger to society should be dealt with.
Education over punishment

Education over punishment

  • There are other people who believe that education and not sentencing is the best solution for young offenders because:
    • Young people tend to re-offend.
    • It is a big expense for the government that has to provide the facilities for them.
    • Education helps them reintegrate into society, as they have the necessary skills to go back to work.
Education over punishment cont.

Education over punishment cont.

  • If young offenders are vulnerable, chances are that a punishment won’t help them get back on their feet, on the contrary, it might make them suffer emotional distress.
  • Research has estimated the percentage of young offenders that have difficulties with communication to be at least 60%.
  • The vast majority of young offenders suffer from emotional and mental health problems.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

1.1

Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?1.1.2Culture & Socialisation
1.2

Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism1.2.2Marxism 21.2.3Functionalism1.2.4Feminism
1.3

The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach
2

Families

2.1

Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family2.1.2Marxist Views on Family2.1.3Feminist Views on Family
2.2

Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?2.2.2Nuclear Family2.2.3Families in a Global Context2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms
2.3

Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles
2.4

Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline2.4.2Domestic Abuse2.4.3Symmetrical Family
2.5

Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families2.5.2Marxist Views of Families2.5.3Feminist Views of Families2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families
2.6

Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate2.6.2Consequences of Divorce2.6.3Functionalist Views2.6.4Marxist Views2.6.5Feminist Views2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce
3

Education

3.1

Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives3.1.3Types of School3.1.4Alternative Education3.1.5State & Private Schools
3.2

Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes3.2.2External Processes
3.3

Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success3.3.2Social Class & Education3.3.3Social Class & External Factors3.3.4Gender & Education3.3.5Ethnicity & Education3.3.6Parental Choice3.3.7History of UK Education Policy3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education
4

Crime & Deviance

4.1

The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime
4.2

Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control4.2.2Formal Social Control4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime
4.3

Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime4.3.2Social Class & Crime4.3.3Gender & Crime4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime4.3.5Age & Crime4.3.6Criminal Responsibility4.3.7The Prison System4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime
4.4

Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5

Social Stratification

5.1

Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?5.1.2Functionalism5.1.3Socio-Economic Class5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 25.1.5Life Chances5.1.6The Affluent Worker5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion
5.2

Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty5.2.3Explanations of Poverty5.2.4Impact of Globalisation5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue
5.3

Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber5.3.2Sociological Perspectives5.3.3Power Relationships5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority
6

Sociological Research Methods

6.1

Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Practice questions on Age & Crime

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What age is the peak age of crime?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Reasons 17 is the peak age of crime:Fill in the list
  3. 3
    Reasons crime declines after the age of 25:Fill in the list
  4. 4
    Facts about age and crime:True / false
  5. 5
    Young people and crime:Fill in the list
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Ethnicity & Crime

Criminal Responsibility