Topic Summaries

Social distribution of crime

A-Level > Sociology > AQA > A Level Sociology Topic Summaries > Crime and deviance > Social distribution of crime
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Exam overview
  • Patterns of offending and victimisation vary across social groups.
  • Class: (👤 Gordon, 1976, 👤 Reiman, 1990) working-class crime is more visible due to policing bias, while ruling-class crime is under-reported.
    • Self-report studies suggest all classes offend.
  • Gender: (👤 Pollak, 1950, 👤 Heidensohn, 1985, 👤 Carlen, 1988) Pollak’s chivalry thesis argues women are treated more leniently. Feminists argue patriarchal control limits female offending.
    • Evidence of both leniency and harsher treatment.
  • Ethnicity: 👤 Gilroy (1987) sees black criminality as a political response to racism. 👤 Hall (1978) links moral panics about black muggers to a crisis in capitalism.
    • Crime rates differ significantly between ethnic groups, even controlling for class.
  • Age: (👤 Farrington, 2000, 👤 Hirschi, 1969) crime peaks in teenage years due to weaker social bonds.
    • Overlooks white-collar and older offenders.

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