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Summary Crime and deviance
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This document notes from the whole of crime and deviance, 46 pages. All summarised and both from textbooks as well as lectures from my teacher.
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Crime And Deviance-● Crime- An Illegal Act That Is Punishable By Law
● Deviance- An Act That Goes Against/Doesn’t Conform To The Norms And
Values Of A Particular Society
● Deviance Is Defined Or Created By Social Groups. For This Reason,
Deviance Is Relative: What Counts As Deviant Varies Between Groups And
Cultures Over Time.
● Criminal Acts- Selling Certain Drugs, Downloading Music From Illegal
Websites
● Deviant Acts- Standing Too Close To Someone Who Doesn’t Know
● Criminal And Deviant Acts- Rape, Murder, Going To Party During Lockdown,
Carrying A Knife (Without Good Reason)
● Why Are Some People More Likely To Break The Rules Than Others?
● Why Are Some People More Likely To Be Perceived As Rule Breakers?
● Who Makes And/Or Reinforces The Rules
● How Does Society Treat Offenders Or Perpetrators? Is It Power Related?
● Why Are Some Acts Labelled As Criminal And Others Not? Where Is The Line
Drawn?
Individualist And Collectivist Approach-
● Individualists Focus On Personal Weakness As The Reason Of Crime- If
Someone Chooses To Offend, That It’s Their Responsibility And If Caught,
They Should Suffer The Consequences.
● If Punishments Were Stronger And The Police And Courts Had More Powers
There Would Be Less Crime- Blame More So On Individuals.
● Collectivists Feel That Society Is Unequal And Some People Are At Greater
Risk Of Being Influenced By Criminal Behaviour, Often Through The Action Of
Other E.G.Parents Or Friends- Blame More In Society Than The Individual
● To Tackle Crime, Collectivists Feel That Social Conditions Which Create The
Catalyst For The Crime Needs To Be Addressed. This Could Be Through
Better Housing, Employment Opportunities And A More Equal Society To
Make Crime Less Of An Attraction. If People Are At Work And Content They
Are Less Likely To Break The Law.
● Some Governments See Truth In Both The Individualist And Collectivist
Beliefs And Accept There Are Underlying Causes Of Crime.
Hidden Or Dark Figure Of Crime-
●
White Collar Crimes-
● White-collar Crime Refers To Financially Motivated, Nonviolent Crime
Committed By Businesses And Government Professionals. It Was First
Defined By The Sociologist Edwin Sutherland In 1939 As "A Crime Committed
By A Person Of Respectability And High Social Status In The Course Of Their
Occupation"
Blue Collar Crimes-
, ● Refers To Crime That Is Most Likely Committed By People From A Lower
Social Class E.G. Theft.
Functionalism, Strain And Subcultural Theories-
Functionalism-
● Durkheim’s Functionalist Theory- Socialisation And Social Control Are The
Two Key Mechanism Which Allows Social Solidarity To Occur In Society
The Inevitability Of Crime-
● Crime Establishes Society.
● Crime Is Inevitable And Universal - Durkheim ‘crime Is Normal… An Integral
Part Of All Healthy Societies’
● There Are 2 Reasons Crime Is In All Societies-
1. Not Everyone Is Equally And Effectively Socialised Into The Shared Norms
And Values
2. Different Groups Develop Their Subculture Regard As Normal, Mainstream
Culture May Be Seen As Deviant
● Poor Socialisation Criticism- Drugs And Alcohol Are Arguably Much Bigger
Triggers Of Crime, Also Surely All People Know That Racism And Violence
Are Wrong And No One In Model Society Is Socialised To Think Any
Different.
● Inequality Criticism- Not All Who Come From Unequal Backgrounds, Commit
Crime
● Durkheim Also Discusses That In Modern Societies There Is A Tendency
Towards Anomie (Normalness). The Diversity Of Modern Societies Means
That Collective Conscience Is Weakened, And This Results In Higher Levels
Of Crime And Deviance.
The Positive Function Of Crime-
● Durkheim- Crime Fulfills Two Important Functions- Boundary Maintenance
And Adaptation
● Boundary Maintenance- The Purpose Of Crime Is To Reaffirm Society's
Shared Rules And Reinforces Social Solidarity. This Is Done Through The
Rituals Of The Courtroom Which Dramatises The Wrongdoing And
Stigmatises The Offender. This Reaffirms The Values Of The Law-abiding
Majority And Discourages Others From Law Breaking. For Example Utilitarian
Crimes Like Sex Offenders- However Violent Crimes Are Overall Negative
And Not Taken Into Account As Positive.
● Adaptation- For Individuals That Want Change, There Must Be A Scope For
Them To Challenge And Change Existing Norms And Values Which Is
Deviance. However, In The Long Run, Their Values May Give Rise To A New
Culture And Morality. If Those With News Ideas Are Suppressed, Society Will
Stagnate And Be Unable To Make Necessary Adaptive Changes. For
Example Johnny Depp And Amber Heard- Petitions For Amber Heard To Get
Fired From Role As Well As Depp. Thus For Durkheim, Neither A High Nor
Low Level Of Crime Is Desirable. However, Could Deter Someone From
Breaking Law To Have Social Change.
, ● Social Cohesion- Durkheim Points Out That When Particularly Horrific Crimes
Have Been Committed, The Entire Community Draws Together In Shared
Outrage, Which Strengthens People’s Sense Of Belonging To The
Community. This Was Noticeable In July 2005 London Underground
Bombings And The Murder Of Baby P.
● Acting As A Safety Valve- When Society Expresses Its Discontent Through
Deviance Or Through Violent Protests, It Allows The Pressure To Be
Released And Avoids Further Mass Social Anomie- By Releasing Anger We
Prevent Ourselves From Committing More Crime. However, It Is Subjective
As Arguments Such As Abortion Will Always Have Opposing Sides And Will
Be Hard To Fix.
● Acting As A Warning Device- Key Indicators That Social Scientists Can
Analyse To Spot Underlying Discontent Or Threats To Social Order. For
Example Divorce, Drug Addiction, Truancy Rates (Pupil Absence Rates),
Suicide.
Other Functions Of Crime
● Cohen Identifies Another Function Of Deviance; A Warning That An
Institution Is Not Functioning Properly. Functionalists Such As Erikson Build
On Durkheim’s Point And Argue That If Crime And Deviance Perform Positive
Social Functions, Then Perhaps It Means Society Is Organised To Promote
Deviance
Criticisms-
● Durkheim Doesn’t Explain How Much Deviance Is Needed For Society To
Function Successfully
● It Can Be Argued That Functionalists Explain The Existence Of Crime In
Terms Of Its Supposed Function But This Does Not Mean Society Creates
Crime In Advance to strengthen Solidarity
● Functionalism Looks At What Functions Crime Serves For Society As A
Whole And Ignores How It Effects Different Groups Or Individuals Within
Society. - Is Solidarity Reinforced Within The Victim?
● Crime Doesn’t Always Promote Social Solidarity. It May Have The Opposite
Effect Leading To People Becoming Isolated E.G. Women Staying Indoors
Due To Fear Of Attack.
● Laws Are Viewed As A Reflection Of Collective Values- Are They Really?-
Reflect Views Of Powerful Groups E.G. Maggie Thatcher Banning Teaching
Of Homosexuality.
● Weak Values Causes Crimes Is Too Vague- Too Much Range If Crimes.
Evaluate Durkheim’s Theory Of Crime-
One Reason Durkheim Believed That Crime Is Positive Is For The Function Of
Boundary Maintenance. The Purpose Of Crime Is To Reaffirm Society's Shared
Rules And Reinforces Social Solidarity. This Is Done Through The Rituals Of The
Courtroom Which Dramatises The Wrongdoing And Stigmatises The Offender. This
Reaffirms The Values Of The Law-abiding Majority And Discourages Others From
, Law Breaking. For Example Utilitarian Crimes Like Sex Offenders Being Punished
Shows The People Who Want To Break Norms, Even Though It Is For Their
Happiness, It Is Not For Societies Happiness However Violent Crimes Are Overall
Negative And Not Taken Into Account As Positive.
Hirschi ‘control Theory’
● Developed Durkheim’s Ideas Of Shared Values Into The Idea Of Social Bonds
● According To Hirschi, There Are 4 Types Of Social Bonds.
1. Attachment- Do We Care About Others
2. Commitment- What Would We Lose?
3. Involvement- Do They Have Time For Crime?
4. Belief- Do They Believe In Obeying Rules
● If Shared Bonds Are Not Strong, It Will Lead To Crime And Deviance
● According To Hirschi, The Family Is Crucial In Developing The Strength
/Weakness Of Social Bonds. This Was Reinforced By The Study Conducted
By Farrington And West
● They Carried Out A Longitudinal Study Of Working Class Males Between
1953 To The Late 1980s. 6% Of Their Sample Did 50% Off Crime.
● There Is A Direct Correlation Between Crime And Poor Parenting, With The
Parenting Likely To Be Both Poor And A Single Parent.
The Strain Theory
Functionalist- Robert Merton
● Socially Approved Goals And Means- Socially Approved Goals And
Success
● Success Is Measured In Terms Of Money And Material Possessions.
● Gain These Through Socially Approved Means Of Achieving Success E.G.
Gaining Skills And Qualifications- the American Dream States That Anyone
Can Make It If They Work Hard Enough.
● Anomie- So Much Emphasis Is Placed On Socially Approved Goals Of
Success That Many People Deviate From The Socially Approved Means
● Crime And Deviance Occur To Meet The Socially Approved Goals And Means
● Merton Refers To This As A ‘strain To Anomie’
● Social Structure- Not Everyone Has An Equal Chance To Succeed Due To
Social Structure. Strain To Anomie Most Felt By Lower Of Classes As They
Are Less Likely To Acquire The Skills And Qualifications Needed To Reach
The Top- More Likely To Seek Alternative Routes To Success
● Adaptations- Merton Identifies 5 Possible Adaptations Or Responses To The
Strain Of Anomie. The First Is Conformity - Aiming For Success And Sticking
To The Rules. The Other 4 Are Deviant Adaptations
Adaptation Socially Approved Goals Socially Approved Means
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