Transcript Crime and Deviance

Crime and Deviance
An Introduction
What’s the difference?
• Crime is normally seen as
behaviour that breaks the formal,
written laws of a society
• This behaviour could be classed
as minor crime such as dropping
litter or major crime such as
murder
• Deviance is a broader term; it
refers to any kind of behaviour
that goes against the norms in a
society.
• All crime is deviant but not all
deviance is criminal
• Give some examples
Social Construct: something that is defined by society
and that changes over time and place
• Sociologists would argue that
Crime and Deviance are social
constructs
• What is considered criminal or
deviant behaviour has changed
considerably over the years
• Homosexuality was only
decriminalised in England in 1967
for men over 21
• Suicide was a criminal act in the
UK until 1961
• However both were still
considered deviant.
• Has this changed in Western
society?
Who are the criminals?
• This question depends on the
theoretical viewpoint held by the
Sociologist.
• Earlier theories accept the official
crime statistics compiled by the
courts and police records.
• These demonstrate that most
criminals are young, working class
men.
• In prisons, this would be the
typical inmate.
• There would also be a
disproportionate number of AfroCarribeans
• Why? Family? Education? Peers?
Social facts?
• However, many criminologists see
the statistics as social constructs
rather than social facts.
• The prisons are full of working
class men because they are the
ones targeted and labelled by an
unfair and biased system
• The “real” criminals are just as
likely to be running companies, or
older people, or women.
• This depends on the sociologist’s
theoretical viewpoint.
Summary
• Some sociologists question official statistics on crime
• They believe that they don’t explain the reasons why people
commit crime
• They have developed theories as to why some groups in
society avoid getting caught and going to prison and others
don’t.
• Why can Crime and deviance be explained as a social
construct?
• How are crime statistics compiled? Can you think of any
reasons why they may not give an accurate picture?