Crime- behaviour
that breaks the
formal written laws
of society. If
someone commits
a crime they can
be arrested,
charged and
prosecuted.
Actions can be
illegal but no
deviant. examples:
Murder
speeding in your car
drug dealing
Rape
possession of fire arms
benefit fraud
Theft
Deviance-
behaviour which
does not comply
with the
dominant norms
of a specific
society. If
people are seen
as deviant it can
lead to negative
sanctions such
as being told off
or ridiculed. examples:
Spitting in public
swearing in public
Taking drugs
Being naked in public
Fighting in the street
A parent hitting a child
Sociological research
Stanley Cohen's Mods and Rockers-
Originated from
Cohen's interest in
the youth culture
and what was a
perceived as a
potential threat to
society
In each era a group
emerged to fit the 'criteria',
such as teddy boys, mods
and rockers, skinheads and
hells angels.
the groups all become associated with
different types of violence which
provoked public reaction. examples of
this would be, football hooliganism, drug
abuse, vandalism, political
demonstrations.
focusing on Mods and rockers (1960's) and
the treatment that they received in the public
eye. they were seen as a threat to law and
order largely through the way mass media
presented them.
it was a study of societal
reaction towards the "mods
and rockers" which involved
numerous youths at the
seaside resort: Clacton at
Easter, 1964
media used "symbolic shortlands" such as
hair styles, items of clothing, modes of
transport, etc as icons of troublemakers
"Folk devils and moral panics"
moral panic occurs when a
"condition", episode, person or
group of people emerge to
become defined as a threat to
societal values and interests
based on a false or exaggerated idea
that some groups behaviour is deviant
and is a menace to society. Cohen
used the term "folk devils" to refer to
the groups.
functionalist views on crime and deviance
1) conformity- members of society conform to the norms of the rest of society and try to achieve success
through the normal means e.g. working hard at school. 2) Innovation- people who feel that they cannot
possibly achieve through the normal route try new ways of making money, in most cases this is a life of crime.
3)Ritualism- people who feel they cant achieve because they have few job prospects, but also cant turn to
innovation might lower their goals and aspirations. this is considered deviant because they have rejected
society's norms and values by creating their own lower goals. 4) people who cannot possibly earn success
and feel there is no way to do so might retreat from society, or 'drop out'. resign to failure and often turn to
drug or alcohol abuse. 5) people who cannot succeed but do not want to just admit defeat might rebel and try
to create their own society with new goals and means.
Merton (1968) "strain theory"
Durkheim
crime is inevitable and often functional.
sometimes crime can be beneficial for society
like martin Luther kings civil rights movement of
the 1960's
criminal
justice
system
reinforces
integration to
social
laws/rules of
condemning
deviance.
messner and Rosenheld (1994)
if a country promotes civic values such as duty then crime would be lower- can apply to the UK
the crime rate is so high in America because of the high value places on materialism.
Marxists views on crime and deviance
defined by the ruling class and used as a means of
social control. If you don't conform then you will be
punished
Marxists would also argue that
different social classes are policed
differently, with the working class
heavily policed in the expectation
that they will be more criminal and
therefore raising the chances of
their crimes being detected.
marxists believe that certain groups and
people are targeted by the police: ethnic
minorities, those in poverty, the young and
conspicuous and those is certain postcode
areas.