Crime, deviance and their explanations

Last time

Before we start: last time, in How crime is dealt with in different societies, you learned these points. Here they are again on one card. Keep them in mind, because today builds on them.

Breaking the rules

Stealing is a crime. Talking loudly in a library is not a crime, but it breaks a norm. Sociologists study both: crime, and wider deviance. This lesson covers definitions, types of crime, patterns, and the theories that explain them.

Crime and deviance

Crime is behaviour that breaks the law, and can be punished by the courts. Deviance is behaviour that breaks the norms of a group or society. Not all deviance is crime. Deviance is relative: what is deviant depends on time, place and culture.

Types of crime

White-collar crime is committed by people in respected jobs, such as fraud. Corporate crime is committed by companies. Green crime harms the environment: illegal dumping of waste, illegal logging, and wildlife trafficking. Cybercrime uses the internet: hacking, online fraud and identity theft.

Patterns of crime

Official statistics suggest crime is committed most by young people, by males, and by the working class. But statistics may be biased: police may target some groups more, and white-collar crime is rarely recorded. The dark figure of crime is the crime never reported or recorded.

Merton's strain theory

Robert Merton argued society sets goals, such as wealth, but not everyone has legitimate means to reach them. This strain can lead some to innovate: reach the goal by illegal means, such as theft. It explains crime for money, but less so violence or vandalism.

Subcultural and Marxist explanations

Albert Cohen argued working-class boys who fail at school feel status frustration, and form subcultures that give status through deviance. Marxists argue laws reflect ruling-class interests, and the crimes of the powerful are under-punished. Feminists note women commit less crime, partly because they are more controlled.

Labelling theory

Howard Becker argued an act is only deviant when people label it so. Police and courts may label some groups, such as working-class youth, more readily, so they appear in statistics more. Being labelled can lead to more deviance: a deviant career.

Moral panics

Stanley Cohen studied moral panics: exaggerated public fear about a group seen as a threat, such as youth gangs. Features: sensational media coverage; the group is cast as folk devils; moral entrepreneurs demand action; and authorities crack down. The attention can create more deviance: deviancy amplification.

Explanations at a glance

The main explanations for crime, with a thinker each.

Mistakes that lose marks

Mistake one: saying all deviance is crime. Mistake two: taking official statistics as a full picture, forgetting the dark figure. Mistake three: describing a moral panic without its features. The fix: definitions, the limits of statistics, and named theories.

The full-marks tip

The full-marks tip: define crime and deviance separately, with an example of each. For each explanation, give the thinker and the key idea.

On one card

So, on one card: crime and deviance. Keep it for revision.