Crime & Deviance: Introduction

**Topic 1 -- Introduction to Crime & Deviance** ***Key questions: What is the difference between crime and deviance? How is crime and deviance relative? How is crime and deviance socially constructed? Who is the typical crime and victim, according to Official Statistics?*** **A crime** is defined...

**Topic 1 -- Introduction to Crime & Deviance** ***Key questions: What is the difference between crime and deviance? How is crime and deviance relative? How is crime and deviance socially constructed? Who is the typical crime and victim, according to Official Statistics?*** **A crime** is defined as breaking the law and as such may follow criminal proceedings such as police caution, court proceedings and for serious offences; prison. Examples of crimes in the UK are theft, murder and rape. **Deviance** is a much broader term, which is when a person's actions deviate from accepted norms and values. For example, farting in public is considered a deviant act as most people do it discreetly as it's not socially acceptable. These terms can become more complicated as most crimes are deviant, however not all. A crime like murder is both against the law and deviant. However, some acts such as breaking the law to protect the environment and parking on double yellow lines are criminal but not always seen as deviant. We must remember that what is socially acceptable can at times be subjective in nature and so it's natural that we don't all categorise acts the same way. So to clarify, some acts are just criminal, some just deviant and others are both criminal and deviant. Crime and deviance are **relative to time, place and person.** - In terms of **[time]** we can see that what constitutes a criminal act depends on the time / era. For example, homosexuality was illegal until 1967 in the UK. Furthermore, the law on legal highs is changing constantly and so it is possible that one day a person could be smoking 'Spice' legally and the next day illegally because the law has changed. In terms of deviance we may see drinking 3 beers at 9pm is normal for adults, but not at 9am. - In terms of [**place**] we can see that what constitutes a crime is relative to where you are - not all countries have the same acts as criminal. For example, in Britain having sex under the age of 16 is a criminal offence, whereas in Germany and Italy the age of consent is 14, so having sex at the age of 15 is a crime in some places but not in others. In addition, in Saudi Arabia, homosexual or extra-marital sexual relations, including adultery, are illegal and can be subject to severe penalties. It's also illegal to be transgender. In addition, it is also unacceptable for men to wear shorts in public. In the context of place (in the other sense), it is deviant to be naked on the street but not in ones' own bedroom. - In terms of **[person]** what is deemed a crime may depend on **who you are**. For example, drinking alcohol is illegal for under 16's yet adults are allowed to drink as much as they want. The act does not change, yet how it is categorised is relative to the person's age/status. **Interactionists** such as **Cicourel** are interested to see how the status of a person may affect their chances of being labelled as a criminal. For example, he found that working class youth were more likely to get a criminal record than middle class youth as a result of police expectations, regardless of the fact that they were doing the same types of activities. So what constitutes a crime is relative to who you are. In terms of deviance, it is normal to skip/dance along the street if you are a child, but adults doing the same, may be viewed as deviant. All of this demonstrates that crime and deviance is **socially constructed** meaning that is it created and defined by society. A common sense understanding of crime and deviance is that certain acts are wrong and will always be this way. However, we should open our minds beyond the idea to suggest that what is criminal or deviant is the result of a society's definitions and not a property of the act itself. Think of a soldier who has to kill in the line of duty. Most people would call them heroes/heroines rather than murderers, however, some sociologists such as **Interactionist** **Howard Becker** want us to think carefully about if there is really any difference between a solider and a person in prison for murder. If crime is a social construction, as sociologists believe that it is, then we need a fundamental shift away from seeing acts and people as criminal/deviant towards looking at the role of powerful groups like the police, courts and media in defining a person or act as criminal/deviant. **Other important definitions** - **Social order** is defined as the general order or conformity to shared norms and values. We don't always recognise this but look around you and you will see examples of social order; students working in classrooms, people in the street, driver's adhering to the rules of the road and so on. - **Social control** is defined as the process by which people are persuaded to obey rules and conform. Agents of social control such as the police and courts are influential in persuading us to adhere to rules or suffer the consequences of not doing so. You will remember from the socialisation unit, that social control can be informal and formal. - **Informal social control** is carried out by agencies such as the media, family and peers. It is a subtle form of control and includes both positive and negative sanctions. See topic 3 and 4 of unit 1A (Socialisation) - **Formal social control** is carried out by agencies specifically set up to control our behaviour such as the police, courts and the army. See topic 3 and 4 of unit 1A (Socialisation) **Victims of Crime** When analysing the data from the CSEW on the victims of crime it is important to discuss the **variations between** and **variations within** different social groups**.** For example, one variation between male and female victimisation shows that males are more likely to be the victims of homicide whereas females are more likely to be the victims of domestic abuse. However, victimisation trends and patterns can vary when we start to apply social class and age to these gender differences. See below for some examples from the 2019/20 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). **Homicide: Gender & Age** Variations between male and female homicide rates in England and Wales show that males are more likely to be a victim, 64% of murder victims were males and 36% females. However, if we apply age to these findings it shows that female homicide victims were mostly older than males often between 25-34 years old (17%). Male victims were comparatively younger, with higher proportions within the 16-24 age group (22%). Therefore, males are more likely to be a victim of murder but this is more likely to happen between the ages of 16-24 whereas the females murder victims are less frequent and slightly older, 25-34. **Domestic Violence: Gender, Age & Social Class** **The variation between the males and females on domestic violence shows that the proportion of females experiencing domestic abuse was 7.3% which was double that of males at 3.6%. It is therefore clear that females experience domestic violence more than males. However, there are some clear variations within these statistics based on age & social class.** Women aged 20 to 24 years were significantly more likely to be victims of any domestic abuse in the last 12 months than women in any other age group. Females with a household income of less than £10.000 are 50% more likely to victims of domestic violence than women on £20.000 or more household income (22% & 11%). 4% of women with a household income of £50.000 were the victims of domestic violence. These figures show that age and social class are important factors to have a better understanding of domestic violence. **Ethnicity** People of mixed ethnicity are more likely to be the victim of crime. In 2020 the figures for ethnic groups and victimisation were, mixed 20%, Asian 15%, black 14% and white 13%. **Ethnicity and Social Class** In this section we see some interesting trends. Mixed ethnicity is again more likely to be victims in most categories (excluding full time-students and intermediate occupations). For full time students, whites are more likely to be the victims of crime (20%) with Asians less likely (14%). In intermediate occupations Asians and Blacks were most likely (17%). Nevertheless, 23% of mixed ethnicities who occupy a managerial or professional occupation have been the victim of crime. This compares to 18% Asian, 17% black and 14% white. Also, 25% of mixed ethnicities who have never worked or been in long term unemployment have been the victim of crime. This compares with 14% white, 13% Asian and 6% black. All of the figures show clear **variations between** different social groups, i.e. males are more likely to be the victims of murder, females more likely to be the victims of domestic violence, mixed ethnicity are more likely to be the victims of crime in general. However, it is also very important to pinpoint the **variations within** these trends and patterns, i.e. social class can play a role in domestic violence, age can play a role in homicide, social class plays a role in differing ethnic levels of victimisation. However, it is important to note that the CSEW is only one way of measuring crime and this method does have some weaknesses to consider (see next topic). It also important to keep in mind that different sociological perspectives have differing and sometimes contrasting views on crime and victims of crime. For example, Marxists would point out that all proletariats are victims of the crime committed by the bourgeoisie and capitalism whereas feminists would argue that patriarchy victimises all females in ways that can be criminal in todays' society.