Topic 6 of 7 · Form 4
Crime, deviance and social control
Crime breaks laws; deviance breaks norms; both vary across time and place (social construction).
Notes for this topic 1 file, in order
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Definitions
Crime breaks laws; deviance breaks norms; both vary across time and place (social construction).
Explanations
Biological and psychological explanations (and criticisms); sociological theories – Durkheim (functions of crime), Merton (strain), subcultural theories, labelling theory (Becker), Marxist views, feminist views, and realist theories.
Patterns
Crime by age, gender, class, ethnicity and location; problems with official crime statistics (unreported and unrecorded crime – the dark figure); victim and self-report surveys.
Agencies of social control
Police, courts, prisons and community sentences; informal control by families, communities and religion; aims of punishment (deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, protection).
The media and crime
Moral panics and folk devils; deviancy amplification.
Check yourself
- What is a moral panic?
- Give two reasons why crimes go unreported.
- According to labelling theory, how can a label lead to more deviance?
Show answers
- An exaggerated social reaction, often fuelled by the media, to a group seen as a threat.
- Any two: too trivial, fear of reprisal, lack of trust in police, victim unaware, embarrassment.
- A labelled person may accept a deviant identity and commit further deviance (secondary deviance).
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