Objectives for this chapter:

 Know and understand the difference between crime and deviance

 Identify the different groups that are likely to commit crimes
 Be able to explain the different theories on the causes of crime
 Know what official statistics are and examine the advantages and
disadvantages of these

Definitions:

Crime: behaviour – when you break the law, this behaviour can be both criminal and deviant e.g. murder.

Deviance: behaviour is when we carry out acts that go against the norms of society which we have been
socialised to accept. I.e. burping at dinner table.

Does deviance vary between cultures?

Keywords, Definitions, Examples!

 Sociologist argue that what is considered to be deviant can be affected by culture, time, place and who the
act is committed by

 What is considered to be deviant in one society and in one culture may not be the same in other cultures
 In USA it is acceptable for the police and members of the public to carry guns

 What is considered to be deviant can also change over time

 Since the Second World War attitudes towards abortion, divorce and birth of children outside of wedlock has
become more accepted.
. Top tip: Learn the key words and
their definitions, the example
shave also been provided, this will
Which of the key words do I need to know? be all you need to know the 4
markers just as long as you relate
the final sentence back to the

Concept Definition Example

Social order Means that the population is under control i.e. everyone is following the laws
and are behaving in a way that benefits
everyone.
This is where people are punished if they i.e. the police
Social Control do something wrong. This stops them
doing it.

Formal social control This is formal meaning written i.e. police, courts etc
down/organized rules and laws which
clearly state what is acceptable and what
is not acceptable behavior in society

Informal social control Informal meaning it is not organized by I.e. families, peers, teachers tell you
anyone, it just happens. how to behave and be respectful.

Agencies of social These are the different groups of people i.e. our Peers, Family, Law
control that control our behaviour in different ways

Self report study An individual who reports the crime they

have committed by using a confidential
tick survey.

Victim Survey An individual who has been a victim of .

crime will report the crime by using a
confidential tick survey.

British Crime Survey Is one way in which the government in

Britain collects information on crimes by
carrying out a victim survey

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 Socailly constructed Views of what is criminal and what is
deviant are influenced by the norms and
values of a society
Keywords, Definitions, Examples!
i.e. in some countries burping after a
meal is good manners, however in
others it is not. In some countries
carrying a weapon is legal whereas in

others it is not.
Who is more likely to commit crimes and why?

Official statistics This is when the home office collects

information from the public and then
publishes percentages and figures fro
different crimes based on what they have
found.
The dark figure of Is unrecorded or unreported crime i.e. domestic violence
crime/ Hidden figure
Detection When Crimes are detected by people i.e. When £1 goes missing form your
purse may not even realise that
someone has taken it.
Reporting When Crime is reported by people i.e. mugging, burglary

Recording When crimes are recorded by the police i.e. mugging, burglary

Policing How the police carry out their role as
police
White-collar crime Is business crime, usually carried out by
office employees.
Blue-collar crime Consists of more violent crime This type of
crime is often seen as working class.
Relative Deprivation Certain people are deprived of goods
other people may have and consequently
commit crimes.
Marginalisation People who are excluded in society or feel
excluded are more likely to commit crimes
as this leads to frustration which may be
expressed in the form of committing a
crime.
Deviancy Amplification When something is exaggerated and
made into a big deal when it really isn’t
Moral panic When people panic about something
because it has been amplified
Surveillance Is the monitoring of the behaviour of
people and objects within society
CCTV closed –circuit A television system often used for
television surveillance
I.e. stop and search etc
This includes fraud, bribery and
computer crime, covering up, using
government money illegally, using CIA
and FBI in-appropriately etc (middle
class crime)
I.e. mugging, as well as shoplifting and
car theft.
i.e. TV, Radio etc
I.e. youths, men, women
i.e. hoodies
i.e. all youths who wear a hoodies are
criminals
i.e. CCTV
i.e. in schools, shopping centres

What you need to know for the exam:

You need to know all of these keywords off by heart

Be able to explain then and provide examples of them
They may come in use when you are answering questions on
other topics as well.

Who is most likely to commit crimes and why?

39
 Statistics suggest that young people are more likely to commit crimes than
older people.
 In 1995 nearly 40% of offenders found guilty of committing a serious
offense were aged between 14-20

Why?

 Sociologists suggest this may be because of peer pressure

 Young people want to overcome boredom and may seek excitement
which leads them to trouble with the police
 Young people may come from difficult home background
 Some argue that there has been a break down of social control over young
people at home and in schools.

 Statistics suggest that males are more likely to commit crimes than
females
 In 1995 crime rates for males were 4 time higher than the female
population.
 Females are more likely to commit crimes such as theft and handling of
stolen goods.
 Although less females commit crimes that males this has been on the
increase.

Why?

 Women are less likely to involve themselves in crimes

 Socialisation may play a part – girls have been socialised to be passive
whereas boys more active
 Females may have more closer supervision by parents
 Females may also have more domestic responsibilities in the home
 Policing may take a more lenient approach to girls who commit crime see
them as ‘sad’ rather than ‘bad’ and in need of help rather than punishment.

However…

 In recent years there has been an increase in crime amongst girls

 One reason for this is the media – which portrays strong assertive females
who can do anything males can do.
 The changing position of women in society means that females are less
tied to domestic chores and they have similar legal and illegal at
opportunities to men.

 Statistic show that black men are over represented in prisons in the UK.
 Statistics also show that ethnic minorities are also more likely to be victims
of burglary and assault.

Why?
 Higher proportion of ethnic minorities experience unemployment, poverty
and deprivation which can lead to crime.
 Policing may also be biased – harsher sentences on ethnic minorities

40
Who is more likely to commit crimes and why?  Statistics suggest that working class people are over represented in prison.

Why?
 Higher proportion of working class experience unemployment, poverty and
deprivation which can lead to crime.
 They may find it more difficult to find opportunities for success through
legal channels hence turn to crime.
 May feel marginalised from society and form their own deviant subculture
which will give them more status.
 Policing may also be biased – harsher sentences on working class

 Statistics suggest that inner city arrears have a higher rate of crimes than
rural or suburban arrears...

Why?

 Inner city areas may be linked with higher unemployment, poverty and
derivation
 More opportunities to commit crimes and temptations i.e. more shops or
cars.
 Less likely to be detected in inner city than rural due to large population
 Policing may be harsher in inner city areas than rural.

What you need to know for the exam:

You need to know which groups of people in society are likely

to commit crime and the reasons why.
Questions on this area may come up as 3 markers in your
final exam.

What are the causes of Crime and Deviance?

Biological theory: - All criminals are born with DNA’s which determine that they will become criminals.

 Lombroso introduced a theory in which he claimed that people are born criminals. They can be identified by
their physical features E.g. Large jaws, Joint eyebrows, Stocky, Extra thumbs/fingers, Extra nipple, Big ears,
High Cheek bones

Criticisms:

 Assumes people are criminal by the way they look, however this is not the case for everyone
 It is an unfair and unreliable system which criminalises people
 People cannot help the way they look.

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How do sociologists’ explain criminal and deviant behaviour?
Psychological theory: - All criminal behaviour is a result of personality type and traumatic childhood experiences

 Bowlby suggests that early traumatic experiences during childhood may result in these children becoming
criminals during later life.
 Eysenck suggests that we are all born with two types of personality traits.
 Introvert- personality is quite and reserved, they are able to keep their feelings under control and very rarely
loose their temper.
 Extroverts- personality are fun and loving and outward going, but they tend to be aggressive and loose their
 tempers quickly. They cannot keep their feelings under control and are not very reliable people.
 Eysenck states that people with extrovert personalities are more likely to turn to crimes.

Criticisms:

 Not everyone who has early traumatic experience become criminal

 Allows people with an excuse for turning to crime
 Eysenck theory about personality is also unfair and unreliable as it does not apply to all people.

Another explanation for women and crime is the idea that women are likely to commit crimes during their period
menstruation. This is because during this time the stress caused by menstruation can cause women to be
irrational, around 80% of crimes committed by women are during their menstruation.

Sociological arguments:

 There are a number of sociological theories to explain how and why people turn to crime they are al listed
below.

Marxists view: - People turn to crime because they feel excluded and experience deprivation.

 Theorists: Young and Stan Cohen.

 Crimes are committed by people because of the inequality that exists in this capitalist society.
 Suggest that people commit crimes for two main reasons.
 1. Relative Deprivation: certain people are deprived of goods other people may have and consequently
commit crimes.
 2. Marginalisation: People who are excluded in society or feel excluded are more likely to commit crimes as
this leads to frustration which may be expressed in the form of committing a crime.

Criticisms:

 Takes the blame away from individuals

Labelling theory: - Introduced by Becks- the idea that people turn to crime because they get labelled as deviant.

Certain groups of people are viewed These people may consequently conform
as ‘deviant’ or ‘criminal’ by society. to these views or labels.

This means that if a person is viewed to be a thief for

instance the individual may begin to believe it themselves and
so conform to this. This is known as the self fulfilling
prophecy.
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 Top tip: As well as the arguments that have been
provided for you in the last two pages you can
bring in other sociological arguments such as
parental background, class, ethnicity, primary
Criticisms: socialisation, peer pressure all of which can also
How do sociologists’ explain criminal and deviant behaviour?

lead to crime.
 People can reject the label and prove labels wrong

Sub cultural view: Introduced by Albert Cohen – the idea that the reason why people turn to crime is because of
the influence of the people around them.

Peer groups and subcultures may have

norms and values that encourage and
approve of delinquent or criminal
behaviour
Criticisms:

 Ignores why people

may form these
subcultures in the first
These may take over the norms and
place
values learnt in primary socialisation

For example, teenager may become

involved in a gang that has well
developed set of norms and values
that are clearly different from
the norms and values of society How do we
which creates a subculture attempt to
control anti-
social behaviour?

Through Social control;

 Formal control – behaviour is controlled through laws and police

 Informal control – behaviour which is controlled through other agencies of socialisation such as friends,
parents, colleagues, media etc
 CCTV and Surveillance are being used more and more to monitor anti social behaviour

Judiciary
 Police act as gatekeepers who decide which acts that have been committed are crime and which acts are not
crimes.
 Courts then decide whether the person accused is guilty Top tip: For this section make sure you
learn at least 2 examples of how behaviour
is being controlled as this may come up as
Punishments: a 5 marker questions

 Prison
 Police caution is an alternative to persecution - to deter people from being involved any further
 Reprimand – formal verbal warning given by police officer to a young person who admits they are guilty of a
minor first offence
 Community service – service that a person performs for the benefit of the community instead of prison
 Probation – is suspension on a jail sentence. A person may have committed a crime but they are given
probation where they can live in the community and follow certain conditions set by the court under
supervision of probation officer.
 ASBO or anti social behaviour order – court orders which are issued by court for anti social behaviour.
ASBO can ban person from continuing the behaviour, spending time with Particular group of friends, are
usually issued for minimum of 2 years

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 What you need to know for the exam:

You need to know all the theories that explain why

people may commit crime
You need to be able to criticise those ideas
Know ways in which criminal behaviour is being
controlled
Remember you can bring extra knowledge on this from
other topics you have studied.

How is crime reported?

 Statistics are usually collected through the census which is carried out every 10 years
 Further statistics are also carried out by the Home office who publish the crime statistics
 In order to get a true picture of how many crimes are committed sociologists try and find out more
information through the following methods:

1. Self report study: An individual who reports the crime they have committed by using a confidential tick
survey.
How is crime reported?

2. Victim Survey: An individual who has been a victim of crime will report the crime by using a confidential
tick survey.

3. Observation: is watching and listening to the group under study and recording what is observed. (add this
definition to your key word chart).

What are the problems with official statistics?

 Some sociologist have argues that statistics do not represent an accurate reflection of the numbers of
crimes that are committed
 They suggest that there is a dark figure of crime this is because of the following:

What are the problems Examples

with these?
How is crime reported?

Detection
Crimes not always
detected; people not
always aware that a crime
is crime.
When someone takes 5p from your
purse you may notice that it’s been
stolen.

Reporting
Crime is not always Certain crimes such as a racist
reported. comment are not reported.

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 Recording
Not all recorded; police For example dispute with your
may consider crime trivial/ neighbour.
time pressure/ complaint
may withdraw complaint.

Policing
Police may vary from area
to area and at different
times.
At certain points the focus may be on
different types of crimes and so the
police will be harsher on that particular
crime i.e. mugging

Case Studies:

Stephen Lawrence

 Stephen was murdered – stabbed to death whilst waiting for

the Bus
 It was thought to be a racially motivated attack
 No one was convicted of the crime
Case Studies

 Police were accuse d of being racist when dealing with the

murder enquiry of Stephen Lawrence
 You can use this case study when talking about the problems
with statistics and policing.

Watergate Scandal
 The Watergate scandals were a series of American political
Case Studies

scandals during the presidency of Richard Nixon that resulted in him

resigning.
 There was campaign fraud, political sabotage, illegal break-ins,
improper tax audits, illegal wiretapping on a massive scale, and a
secret slush fund
 This crime took two years to build up the case with evidence.
 This is an example of White Collar crime which can be used to show
how difficult it is to capture or detect these types of crime when
compared to white collar crimes.

Jamie Bulger
 Media impacts on criminal behaviour
 Also an example of how family background can affect or lead to crime
 The killers of Jamie Bulger watched a film certificated 18 and then went out and
carried out the actions on Jamie
 Suggests that the media is a negative influence on children

45
 Harold Shipman
 Harold Shipman killed his elderly patients by giving them high doses of their
medication.
 He believed that he was helping them and stopping them form suffering
 Psychologists suggest that Shipman was psychologically unstable

Kiranjeet Agarwalia

 Kiranjeet Agarwalia is a real life case study – she set light to her husband after
years of being abused by him
 She never reported the abuse to the police due to fear and shame
 This links to dark figure of crime and how not all crimes are reported

Baby P
 Baby P dies from injuries he suffered at the hands of his mother and her
boyfriend
 Social services although were involved never detected that he was being
abused
 This links to the idea of crimes not always being detected – hence links back to
the dark figure of crime.

What you need to know for the exam:

You need to be aware of how sociologists try to find our

true figures of crimes.
Need to be able to identity the different problems with the
official statistics.
Refer to case studies where relevant.

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