Crime & Deviance Topic 1 Flashcards
What is the definition of crime?
A behaviour which breaks laws and is punished by the legal system.
What is the definition of deviance?
A behaviour which goes against the norms values and expectations of social group of society.
What is meant by socially constructed?
Something created by people/social processes/made up
What is meant by situational deviance?
Acts which are only defined as deviant in particular contexts.
What is meant by societal deviance?
Act which are seen by most members of society as deviant, in most situations.
What is the definition of social control?
The method used to persuade/force individuals to conform to the dominant social norms and values of a society or group.
What is meant by social order?
A stable society where people comply with social norms and values.
What is the definition of sanctions?
Rewards and punishments that reinforce social norms.
What is the definition of rules?
Something that governs/controls our behaviour in society to keep us safe/ordered
Which type of sociologist would look for the causes of crime and deviance in the offenders social background, upbringing or social position?
Positivists
Which sociologist might be interested in how and why some acts, but not other acts, come to be defined as crimes in the first place?
Labelling theorists
Marxists
Provide a historical example that proves crime and deviance are socially constructed
In the UK, it was a crime to be homosexual before 1967 because it was illegal
Provide a cultural example, which proves crime and deviance of are constructed
Polygamy is illegal in the UK, but in other countries in Africa and Asia it is legal.
This also applies to child marriage and arranged marriages.
Who made a distinction between situational deviance and societal deviance?
Plummer (1979)
What is a formal sanction?
Is carried out by an official agency
