introduction to crime and deviance

Question 1

social control

Answer 1

the various methods used to persuade or force individuals to conform to the dominant social norms and values of a society.

Question 2

deviance

Answer 2

rule breaking behaviour that fails to conform to the norms and expectations of a particular society or social group

Question 3

Formal social control and its methods

Answer 3

groups whose main job is to control society.
-police
-courts
-prisons

Question 4

agents of social control

Answer 4

informal and formal methods of social control
sanctions are used by these agents to ensure people conform to norms,rules and laws

Question 5

informal social control and its methods

Answer 5

groups whose main job is not to control society.
-family
-peer groups
-education
-media
-religion

Question 6

Newburn - the social construction of crime

Answer 6

argues that crime is a label that is attached to certain forms of behaviour which is prohibited by the state and have some legal penalty against them

=crime is a social construction
=an act only becomes a crime when a particular label of crime has been applied - this depends on the situation

Question 7

Downes and rock-the social construction of deviance

Answer 7

suggest that ambiguity is a key feature of rule- breaking behaviour. Judgement on deviant behaviour will depend on the context it occurs in.
e.g:who the person is

Question 8

plummer

Answer 8

suggested two aspects of defining deviance
-situational deviance=refers to acts that are only defined as deviant in particular
context
societal deviance=acts that are seen as deviant by most members of society because of of shared ideas on approved and unapproved behaviour.

Question 9

examples of how deviant behaviour can vary on the circumstance

Answer 9

-non-deviant crimes
-the time
-the society or culture
-the social group
-the place or context

Question 10

non-deviant crimes

Answer 10

illegal acts that most don’t regard as deviant
e.g:parking & speeding offences,stealing stationary from work,under-age drinking,the use of cannabis and littering
=all fairly common

Question 11

the time

Answer 11

defenitions of deviance chage over time in the same society
e.g:smoking-used to be popular,however since 2007 it’s illegal to smoke indoors
homosexualty-illegal before 1967,now legal and widely acceptable.
possesion of laughing gas was once legal,now it is illegal

Question 12

the society or culture

Answer 12

what is regarded as deviant in one culture may not be in another
-consumption of alcohol in certain cultures is seen as deviant e.g dubai
-in Amsterdam,sex work is legal,whereas in the uk selling sex is illegal
-possestion of cannibis is legal in many places around the world,not uk

Question 13

the social group

Answer 13

what may be seen as acceptable in a particular group may be regarded as deviant in wider society
-smoking cannabis is acceptable with younger people
-swearing may be looked down upon with older people
-truanting may be looked down upon w/older people
-

Question 14

the place or context

Answer 14

where the act takes place or the situation

-having sex in public would be seen as deviant/illegal, but not at home
-killing someone(self defence or accident)
flying drones in the uk is legal, but its illegal in restricted areasa