• deviance is a result of individuals conforming to values and norms of social group, if these differ from main society you become deviant
• focus on working class

• explains why so many young offenders come from working class backgrounds
• argued reason was low self esteem and status at school

• working class boys more likely to fail at school
• feel humiliated so to deal with this they gain status among peers and develop subcultures
• invert traditionally middle class values e.g obedience, politeness and obeying law
• behave badly, engage in antisocial behaviour
• norms/value within subculture give them status

• only explains non-monetary offences e.g joy riding and vandilism
• more applicable to males than females

Marginalisation:

• where people lack power/resources to fully participate in society
• marginalised groups lack both clear goal and organisations to represent their interests
• groups like workers have clear goals (e,g better pay) and organisations to represent them (trade unions) so no need to resort to violence to get goals
• unemployed youths are marginalised, no organisation representing them, no clear goals, results in frustration and resentment
  
  • no access to legitimate political means to pursue goals means frustration expressed through violence

Relative Deprivation:

• deprivation itself isn't directly responsible for crime
  
  • e.g living standards have risen so level of deprivation has fallen but crime rates rose
• Runciman's (1966) ~ how some feel in relation to others or compared with their own expectations
• concept led to apparent paradox of increasing crime in context of increasing wealthy society
• despite having more money there's a greater feeling of deprivation due to media and advertising raising expectations for material possessions
• wealthier but feel poorer
• more pressure to get stuff to keep up, generates historically high crime rates

How people and society interact and how this affects criminal behaviour

Labelling process:

1. label attached by police and courts
2. label becomes master status ~ overrides other status e.g sibling, friend
3. labelled person accepts label ~ how we see ourselves relies on how others see us
4. self-fulfilling prophecy ~ whether true/false originally we act in accordance with it, confirms beliefs

Howard Becker:

• process of person and act getting labelled as deviant
• argues no act is intrinsically deviant
• relies on context to determine acceptability
• e.g nudity, inject oneself, murder
• society defines actions as deviant creating outsiders
• middle class negotiate with police more
• laws = relative = serve interests of minority - conservative
• moral entrepreneurs - campaign to change law to serve their interests/values
• use media to 'stir' 'moral crusaders' to influence public views
• underdog has little say
  
  • how outsiders/stigmatised are rejected by society and form their own subculture

Stanley Cohen: (Moral Panic)

• studied how media has often demonised youth culture
• happened to mods and rockers (1964), seen as modern day folk devils threatening social order
• found actual acts of deviance were minimal
• argues youths are not coherent social groups that appear spontaneously as reaction to structural forces e.g class
• many deviant youth subcultures were socially constructed, maintained and killed off by media
• media label/stereotype powerless groups e.g youths by sensationalising stories creating moral panic, exaggerates threats posed by groups
• results in demonisation, 'folk devils' created, pressure to get rid of problem
• media is key role in causing public fear about certain groups e.g immigrants

Deviancy amplification spiral:

• says sensationalist reporting by newspapers distorts acts of crime or deviance, increasing public awareness
• public pressure put on police/courts to act
• creates Moral Panic, certain acts/groups seen as threat to social order
• efforts to control deviance creates more deviance
• secondary deviance grows after sensitisation and social reaction

• argues powerful groups shape societal reaction by making rules for powerless groups e.g young and labelling them via police/media as moral panics
• normal/deviant defined by society ~ not fixed
• labels = sterotypes
• greater surveillance of powerless groups

• studies in UK & USA show youths especially blacks are negatively labelled as suspicious or criminal
• results in over proportionate stops/arrests

• fears of moral decay
• desire for greater control of people who harm normal society
• critical of welfare state
• people are naturally selfish
• need control through laws
• rational choice ~ cost/benefit analysis
• welfare = dependency = laziness = damaged bonds and informal social control

Underclass theory ~ Murray:

• underclass reject mainstream norms and values
• dependency culture
• rise of single parents, lack of discipline, no father figure, poor socialisation, instability
• communities damaged, no bonds, 'good people' move away
• moral decline

Wilson (broken Windows)

• communities need informal social control to regulate deviance
• cost-benefit analysis = less chance of getting caught/no fear of punishment
• neighbourhood watch
• strength communities, surveillance and chance of being caught

Etzionl

• government is dis-empowering communities

Control theory ~ Hirschi

• low attachments = low crime
• bonds (attachment, commitment, belief, involvement)
• family = vital for socialisation
• collapse of community and bonds

Neo-Marxism:

• crisis of hegemony
• symbolic resistance
• CCS (Marxist subcultural theory)
• fully social theory of deviance
• selective policing

Labelling:

• social construction of deviance
• deviance as relative concept
• labelling process and selective policing
• effects of labelling (primary-secondary deviance)
• deviance amplification
• rule creation

• criminogenic capitalism
• laws serve ruling class
• ideological role of law/social control
• white collar crime
• selective law enforcement
• society shaped by economic base
• capitalist exploit working class
• society based on conflict, inequality and power central to crime and deviance
• law serves powerful ~ ideological

Critics:

• not all laws are just serving ruling class, many benefit workers
• laws reflect value consensus
• too deterministic
• high crime rates in socialist countries
• ignore importance of values/culture and socialisation in criminality
• ignores individual motivation
• ignores gender/ethnic inequality
• not all white people commit crime
• laws can act against the ruling class

Subculture:

• group's collective response to situation of relative deprivation
• use Cohen's theory of Status frustration to explain how they emerge
• lead to crime if they still subscribe to mainstream values of material wealth but lack legitimate opportunities to achieve those goals

• British Crime Survey 1983 shows poor and marginal are main victims of crime
• Main criminals are working class
• capitalists create crime
• inequality = frustration/tension
• welfare reduces problems/inequality

Critics:

• too much focus on working class crime, ignores white collar crime and level of harm
• over reliance on stats
• too much faith in police as 'neutral'
• underplay role in media in influencing police
• ignores labelling process and effect, needs more qualitative data to explore motives
• deterministic = not everyone who experienced relative poverty becomes a criminal
• too much focus on 'urban' crimes in inner cities, seems like greater problem
• not very new, no insights

Clarke (rational choice)

• crime is choice when rewards outweigh costs = low chance of being caught and punishment doesn't deter

Felson

• absence of 'capable guardian'
• need informal social control/community to trigger the 'inner policeman' (morality/duty)

Solutions:

• accountable policing
• reduce inequality
• social/community crime prevention ~ housing/poverty/jobs/job creation/education

Critics:

• over romantic ~ too committed and see criminal as not so bad
• too much focus on exotic and bizarre deviance
• ignores origins of deviant acts
• too deterministic, simplistic
• deviants can adopt identity without being labelled
• where do stereotypes come from, why police only use some
• out of date, police trained to not be prejudiced
• ignore economic power. nature of capitalism in deviance
• ignore women
• ignores benefits of mass media, public awareness, crime reduction,
• people are now more 'media savy' and sceptical about media stories

Goffman:

• deviant career
• learn culture ~ novice to expert
• learn symbols, gradual adjusting identity

Lemert:

• deeper level of 'secondary deviance'

Socialisation

• working class youths find 'magical solutions' to oppression
• resistance through rituals
• symbolic resistance expressed through subcultures
• subculture bricolage ~ stealing signs and distorting their meaning

• Juvenile delinquency
• socialisation altered norms and values
• reject mainstream values
• gain status and rebellion
• status frustration

• illegitimate opportunities structures
• careers in crime
• networks/role models