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Defining Crime and Deviance - Coggle Diagram
Defining Crime and Deviance
Definitions
Crime
= behaviour which
breaks laws
and is
punished
by the
legal system
Deviance
= behaviour which goes against the
norms, values
and
expectations
of a
social group
or
society
Socially
Constructed
Both are
culturally determined
though deviance varies more
In the 1970s,
Foucault
wrote about how definitions of
criminal
deviance,
sexual
deviance and
madness
have changed throughout history
E.g. 100 years ago in the UK it was deviant for
women
to wear
trousers
, but today it's **acceptable
Deviance changes
with
time
and
place
as values, norms and social expectations change - it's
relative
Plummer
(1979) made a distinction between
situational deviance
and
societal deviance
Situational deviance
means acts which can be defined as deviant or normal, depending on the circumstances
Being
naked
- okay
at home
, deviant in **public
Wearing
chainmail
and carrying a
sword
- okay at a
fancy dress party
, deviant at **work
Societal deviance
means acts which are seen by most as deviant, in most situations
Swearing
at an
authority figure
- people still do it
Kicking
a
dog
- everyone would be shocked
What's
deviant
for some is
conformity
for others
Subcultures
have
different norms
to mainstream society
Social
Order
and Social
Control
Most behaviour
in society isn't
criminal
or
deviant
Social order
and
social control
create
consensus
for how to behave, people are
socialised
to follow social norms
Some norms become
second nature
- e.g. not standing too close to someone when having a conversation
Other norms are followed because we're
consciously aware
that they're a norm - e.g. stopping at a red traffic light
Sanctions
are
rewards
and
punishments
that
reinforce
social norms
Formal
- carried out by an
official agency
Positive
-
reward
people for
conforming
to a norm
Informal
- carried out by the
public
Negative
-
punish
people for
deviating
from a norm