Social Science for Postgraduate Study Week 7: Crime and Deviance. Best Presentation

Learning outcomes this week 2 • Define crime and deviance, and understand the difference between them; • Understand and evaluate approaches to the study and understanding of crime and deviance: – Functionalist; – ...

Learning outcomes this week 2 • Define crime and deviance, and understand the difference between them; • Understand and evaluate approaches to the study and understanding of crime and deviance: – Functionalist; – Interactionist.Defining Crime and Deviance • Deviance, according to Gidden’s (2013), is defined as non-conformity to a given set of norms or rules that are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society. • Most people follow social norms or rules because of ‘socialization’, these are behaviours we are accustomed to following. • Deviance is where someone deviates (moves away) from social norms. 3Defining Crime and Deviance • Usually refers to behaviour that is disapproved of, and therefore results in punishment: – lose friends, exclusion from a club, moral judgement • However most of us may on occasion break these rules, such as taking office notepaper or pens for personal use. • All social rules are accompanied by sanctions or consequences for breaking these rules. 4Defining Crime and Deviance • Crime and deviance are not the same: – the concept of deviance is much broader than crime. • Crime refers specifically to the act of breaking a law and results in a formal (legal) punishment. • As a result many forms of deviant behaviour are not punishable by law. 5Defining Crime and Deviance • Important note: no action or behaviour is naturally criminal or deviant • It is society that defines actions as criminal / deviant, and this can change over time. 6Approaches to Crime Different approaches have developed over the last 150 years to explain criminal and deviant behaviour. We will look at 2 of these that relate to the epistemological approaches that we have studied on the module: • The Functionalist approach • The Interactionist approach 7Functionalism • Functionalism as a general social theory started with Durkheim and his idea that society functions like a living organism. • The organs of the body are understood in terms of their function for maintaining the body. • To understand how the body works, the organs must be examined in relation to one another: – They are connected. 8Functionalism • In the same way, the institutions of society are understood in terms of their function for maintaining society. • To understand how society works, its institutions must be examined in relation to one another – they are connected. 9Functionalism • Functionalism argues that: – Crime and deviance are universal, in that they exists in all known societies; – it is normal for them to take place (even though it is considered socially unacceptable). – As crime and deviance are normal, it performs necessary functions in society – it helps to maintain social stability. 10Functionalism Example: • When someone commits a horrible crime, people feel a sense of collective outrage. • This brings people closer together, contributing to social cohesion. • This then reinforces social values and the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. 11Functionalism: Causes of Crime • So far, functionalism has examined the function performed by crime in society, but has not offered an explanation for why people commit crime • The cause of criminal behaviour = anomie • Anomie = the rules that normally govern behaviour lose their influence and are ignored • Where there is a strong focus on achieving certain goals but there is no way to achieve them, anomie will result. 12Functionalism: Causes of Crime • If material wealth and success is the goal, but there is no means (way) to achieve this (no educational or employment opportunities), some people will turn to crime to achieve it. • Cloward and Ohlin (1961) found that the boys most at risk of criminal behaviour are those who have adopted middle class values and goals. • However, when they are unable to realize these goals, they become move towards criminal behaviour. 13Interactionism • An interactionist perspective analyses the subjective meanings people impose on objects, events and behaviours. • They tend to believe that statistical data does not provide an accurate insight into human behaviour. • Interactionists believe that people behave according to their interpretations and meanings assigned to the world around them. 14Interactionism • So, interactionist theorists focus on the social construction of crime and deviance, rejecting the idea that there are types of conduct that are inherently deviant. – There is no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ behaviour. • Interactionists ask how such behaviours come to be defined as deviant and why certain groups and not others are likely to be ‘labelled’ as deviant. • Labelling perspectives are the most important theories of interactionist approaches. 15Interactionism: Labelling • Labelling theories interpret deviance as the product of interaction processes between deviants and nondeviants. • However, labelling processes tend to express the power structure of society. • The rules defining deviance are framed by: – the wealthy for the poor; – men for women; – older people for younger people; – ethnic majorities for minority groups. 16Labelling • Labelling not only affects how others perceive an individual but how the individual perceives themselves through the internalization of such a label. • People who have been labelled criminals / deviants see themselves in terms of that label and so their actions come to fit the label • This can then ‘amplify’ or increase the criminal behaviour of an individual as they become more attached to the label. 17Summary • Crime refers specifically to the act of breaking a law. • Deviance is a broader concept: non-conformity to a given set of values that are accepted by a significant number of people in a society. • Two theories outlined to try to understand and explain deviant / criminal behaviour: – Functionalist – Interactionist 18Summary • Functionalist • Crime is normal in society – it plays an important function. • Helps maintain social stability by unifying people around moral values and against deviant behaviour. • Explaining crime and deviance: Anomie. 19Summary • Interactionist • Focuses on the social construction of crime and deviance. • Asks why certain groups and not others are likely to be labelled as deviant – labelling theory. 20