Crime and deviance key terms

Crime (1)

Activities and behaviours that break the law set out by the Criminal Justice System of a society, whereby breaking this written formal law results in punishment.

Deviance (1)

Behaviour which fails to conform to the norms, values, and expectations of society/social groups, resulting in disapproval from others

Delinquency (1)

Illegal acts, anti-social behaviour and rule breaking that is committed by juveniles (under 18), which is usually low-level crime

Conformity (1)

Where social influence changes the behaviour, attitudes, or beliefs of an individual in response to groups or systems, which are widely accepted by others

Social control (1)

Social mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour that lead to conformity of rules given by society

Formal social control (1)

Regulation of individuals or groups through laws, rules and regulations, that are enforced via the police and criminal justice systems

Informal social control (1)

Norms and values are transmitted both consciously and subconsciously, which is done through socialisation and agents

Consensus theory (2)

The idea that society functions on the basis of a widespread agreement of norms and values

Social order (2)

Patterns of predictable behaviour, where norms, values, ideas etc can be predicted rather than chaos

Social solidarity (2)

Social bonds and shared values that connect individuals to each other and keep society integrated/functioning

Dysfunctional (2)

Disruption in an aspect of a social system that reduces the adaptive capacity of society, a social group or an institution

Crime as ‘normal’ (2)

Durkheim’s idea that crime is an inevitable, universal, and functional feature of healthy societies

Society of saints (2)

The idea that a society with a high standard of behaviour is normal and the smallest deviant act would stick out like a sore thumb

Degradation ceremonies (2)

A person being publicly shamed or cast out for breaking group norms, creating a lower social status within groups

Safety valve (2)

A mechanism or act of deviance that stops larger social issues/acts of deviance from occurring as it releases tension and stress

Anomie (Durkheim) (2)

Normlessness, where a person sees norms and values as unimportant and instead focuses on their own interests

Warning sign/function (2)

The idea that crime and deviance is an indicator that there are underlying dysfunctions within key social institutions

Reaffirming values (2)

Societies and institutions reinforcing core shared values through public punishment and publicity

Social bond (2)

The emotional and social ties that someone has to society and it’s institutions/people which influences conformity or deviance

Anomie (Merton) (3)

Discrepancy between common social goals and the legitimate means to attain those goals, as society has socially approved means to achieve these goals

American Dream (3)

Dominant ideology and driving force for success, which measures structural inequality

Strain theory (3)

When a person cannot achieve socially accepted goals through conforming to dominant beliefs and legitimate means so people are pushed towards crime and deviance

Subculture (3)

Small groups within wider society that hold different attitudes, lifestyles, and values than mainstream society. However, these are not totally different but slightly different

Illegitimate Structure Opportunity (3)

Gaining success to culturally valued goals through alternative criminal activity, as legitimate means to success are blocked

Status Frustration (3)

Becoming frustrated at being stuck at the bottom of the stratification system with most avenues to success blocked so the working class turn to crime

Focal concerns (3)

The belief that lower class families pass on deviant and distinct values from one generation to another, suggesting deviant behaviour results from the lower class

Subterranean values (3)

Techniques of Neutralisation (3)