Defining Crime, Deviance, and Social Control

Deviance definition

Behaviour that breaks unwritten social norms or expectations

Crime definition

Behvaiour that breaks written laws and is punishable by formal sanctions

Relationship between crime and deviance

All crimes are deviant, but not all deviance is criminal

Example of deviance that is NOT a crime

Queue-jumping or being rude to a teacher

Meaning of deviance as a ‘relative concept’

What is considered deviant changes based on time, culture, and situation

Example of deviance varying by culture

Drinking alcohol is normal in the UK, but deviant or illegal in Muslim countries

Example of crime varying over time

Homosexuality was illegal in the UK until 1967

Example of deviance varying by situation

Swearing at friends in park vs swearing in a classroom

Social control definition

The methods used by society to make people follow rules and norms

Informal social control definition

Unwritten control enforced by everyday social groups through socialisation

Agencies of informal social control

Family

Peer group

Media

Religion

Positive informal sanctions

Praise

Smiles

Inclusion

Rewards

Negative informal sanctions

Gossip

Ridicule

Exclusion

Dirty looks

Primary agency of informal social control

The family (teaches initial norms and values during primary socialisation)

How peer groups enforce informal social control

Through peer pressure, desire for acceptance, or threat of rejection

Formal social control definition

Contorl enforced by official institutions using written laws and official sanctions

Agencies of formal social control

Police

Courts

Prisons (penal system)

Parliement (government)

Examples of formal sanctions

Fines

Community service

Imprisonment

Role of the police in social control

Enforce laws, investigate crimes, and arrest suspects

Role of parliament in formal social control

Creates and updates official written laws