Crime & Deviance

Dark figure of crime

70% of crime is hidden/ unrecorded 2006 about 30%of crime was recorded.

Crime

A crime is an illegal act that is punishable by law. Some illegal acts are not necessarily seen as deviant. E.g. parking on double yellow lines.

Labelling

A label is a tag which is attached to an individual or a group. Labelling a person as a criminal can have serious consequences. If the negative label of a criminal is successfully applied it tends to stick and people see the person as this label. After constant reinforcement the individual comes to believe the label and takes on this role. The label then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Class and Crime

According to the statistics working class people appear to commit more crime. This could be because working-class people have fewer opportunities to succeed via legal routes and so resort to crime for financial gain. Alternatively working class people may be over represented due to bias within the criminal justice system.

Certain ethnic groups do commit more crime as: Poor Achievement In School

Afro-Caribbean boys are the most underachieving group at school. The label of failure sticks from an early age. When they can't get jobs this label is applied again and a self fulfilling prophecy results as they fail society by turning to crime.

Certain ethnic groups do commit more crime as: Inadequate Socialisation

Afro-Caribbean youths are more likely to be raised in single parent families. This means they have less male role models and may experience inadequate socialisation into rules and norms and less discipline.

Anti Social Behaviour Orders

An ASBO is a court order. It prohibits a young person from a particular acts of anti-social behaviours e.g. going to a certain area, hanging around with certain people. An ASBO can be issued to anyone over the age of 10 years. An ASBO is issued for a minimum of two years. An ASBO is meant to protect the public not to punish the perpetrator. An ASBO does not give you a criminal record (unless breached). Details of who has an ASBO are sometimes made available to the public.

Who Commits Most Crime?

Around 20% of offenders are female, 80% male. Four known male offences to every one by women.

Why Does White Collar Crime Often Go Unpunished?

As it happens in the workplace it may go unnoticed or there may be no witnesses. Companies may fear getting a bad reputation and so deal with it eternally. There may be no obvious victim. The company makes a lot of money. The criminal system is more lenient on middle class people.

Peer Group Pressure

Being part of a group gives individuals a sense of belonging. Individuals within the group are likely to follow the norms and values of the majority in order to feel respected by the group. The influence of the subculture can sometimes lead to criminal or deviant behaviour in order to gain status within the group and fit in.

Certain ethnic groups aren't committing more crime: Stereotypes and Labelling

Black and Asian people are more likely to be labelled as untrustworthy, trouble makers and potential criminals. Many judges hold similar stereotypes and crack down harder on black and Asian people giving them heavier fines and sentences.

Why Women Commit Less Crime: Different Socialisation

Boys are more likely to be brought up with the values of toughness whereas girls are generally brought up in a way that leads them to behave in a law abiding way.

Corporate Crime

Carried out by the executives of the organisation to increase profit and can include environmental damage or selling harmful products.

Why Some Crimes Do Not Get Recorded: Recorded

Crime may be seen as too trivial e.g. the police do not record the theft of something under the value of £10. Complainant may decide not to proceed with the complaint. There isn't enough evidence. May view the person reporting the crime as too unreliable e.g. a tramp, a drug addict or someone who is drunk.

White Collar Crime

Criminal acts committed by middle class people in the course of their work.

Deviance

Deviance is behaviour that does not conform to society's norms or rules. Some, but not all, deviant acts are also illegal. Leal deviance is behaviour that is seen as 'abnormal' by most people in society but it does not break the law.

Factors that affect deviance: Culture

Different cultures have different expectations of appropriate behaviour, for example the use of cannabis in many Arab states is perfectly legal while alcohol use is a serious crime. The opposite laws apply in Britain.

Certain ethnic groups do commit more crime as: Relative Deprivation

Ethnic groups are more likely to be working class, have higher rates of unemployment, lower pay and live in deprived urban communities.

The Effect Of Crime

Fear or worry about crime is one way that crime affects everyone to some degree, regardless of whether they have been victims of crime. Sometimes, the level of anxiety about crime (such as credit card fraud) is not in the proportion to the actual risk of becoming a victim. Antisocial behaviour such as vandalising bus shelters can have a negative impact on a community because it may lead to some adults to label all local teenage as a source of trouble. Crime and deviance could affect communities by causing tension between some adults and some teenagers (for instance those who wear hoodies) and also by generating fear of young people among some adults. It can create folk devils with certain groups made to be the scapegoats. White collar crime and corporate crime can have financial, physical and social costs. Tax evasion has a financial cost because it results in loss of government revenue. Some big companies cause environmental damage and socially it can create mistrust between the different classes.

Formal Agencies of Control

Formal rules are those that are written down; the law. Formal social control is the writing and enforcing of these written rules by organisations that exist to control society. An example: The houses of parliament who create the laws that govern our behaviour, the police who enforce the law and the courts who convict those who do not follow the rules.

Relative Deprivation

Growing up in a poor environment and lacking certain resources that the majority of others in society have could lead to criminal activity. The experiences of relative deprivation can lead to individuals feeling discontent. This may then lead them to be involved in criminal of deviant behaviour.

Improving Relations With Ethnic Minority Groups

In order to do this the police have recruited more officers from minority ethnic groups. This may have reduced the amount of institutional racism in the police, as well as reducing the labelling of ethnic minority groups. It has given some groups an officer who they can relate to more. However there has been some evidence that these police officers have experienced racism from fellow officers and that some people in the community thin it is just a token gesture that will not change the way the police views certain groups e.g. Afro Caribbean men.

Informal Agencies of Control

Informal rules are unwritten rules that are taken for granted and are guidelines on how we are expected to behave. It is enforced through social pressure by those around us approving or disapproving of what we do. Peers, colleagues, family and friends react in a way that tells us whether we are following the informal rules.

School Based Officers

Initially the idea was that schools in the most deprived areas would get a school based police officer, however nowadays most schools have one. They give talks on gang education, knife crime and drugs. They may make some students realise the dangers of criminal behaviour and may reduce youth crime. They may also improve young people's relationship with the police. However many of the officers are PCSO's and some youths do not see them as proper police officers as they know they do not hold the same powers.

Why May There Be A Change in The Amount Of Female Offenders

Ladette culture-women's position has changed in society, they have more disposable income and fewer responsibilities. The stereotypes of them have changed and they have gained equality. Women haven't actually benefitted from the workplace. Women are more likely to be in low paid jobs or unemployed so they are more likely to experience deprivation. This explains why more women are engaging in crimes like shoplifting. The chivalry effect is now less common. Women are not committing more crime than the past but nowadays are more likely to be arrested, charged and convicted. There are more female police officers and judges.

Why Some Crimes Do Not Get Recorded: Detected

May not be noticed as if seems insignificant e.g. someone has £100 and £5 goes missing. There aren't enough police. Police focus on certain crimes and groups so miss out some crimes.

Ethnicity and Crime

Offical statistics show that people from some ethnic groups are over-represented in relation to their proportion in population. At face value the figures could suggest that members of some ethnic groups do commit more crime than others. Black people were more likely than white people to: Be stopped and searched by the police (Seven more times more likely, five times for Asians) To be arrested (3 and a half times) To be in prison (five times more likely than white people)

Victim Surveys

People are interviews and asked what crimes have been committed against them in a given period of time. The British Crime Survey is a large scale victim survey. The BCS includes crimes that are not reported to the police, so it is an alternative to police records. In 2013/14 7.3 million crimes were reported in BCS compared to only 3.7 million recorded by police. As not everyone in the population is included in these surveys they only provide estimates of the levels of crime and so do not five a full picture of the amount of crime. In addition to this a fifth of people approached refused to co-operate with the survey. Therefore there are questions to how representative they are. The BCS does not cover all crime. Crimes such as murder, fraud or so-called 'Victimless' crimes such as drug use is not covered.

Why Women Commit Less Crime: Gender Stereotypes

Police hold stereotyped beliefs about women. They see women as weaker and female offenders are seen as 'sad' rather than 'bad'. Therefore they do not look for female criminals.

Agencies of Control

Social control refers to the methods that are used to control individual and group behaviour, which leads to conformity to the rules of a particular society.

Anomie

Societies set goals which people are encouraged to achieve e.g. making money. Most people are conformists. This means they follow the norms and rules and so achieve these things by hard work. However for some people (Working class) society's goals don't match with the situation the individual are in. This leads to anomie a state of confusion and uncertainty. As a result of this feeling some people turn to crime.

Inadequate Socialisation

Society has accepted norms and values which most people know and follow. However, some people may have been inadequately socialised and this could lead to deviance. This could be due to inadequate parenting or other agencies. For example lack of discipline in schools or the influence of the media may lead to more violence.

Factors that affect deviance: Social Situation

The context in which the act takes place. For example chanting and shouting at a funeral compared with the same behaviour on a football terrace.

The Distribution of Crime

The crime rate is generally higher in urban areas than in rural areas. It is higher in the most deprived areas. One view is that urban areas have higher levels of poverty and unemployment which so therefore more crimes such as anti-social behaviour crimes or theft. Another view is that there are more opportunities to commit crime in an urban setting such as city centres, compared with rural areas. An alternative view is that the statistics may reflect differences in policing levels/methods between urban and rural areas. There is a greater police presence in urban areas and they will stop and search people due to the stereotypes associated with people from deprived areas.

Why Women Commit Less Crime: Chivalry Thesis

There is a common belief that the male dominated courts and police are easier on women. Males for example are more likely to be prosecuted whereas females are cautioned.

Official Statistics

These are recorded and reported crimes from every police station nationwide that are sent to the home office to be centrally monitored. Some sociologists argue they are a good way of measuring crime as the police are seen as a trustworthy and as official statistic include almost all crime. However, some sociologists argue that official statistics do not show the true extern of crime and are only the tip of the iceberg.

Self Report Surveys

These ask individuals if they have engaged in delinquent or criminal behaviour, and if so, how often they have done so. They include lists of criminal or deviant acts that are given to people and they are asked to tick off the activities which they have committed within a given time period. It is always given anonymously so that people can feel free to admit to crime. Self reporting suggests that criminal activity is more common than official statistic indicate. These surveys often have a high non-response rate. 85% of people did not respond in the 2006 survey. The survey does not cover all offences. In particular very serious offences including homicide and sexual offences are omitted. The questions asked cover 3 main areas: Property related offences, violent offences and drug selling.

Biological Explanation

These look for biological causes for criminal activity e.g. some biologists claim that premenstrual tension can make women act in a more aggressive manner. Other biologists have claimed that certain behaviours may be genetic or that there may be an evil gene.

Have ASBO's been successful?

They do restrict some behaviour and make communities feel safer. They are personalised so may be more effective. However over 70% are breached. Some people see them as a badge of honour.

Functionalist views of Agencies of Control

This approach argues that social order is based on consensus (agreement)

Marxist views of Agencies of Control

This approach argues that social order is based on the power of the ruling class over the working class.

Occupational Crime

This is crime carried out by individuals in work and ranges from minor theft of an organisations property to large scale fraud.

Computer Crime

This is the fastest growing type of corporate crime and includes fraud, hacking and identity theft.

Professional Crime

This is when crime becomes a career for middle class people e.g. drug running.

Socially Constructed

This means they are the result of a series of choices and decisions by the victims, witnesses and police.

Why Some Crimes Do Not Get Recorded: Reported

Victim may fear the consequences if they report the crime. Victims may have a poor relationship with the police. The crime is considered too petty. It may be too sensitive or embarrassing. White Collar Crime - Worry about the reputation of the company.

Marxist View on why people commit crime

We live in a capitalist society - meaning a small group of very wealthy and powerful people own the companies and most money. They exploit the poorer working class in order to make as much profit as possible. They encourage materialism but the poorer cannot afford the consumer goods. Therefore working class people commit crimes to get what they can't afford. They argue that the laws also favour the upper class and that most crimes but the bourgeoisie go undetected.

Factors that affect deviance: Time

When the act takes place for example drinking alcohol in the morning compared with the evening. This can also refer to time in history e.g. homosexual acts were illegal in Britain until 1967.

Certain ethnic groups aren't committing more crime: Institutional Racism

When the everyday practices and procedures of an organisation, for example the police lead to discrimination against ethnic groups either intentionally or unintentionally. One argument is that the police force is racist and stereotypes certain groups e.g. the Stephen Lawrence case.

Factors that affect deviance: Place

Where the act takes okay determines how deviant it is. For example being naked in the bath compared to being naked on a football pitch.

Certain ethnic groups aren't committing more crime: Self Report Surveys

While official statistics suggest black people have the highest rate of offending the self report survey shows that official statistics exaggerate the extent of offending. The self report surveys showed 73% of white people filling in the survey had committed a crime compared to 42% of black people and 32% of Asian people.

Why Women Commit Less Crime: Fewer Opportunities

Women have fewer opportunities to commit crime because their behaviour is more closely monitored and women are more likely to be confined to the home.