SO13: Crime, Deviance & Social Control
Defining crime and deviance: the difference between crime and deviance, how deviance is socially constructed, and how social control operates through formal and informal mechanisms.
Crime, Deviance & Social Control
Defining crime and deviance: the difference between crime and deviance, how deviance is socially constructed, and how social control operates through formal and informal mechanisms.
Key Fact: Crime: an act that breaks the law and is punishable by the state. Deviance: behaviour that violates social norms. Not all deviance is crime (dyeing your hair an unusual colour is deviant but legal) and not all crime is deviant (speeding is illegal but widely accepted). The boundary between crime and deviance changes over time (homosexuality was a crime until 1967 in the UK).
Key Fact: Deviance is socially constructed: what counts as deviant varies across cultures and time periods. Example: drink-driving was once socially acceptable but is now both deviant and criminal; smoking in public places was normal but is now deviant and restricted. Becker: 'deviance is not a quality of the act but of the response of others to the act' - the same behaviour can be deviant in one context but not another.
Key Fact: Formal social control: carried out by official agencies (police, courts, prisons). Based on written laws and formal sanctions (arrest, imprisonment, fines). The criminal justice system detects, prosecutes and punishes crime.
Key Fact: Informal social control: carried out by social groups (family, peers, community). Based on unwritten norms and informal sanctions (gossip, ostracism, disapproval, shame). Families socialise children into norms; communities enforce conformity through social pressure.
Key Fact: Social control and power: Marxists argue laws reflect ruling class interests. Chambliss: laws protecting private property serve the bourgeoisie. Selective enforcement: the poor are more likely to be policed and prosecuted (Reiman: 'the rich get richer and the poor get prison'). White-collar crime (fraud, tax evasion) causes far more financial damage than street crime but is less rigorously policed.
📋 Key Vocabulary and Concepts
For Crime, Deviance & Social Control, you must know:
- Crime
- Deviance
- Socially constructed deviance
- Formal social control
- Informal social control
- Criminal justice system
- Police
- Courts
- Prisons
- Sanctions
- White-collar crime
- Selective enforcement
- Becker
- Chambliss
- Reiman
❓ Practice Questions
Q1: Explain the difference between crime and deviance, and why deviance is socially constructed.
Q2: Describe the differences between formal and informal social control, giving examples of each.
Q3: Evaluate whether the law operates equally for all social groups.
✅ Answers
- Crime = breaks the law (punishable by state). Deviance = breaks social norms (not necessarily illegal). Deviance is socially constructed because definitions vary across cultures and time (e.g. homosexuality was criminal until 1967). Becker: deviance depends on who defines it, not the act itself.
- Formal social control: police (enforce law), courts (try cases), prisons (punish and rehabilitate). Based on written law with formal sanctions. Informal social control: family (socialise children), peers (pressure to conform), community (gossip, shame). Based on unwritten norms with informal sanctions. Both are necessary for social order but serve different functions.
- Marxist view: laws protect ruling class interests (property laws, low taxes for wealthy). Selective enforcement: police focus on street crime not white-collar crime. Reiman: the criminal justice system criminalises the poor while the rich go free. Evidence: white-collar crime costs the UK far more than burglary but receives fewer resources. Counter: laws also protect everyone (murder, assault laws); the police do investigate corporate crime; some rich people are prosecuted. Conclusion: the law is not applied equally - class and power affect who is criminalised.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Crime = illegal. Deviance = non-normative. NOT all deviance is crime; NOT all crime is deviance.
- Formal social control = police, courts, prisons (written laws). Informal = family, peers, community (unwritten norms).
- Becker: deviance is in the RESPONSE, not the act. Chambliss: laws protect the ruling class. Reiman: the poor get prison.
📝 Exam Technique
Sociology Exam Tips:
When discussing crime and deviance, always: distinguish crime from deviance, explain how deviance is socially constructed, and consider whether definitions of crime reflect power relations rather than objective harm.
When discussing crime and deviance, always: distinguish crime from deviance, explain how deviance is socially constructed, and consider whether definitions of crime reflect power relations rather than objective harm.
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: Something is deviant because it is naturally wrong, regardless of what society thinks. Correct: Deviance is socially constructed - what is deviant in one society may be normal in another, and what is deviant at one time may become acceptable later. Examples: homosexuality, cohabitation, and women drinking in pubs were all once considered deviant but are now widely accepted. Conversely, drink-driving and smoking indoors were once acceptable but are now deviant. Deviance depends on social context, cultural norms and power relations, not inherent wrongness.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
Evaluate the view that definitions of crime and deviance reflect the interests of the powerful.
A grade 9 response will: define crime and deviance as socially constructed; present Marxist evidence (Chambliss: property laws serve the bourgeoisie; Reiman: selective enforcement; white-collar crime is under-policed); present counter-evidence (laws against murder and assault protect everyone; some powerful people are prosecuted; democratic societies can change laws); evaluate: while some laws clearly serve powerful interests, not all laws can be reduced to class interest. Conclusion: definitions of crime do reflect power relations, but they also reflect genuine social consensus about harmful behaviour. The issue is selective enforcement rather than selective law-making.
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Focus: Crime, Deviance & Social Control
AO1 — Knowledge: Show knowledge of Crime, Deviance & Social Control using sociological terminology accurately. Identify key thinkers, concepts and theoretical perspectives.
AO2 — Application: Apply understanding of Crime, Deviance & Social Control to contemporary social contexts and given scenarios. Use evidence to illustrate sociological points.
AO3 — Analysis & Evaluation: Evaluate sociological explanations of Crime, Deviance & Social Control, comparing different theoretical perspectives and weighing the quality of evidence.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
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