1. Crime, deviance, social control and order
Functionalist explanation of crime +deviance
Marxist and feminist explanations of crime
Interactionalist explanations of crime
Crime
Illegal acts which break the law eg shoplifting, murder
Functionalist perspective on crime
Crime is natural and positive
Crime is natural and a positive aspect of society
It reinforces the boundaries of what is right and what is wrong
Structural theories – focuses on structures
Marxist perspective on crime
Capitalism causes crime
Capitalism encourages greed, materialism and competition
Not everyone can afford the products of capitalism, so the working class are likely to turn to crime
Interactionist perspective on crime
Focuses on individuals
Looks at how people are labelled in society
Looks at ow people react to crime and the impact this has on the criminal
Deviance
Behaviour that does not conform to society’s norms eg eavesdropping. It is socially constructed
Social order
Functionalist
Marxists
Society being kept stable and harmonious
Anomie
When the norms that control an individual’s behaviour break down
Marxist views of law enforcement
Laws are made to protect the ruing class eg laws to protect private property
Agencies of social control work in favour of the ruling class
Ethnic minorities and working class people are likely to be targeted by police etc
Social construction of crime and deviance
Becker argues deviance is created by society by society labelling (or judging) particular people and acts.
Some groups have more power to apply labels and create social rules
Maintained through agreement on values, norms and rules
Delinquency
Minor crime and deviance, usually committed by young people
Maintained through bourgeoisie controlling the proletariat
Formal social control
How laws, written rules and formal agencies of social control control people’s behaviour in society
Merton’s strain theory (1938)
KEY STUDY
People’s aspirations are shaped by their culture eg American Dream
People accept the goal of making money, but lack opportunities to do this
They experience strain and anomie develops, leading to delinquency to make money
Feminist perspective on crime
Feminists focus on how female offenders are treated by the criminal justice system
They focus on how and why women are victimised in society
Deviant career
Process by which someone comes to see themselves as deviant
Master status
When status eg junkie becomes someone’s main identity
Informal social control
How unwritten rules and processes eg approval and disapproval of people control people’s behaviour
Double deviance thesis
Women are treated more harshly in the CJS as they have broken the law and broken ideas of femininity
Becker (1963)’s labelling theory
KEY STYDY
Becker explains how people develop deviant careers
Someone who uses drugs, for example, is labelled as a ‘junkie’
This status becomes their master status – rather than employee, or daughter
She joins a criminal subculture and resorts to criminal activities to fund her habit
Self-fulfilling prophecy has happened
Formal agencies of social control
Police, Houses of Parliament, courts and judges, prison service, probation service
Cohen’s subcultural theory (1955)
Cohen studied sub-cultures, and used this to explain crime in young WC boys in the USA
He argued delinquent subcultures are formed when working-class children cannot meet middle-class expectations in school
They experience status frustration and create their own (illegal) ways to get status and success within their subculture eg a gang
Heidensohn (1985)’s control theory
Explains why women commit less crime than men
Women are controlled by the patriarchal nature of society, making it harder for them to commit crimes
At home, time is taken up with childcare and housework
In public, women’s behaviour is controlled by fear of male violence
Informal
Friends, colleagues, family, religion
Sanctions
Rewards and punishments for people’s behaviour
Positive sanctions eg praise for conforming
Negative sanctions eg ignoring or making fun of people

2. Class and crime: patterns Gender and crime: patterns
Social class and age
Gender and ethnicity
Crime statistics
Contemporary issues
Class and crime: patterns
Working-class people are over-represented in prisons
Upper-class people appear to commit less crime in crime statistics
Gender and crime: patterns
Women only commit around 25% of crime according to official statistics, and are less likely to commit violent crimes
Two main sources of crime statistics
Crimes recorded by the police
Surveys such as victim surveys and self-report surveys
Deviancy amplification
When a media reaction to deviance increases deviance
Folk devil
Group presented in the media as a threat to society’s values
Explanations
Merton’s strain theory explains why WC people may commit more crime
Marxists argue the CJS is biased against WC people – upper class people may commit more crime, but it is less likely to be detected
Gender socialisation – girls are socialised to be gentle and caring compared to boys – less likely to commit crime
Fewer opportunities to commit crime (Heidensohn’s control theory)
Chivalry thesis – female offenders are treated more leniently by police and judges. Women seen to need help, not punishment
Disadvantages of police recorded crime
Not all crimes are discovered
Not all crimes are reported eg sexual assault, domestic abuse
Not all crimes are recorded
Media and deviance amplification
Stan Cohen (1972)
Cohen looked at how the media created moral panics – exaggerating social problems
The mods and rockers were 2 groups who clashed in the 1960s and were labelled as folk devils
The media exaggerated the clashes, making the police act more harshly
The media coverage meant more young people took part
The media coverage meant more policing of youth crime
Interpretivist
Crime statistics are a social construct and not valid
White-collar crime
Crime committed by individuals in high-status positions eg lawyers in the course of their work eg fraud
Labelling
Crime statistics show police biases and labels
Marxists
Crime statistics lack corporate and white collar crime
Media coverage of crime
The media play a role on agenda setting – deciding what is a problem. Editors (gatekeepers) choose topics according to news values (what is newsworthy)
Corporate crime
Crime committed by employees on behalf of their company eg pollution of rivers
Carlen’s (1988) class and gender deal
KEY STUDY
Feminist perspective
Working class women expected to make the class deal (money for working hard) and gender deal (emotional rewards of being a parent/wife)
When they cannot achieve these deals due to poverty, WC women sometimes turn to crime
Feminists
Crime statistics lack crimes against women
Age and crime patterns
Young males are the group most likely to commit crime, according to statistics
Victim surveys – ask people about experiences
Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW)
Advantages:
Gives data not recorded by police
Can look at trends and make policies
Concerns about Youth Crime
Teenage crime costs a lot of lives
Knife crime and anti-social behaviour are seen as issues
Young people can be scapegoats (blamed for problems in society)
Excludes some crimes eg murder
Respondents may lie or forget- less valid
Prison system
- Prisons are overcrowded and there are high levels of reoffending, self-harm and suicide
1. Functionalists argue poor socialisation leads to youth crime ie not learning society’s norms and values
Ethnicity and crime
Black people are x7 more likely to stopped and searched, and are over-represented in prison
Some ethnic groups have higher levels of unemployment/ poverty
Statistics could reflect a bias in the police/ racism
Self-report studies
Ask people about their offending
Offending Crime and Justice Survey (2003-6)
Respondents may lie
Sentencing
Some prisoners are released before the end of their sentences. This is criticised as too ‘soft’
Sentences are seen as too short
2. Cohen’s delinquent subculture theory explains why young WC boys commit crime as a result of status frustration

3. Crime, deviance, social control and order
Functionalist explanation of crime +deviance
Marxist and feminist explanations of crime
Interactionalist explanations of crime
Crime
Functionalist perspective on crime
Crime is natural and positive 1. 2. 3.
Marxist perspective on crime
Capitalism causes crime .
Interactionist perspective on crime
Deviance
Social order
Functionalist
Marxists
Anomie
Marxist views of law enforcement
Social construction of crime and deviance
Delinquency
Formal social control
Merton’s strain theory (1938)
KEY STUDY
Feminist perspective on crime
Deviant career
Master status
Informal social control
Double deviance thesis
Becker (1963)’s labelling theory
KEY STYDY
Formal agencies of social control
Cohen’s subcultural theory (1955)
Heidensohn (1985)’s control theory
Informal
Sanctions

4. Class and crime: patterns Gender and crime: patterns
Social class and age
Gender and ethnicity
Crime statistics
Contemporary issues
Class and crime: patterns .
Gender and crime: patterns
Two main sources of crime statistics
Deviancy amplification
Folk devil
Explanations
Disadvantages of police recorded crime
Media and deviance amplification
Stan Cohen (1972)
Interpretivist
White-collar crime
Labelling
Marxists
Media coverage of crime
Corporate crime
Carlen’s (1988) class and gender deal
KEY STUDY
Feminists
Age and crime patterns
Victim surveys – ask people about experiences
Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW)
Advantages:
Concerns about Youth Crime
Prison system
- . 1.
Ethnicity and crime
Self-report studies
Sentencing 2.