WJEC A 2 Unit 4 Crime and Deviance

WJEC A 2 Unit 4, Crime and Deviance Week 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? How to navigate this Slide Show: Either: Click the screen icon below far right for the ‘Slide Show’ option. Use the left mouse button to enter each new bullet point and to move on to the next page [Press Esc to exit Slide Show at any time]. Or: use the arrows below to navigate from one screen to the next. Or click on the words on the. Deviance left to Chapter go to the appropriate slide of your choice. 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance?

Accessibility Statement n This slide show has been designed to be user friendly to people with dyslexia and visual impairment. n The accessible font Arial is used. n Black font on a white background is avoided. n Instead, font colour and background have been chosen to complement each other in order to avoid stark contrasts which dyslexic readers find hinders reading. n All text is left-justified to avoid ‘rivers of white’. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 2

Objectives of Chapter 1 Following this Slide Show you should: n n n Be able to define deviance and crime. Be aware that both deviance and crime are social constructions. Be aware that deviance and crime can vary between cultures. Be aware that deviance and crime can vary across time. Be aware of Howard Becker's view that no action in itself is deviant until defined as such. Be aware that deviant and criminal behaviour are controlled by rules, social mores and sanctions. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 3

Questions to Think About in this Topic How are crime and deviance defined? How some people are more likely to acquire a criminal identity? How are some groups more powerful and able to define behaviour of others as deviant or criminal? Do criminal and deviant identities result from natural or social factors? Do social processes, and institutions like the media, shape our picture of crime and criminals? Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 4

What is Deviance? Deviant behaviour is: Behaviour that differs from the normal. Behaviour that incurs public disapproval. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? Behaviour subject to some form of sanction. 5

Anthony Giddens ‘Non-conformity to a given norm, or set of norms, which are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society’ (Anthony Giddens 1993). Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 6

Becker and Labelling Theory No action in itself is deviant. Howard Becker (above) highlights the social construction of deviance by stating: It has to excite some social reaction from others. It depends upon who commits it, who sees it, and what action is taken about it. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 7

Copyright © Harry Venning, Guardian Newspapers Ltd. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 8

Deviance is Relative Definitions of deviance will clearly vary between: Cultures Time Periods Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? Sub-cultures 9

Are These Acts of Deviance? Look at the pictures on the next few slides. Identify in what ways they may be viewed as deviant. Note deviance does not need to be criminal, have any laws been broken in these pictures? Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 10

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Deviance Controlled by Sanctions Deviant behaviour is effectively controlled by sanctions that promote conformity. Sanctions may be: Formal Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? or Informal 17

Legal Definitions of Crime The OED defines crime as: ‘an act punishable by law, as being forbidden by statute’. Crime is therefore a specific act of deviance that breaks society’s formal rules or laws. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? The process of law-making is a social one since laws are human products. 18

Normative Definitions of Crime Besides the legal definition Mooney et al. (2000) suggest a normative definition of crime. Hence society is largely unsympathetic to criminals who have been caught – e. g. “they get what they deserve”. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 19

Religious Crimes Before industrialisation the most serious crimes were typically religious in nature: Heresy Sacrilege Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? Blasphemy 20

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‘Just’ and ‘Unjust’ Laws Some people regularly flout laws. For example, many people ignore 30 mph laws in towns or 70 mph on motorways Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? Dog licences were withdrawn because so few bought them. 22

Middle-class Criminals? Steal stationery Respectable people may: Put private letters through office mail Fiddle expenses Make private phone calls at work Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 23

White Collar Crime Marxists argue there is an enormous amount of white-collar and corporate crime. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 24

Crime is not Fixed or Permanent Homosexuality and abortion are no longer crimes in most societies. Cannabis was recently declassified to a Class C drug. During the period of ‘prohibition’ in the USA the possession and consumption of alcohol was illegal. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 25

Conclusions on Chapter 2 n Deviance is behaviour by individuals or social groups that fails to conform to culturally expected norms of behaviour. n It is a relative concept – no act in itself is deviant per se. n Labelling theory makes the important point that it is the social reaction or label that defines an act as ‘deviant’. n Sanctions can be positive or negative, formal or informal. n Deviance is distinct from crime, although crimes tend to be deviant behaviour, not all deviance is criminal. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 26

Conclusions (continued) n Deviance is controlled by sanctions. n Crime is a formal act of deviance that violates statute law. n Besides this legal definition, it carries normative judgements – criminals are not viewed sympathetically. n In pre-industrial society most crimes were religious in nature, or acts of theft against the aristocracy. n According to people’s value judgements crimes can be ‘just’ or ‘unjust’. Deviance Chapter 1: Social Construction of Crime and Deviance? 27