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Deviance: The Social Constructionist Conception Of Crime

1073 Words5 Pages

Deviance has been viewed in various ways by different authors. These authors generally divide deviance into two conceptions (Rubington and Weinberg, 2006, Clinard and Meier, 2010 and Thio, 2009). Firstly, they all use different terms such as “objectively given”, “normative” or positive conception of deviance. All of these terms however refer to the general norms and behaviours of society. The second reference to deviance refers to the interactions of those within society. Social constructionist conception believes that deviance is applied to an individual (Inderbitzin, Bates and Gainey, 2013). Hall et al (1975) claims that crime is defined by “primary definers” for example Politicians and law enforcement agencies. In 1998, the Crime and Disorder …show more content…

Furthermore, as society labels people who have committed a deviant act as ‘criminal’, Schur (1965) suggests that deviant acts such as drug use or any as Schur (1965) labels them as ‘victimless crimes’, should not be dealt with the full force of the law because it can be expensive and counter- productive (Muncie, 2010). On the contrary, Cohen (1973b) questioned who is responsible for labelling an act as deviant then later identified that political movement gain power over social actions and created criminal laws. Muncie (2010) sees crime as a political and ideological construction and that from social construction, laws, policies and social morals are the bases in which society is …show more content…

Franklin and Petley (1996) argued against the British press and judicial system by branding them as “punitive, harsh and unforgiving”. The Guardian (2010) also questions the difference within the media coverage between the Bulger case and Norway. James and MacDougall (2010) compared the differences between the two cases and emphasises that punishing Thompson and Venables as adults and releasing their names and photos was a ‘disadvantage’ and creates an argument that they need help rather than “justice”. However, the story of Silje demonstrated that it did not need to be done in that way. Debating these two cases the boys in Norway were enrolled in a local infant’s school (James and MacDougall, 2010) and Thompson and Venables were given life in

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The labeling theory is a sociological perspective that argues that labeling individuals as criminal or deviant is not an objective process, but a social construct. This theory asserts that an individual's behavior and identity are not inherent but socially constructed. It posits that societal reactions to behavior and labeling can have a profound impact on an individual's self-concept and future behavior. This essay will describe the key points of labeling theory, provide an example of a label used in the criminal justice system, discuss the potential consequences of the label, and offer a perspective on whether the label should continue to be used. Key Points Labeling theory asserts that the criminal justice system labels individuals who engage in certain behaviors as criminals or deviant.

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280 Words | 2 Pages

Hi Abigail, I agree with what you wrote about socially constructed crimes. To summarize, I think the crimes are socially constructed in two ways: 1)social norms that shape the definition of crimes 2)societal views that affect the severity of punishments of crimes. An example I can think of that supports the first way of socially constructing crimes is adultery. Adultery remains a criminal offense in 21 states.

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Deviance has many functions in society. Although deviance violates social norms, without it, we would not have rules, so it helps form, guide, and shape society’s norms and goals. Social norms are different from culture to culture. Norms that may be acceptable in one culture may be frowned upon in another. Emile Durkheim quotes that “deviance and deviant behavior is an integral part of all healthy societies (Adler, 2014, p74).”

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In most cases, if not all, criminal acts are recognized as deviant, but deviant acts do not have to be criminal. A certain behavior is acknowledged as deviant on three foundations: what others define deviant behavior as,

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1618 Words | 7 Pages

Crime is any act which breaks the laws of society, such as murder, rape, speeding etc. Social control is enforced by agencies such as police and the courts, more specifically defined than deviance. Deviance is behaviour which moves away from controversial norms and values such as burping, pass wind in public and queuing. It Can be positive e.g. extreme intelligence. Although in some situation in nature – time dependent of factors, place, who is involved.

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responsibility of the individual committing or partaking in the crime. Though this is a common thought it is simply untrue because it eliminates many of the social and environmental factors that encourage deviant behavior. The truth is, society plays a significant role in whether or not deviant behavior stops or continues for a specific individual who has already committed a crime. Ideas and concepts under the Labeling theories emphasis society’s roles and states that, “efforts [of] social control (…) ultimately trigger processes that trap individuals in criminal careers” (Cullen, Agnew & Wilcox 2014). Essentially, society forces invasive labels and social reactions that then cause many Individuals with criminal past to create self-fulfilling

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Crime and deviance are a greatly discussed topic in the world of sociology. There are numerous theories of why people break laws and violate social norms. While all of them have a way of explaining the possible reasoning behind it, I think that conflict theory does the best job of helping us understand the concepts of why deviance and crime happen. Their beliefs that the most powerful in our society define what is deviant, the reasons that crime is functional and dysfunctional and its idea of strain theory are the most useful in explaining crime and deviance. Functionalist believe that the most powerful in our society are responsible for defining what is deviant or a crime.

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Many groups or cultures have different views on what is considered deviant.

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As people became more individualized however beliefs and values would shift so the law needed to reflect the ideals and values of the society. Within David Garland’s chapter on punishment and social solidarity he recognises that punishment is not necessarily in place to correct behaviour but to keep society as a whole. While there is a correlation between punishment and criminal activity to keep society intact there has to be in a place a set of values within the legal system that force a kind of communality. People who enter the prison system are made examples of representing what a society values. It can be a person being imprisoned for life due to murder or for thievery within each society there are consequences for deviating from values.

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Deviance is a term that carries negative connotations, albeit, within the study of sociology deviance is understood merely as behaviours and/or thoughts that diverge from societal norms. Reflecting on my life from a sociological perspective has led me to deduce that my life experiences thus far would classify me as somewhat of a social deviant. While examining my life from an absolute perspective, I found that I fall into both normal and deviant categorizations. To elaborate, the cultural values instilled into me by both my family and general society have fashioned the moral code which I live by.

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Much like the tide of the ocean it is easier to understand it than change it. This lack of causation proof means there will always be doubters who debate the validity of these theories. While social deviance is one of the largest sub-genres of sociology because it is often the most tracked and studied as people try to prevent future disturbances. The three theories that I learned from the most in this course are Emilie Durkheim’s Anomie theory, Ivan Nye and Travis Hirsichi’s social control theory and Howard Beckner on the labeling theory. While all three of these various theories have multiple contributing authors and studiers it is these four gentlemen that spoke loudest and had the biggest impact on my personal understanding of social deviance.

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1877 Words | 8 Pages

As far as crime is concerned, it is defined by the law. Deviance is unexpected behaviour, but not exactly considered criminal. Many consider crime as a social problem – a problem as defined by society, such as homelessness, drug abuse, etc. Others would say crime is a sociological problem – something defined as a problem by sociologists and should be dealt with accordingly by sociologists. This essay attempts to discover the boundaries between these two and ultimately come to an appropriate conclusion.

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