Crime and Deviance is Normal in Society
Is crime an abnormal act committed by an abnormal person? Most persons confronted with this particular question would undoubtedly say, ¡§Yes¡¨. They would consider themselves, perhaps not angelic, but certainly law-abiding members of society. However, if these, law-abiding citizens were to focus on the question, their answer might be very different. They might discover that the gene of criminality is in us all. Crime and deviance is not only a normal part of society, it is undoubtedly a product of its very existence.
Through the work of great individuals such as Durkheim and Merton, who thought at great length about the question, and used a variety of theories to explain their subsequent answers. We shall explore five theories that will direct us towards a realistic answer. In pursuit of an answer to the aforementioned question, one must first understand the question itself and its very meaning. Crime itself is a very transient term; it is something that varies through the passage of time, society, geography, and by who commits the act.
A sad, yet perfect instance would be the taking of life. In times of war we are taught the finer skills of killing, awarded medals and held in high esteem for our bravery in the taking of life. The same act committed in peacetime is held with the uppermost reproach, inevitably gaining a reaction consisting of disapproval and punishment. Take for instance the IRA, a group that has fought for the independence of Northern Ireland and in doing so been involved in the murder of many innocent people; to the Irish Nationalists they are heroes, to the British government they are murderers. Thus what constitutes a crime is not necessarily its rightness or wrongn...
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...ant unless the bourgeoisie say so and they will not say so unless it is committed by a working class person.
There are many theories as to the cause of crime, and it is quite certain that more will develop with time and understanding. Crime has always existed and always will. Thus we must accept that crime is a normal part of every society and a consequence of its existence. We have all committed some small crime whether we like to think so or not, we are generally in a position where we do not have to commit crime due to our circumstances but others are not. The proportion of crime seems to be directly attributable to each individual society¡¦s moral view upon crime, poverty and justice. Even in a world of saints there would be deviance but what would be deemed, as deviance would be of a relative nature and thus, diminutive to our own morally bankrupt society.
Crimes was mostly committed by the lower class, the ones who were poor and unable to work. The working class however were not thieves because they are able to afford the necessities of life. Highwaymen, murder, and theft of property were all common crimes committed by males unlike females whose crimes were infanticide, prostitution, and theft. The Ordinary of Newgate’s Account describes how “William Spiggot was indicted for four several Robberies on the High-Way, and found Guilty, with Thomas Cross otherwise Phillips, and William Burrows” (Ordinary’s Account, 4). As described in the lectures those offences were considered crimes without qualification because they were crimes with victims.
Many critics of Criminology argue that crime is something that we are faced with from the day we were born, due to television, movies, news and music. It is argued that our perception of what is right and what is wrong is shaped at a very young age and when we become adults it can be said that it is difficult to change our way of thinking. This essay will firstly, discuss what the ‘common sense hierarchy of immorality’ is, then it will go on to evaluate the theory, how we form our perception and lastly, it would discuss whether or not our perception of crime should be changed.
Crime in this country is an everyday thing. Some people believe that crime is unnecessary. That people do it out of ignorance and that it really can be prevented. Honestly, since we live in a country where there is poverty, people living in the streets, or with people barely getting by, there will always be crime. Whether the crime is robbing food, money, or even hurting the people you love, your family. You will soon read about how being a criminal starts or even stops, where it begins, with whom it begins with and why crime seems to be the only way out sometimes for the poor.
History shows people in ancient times committed crimes which violated social norms and acceptable conduct despite threats of harsh punishment. There are theories regarding causes of crime but that by Emile Durkheim is quite prominent in that anomie arises as result of mismatch between individual or group standards when compared to the acceptable standards of wider society; this mismatch leads to deviance which in turn came from loss of social identity and self-regulation.
Winslow, R. W., & Zhang, S. (2008). Contemporary Theories of Crime. Criminology: a global perspective (). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Wilson, James and Herrnstein, Richard. "Crime & Human Nature: The Definitive Study of the Causes of Crime" New York: Free Press, 1998.
Deviance is defined as being conduct that is not segment of the averages in specific civilization. This can be distinctive throughout the places because certain societies have very dissimilar standards. Conduct condition is a psychological syndrome acknowledged in juvenile that gives itself through a recurring and obstinate display of conduct in which the simple privileges of others and main age-appropriate standards are disrupted. Conduct disorder gives as destructive and discourteous conduct. These psychosomatic indications of conduct disarray, support to explicate the instructive connects among psychology and crime. Furthermore, they establish the progressively unsolidified frontier among psychosomatic and biological theories of deviance.
...ulture and beliefs. Another reason one might commit a crime, is when people fail to achieve society’s expectations through legal means such as hard work and delayed gratification, they may attempt to achieve success through crime. People also develop motivation and the skills to commit crime through the people they associate with. Some criminals commit crimes because of the controls that society places on a person through institutions such as schools, workplaces, churches, and families. Sometimes there are occasions where a persons actions goes against what society considers normal, and as a result it is instead considered a crime. Also some criminals continue their criminal acts because they have been shunned by their society because once a person is labeled a criminal, society takes away their opportunities, which in most cases leads to more criminal behavior.
Crime exists everywhere. It is exists in our country, in the big cities, the small towns, schools, and even in homes. Crime is defined as “any action that is a violation of law”. These violations may be pending, but in order to at least lower the crime rate, an understanding of why the crimes are committed must first be sought. There are many theories that are able to explain crimes, but three very important ones are rational choice theory, social disorganization theory and strain theory.
In conclusion it is shown through examinations of a average criminals biological makeup is often antagonized by a unsuitable environment can lead a person to crime. Often a criminal posses biological traits that are fertile soil for criminal behavior. Some peoples bodies react irrationally to a abnormal diet, and some people are born with criminal traits. But this alone does not explain their motivation for criminal behavior. It is the environment in which these people live in that release the potential form criminal behavior and make it a reality. There are many environmental factors that lead to a person committing a crime ranging from haw they were raised, what kind of role models they followed, to having a suitable victims almost asking to be victimized. The best way to solve criminal behavior is to find the source of the problem but this is a very complex issue and the cause of a act of crime cannot be put on one source.
Criminals are born not made. The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behaviour within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes.
In this questionnaire, researchers try to compare societies in the past and and present. When dealing with crime sociologist might ask “Why are the crimes rates higher now than what they were 50 years ago?” In this study to help focus sociological imagination, we might try to gain insight to explain why the crime rates have risen. To see the world in a more sociological perspective we are then required to look at the the difference in crime between past and present society. Researchers might consider that there is more deviance now than before, which could result in a higher crime rate. The society in the present could’ve developed subcultural groups who adopted norms, that encouraged or rewarded criminal-like behavior. This is one way a sociologist can look at this situation as a developmental
Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.
MacDonald, H. (2010, January 4). A crime theory demolished. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870359090504574638024055735590.ht
Crime exists within the broad category of behaviour that sociologists call deviance, according to sociologist William Graham Sumner ‘deviance is a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether codified by laws or not.’ and crime is behaviour that breaks a law requiring a legal sanction. Deviance, although comes with a negative connotation, it can also be positive, for instance, when Rosa Parks decided to sit on the wrong section of the bus, she challenged