1. The Social Costruction Of Cime Flashcards
Define deviance
To deviate from the norms and expectations of society
What are sociologists only interested in when it comes to deviance?
Sociologist are only interested in deviance which deviates from the. Values of society.
What did Clinard (1974) say about deviance?
Deviance should be reserved for acts which society finds impossible to tolerate and those resulting in negative sanctions.
Define Crime
Acts which break the formal written rules of society and subject to punishment by the criminal.
Define Soft Crimes
Acts which are criminal but normal and aren’t considered deviant e.g under age drinking
What did Newburn (2007) say about crimes?
An act only becomes a crime when that label has been attached to it, changes according to time, place and context
Time - in terms of crime
Social changes occur over time acts become criminalised or decriminalised e.g homosexuality
Place - in terms of crime
Crimes differ by countries what is legal and what’s not e.g drinking alcohol
Context - in terms of crime
Context or setting can define if a crime is criminal or not e.g murder
What do sociologists think crime is?
Crime is a social construct
What is deviance to sociologists?
Deviance is even more of a social construct as its meaning is relative, there are huge cultural differences in what is viewed as deviant.
What do Downey’s and Rock (2007) call deviance?
Deviance is ambiguous excuses people are unsure as to what is deviant or not.
What does Plummer (1979) refer to?
Refers to societal deviance & situational deviance
Define Societal deviance
Acts most members of society consider deviant most likely to be criminal e.g rape, murder
Define Situational deviance
Acts where deviancy depends on context or location. Less likely to be criminal e.g swearing
