Deviant behavior does not adhere to the cultural norms and social accepted norms (Akers, 2011). Deviance comprises of behavior that violates expectations and standards of conduct of a group or society. Crime is one of the forms of deviance. In this paper, crime has been described as major type of deviance.
Crime is considered as an act of deviance because in crime norm as well as law is broken. Crime as deviant behavior can be minor or it can be major such as it can be picking an individual’s nose or it can be commitment of murder. There are several forms of crimes, and sociologists have focused on three categories of crime, which are crime against person, crime against property, and victimless crime (Thompson, Hickey & Thompson, 2016). Crime against person is a crime in which act of violence is committed against an individual. In this case, mugging represents example of crime against an individual. Crimes against property represent crimes that comprises of theft of property and some forms of damage against property of other individual. Arson is, however, an illustration of a property crime. Victimless crimes are those crimes in which laws are not obeyed, they are violated. But, as a matter of fact, in these crimes, there is no victim that can be identified. Prostitution is considered as victimless crime.
Sociologists, who study deviance and crime, study the statistics on individuals who are involved in crime. Identification of criminal profile is useful in helping sociologists to understand the causes associated with crime and deviance. Further, sociologists use certain demographics such as gender, age, race, social class, and ethnicity in order to create profile for analyzing deviance and criminal activities in an effective manner. As far as age is concerned, young individuals who are in their mid teens, and early twenties, and who are between teens and twenties, commits about 40% of all crimes (Doherty & Ensminger, 2014). Further, willingness and probability of committing crimes decreases with the age of an individual. As an individual ages, his willingness for committing crime decreases. Further, gender also plays significant role in this regard. Men are arrested more as compared to women. It is estimated that men are arrested for about 70% of all the property crimes (Wiloch, 2005). Additionally, they are also arrested for 80% of all the violent crimes. There are many theories that have explained this situation such as in all known cultures and societies, males are given more behavioral freedom as compared to females. More freedom indicates more chances of engaging in deviant acts. It is also a traditional practice that police is not much interested in considering women as criminals. In the same manner, court systems do not convict women, and they are even not much willing to send women to jail or prison. But, as a matter of fact, the arrests number for women and men is narrowing (Liddell & Martinovic, 2013). This is because of gender equality, and also because of increasing number of women who are involved in committing crimes.
Further, deprived internal city neighbor hoods are victims of street crime specifically violent crime more as compare to affluent communities. Violent crime in metropolitan neighborhoods tends to be committed by the identical group of professional criminals. In affluent communities white-collar crime is more prevalent. black people in America occupies 12% of the population of the United states of America and are culprits of 30% of the arrests in property crime and the percentage of violent crime arrest is 38%. White people of America embody 66% of the arrests for possessions crimes, and 60 percent of the arrests for vicious crimes. The best theories that demonstrate crime and deviance are of Durkheim, Interactionism and Labeling Theory, and Conflict Theory. According to Durkheim, deviance is in reality an ordinary and essential element of community. He describes the four functions of deviance that is deviance relates and affirms the norms and traditional values.
Deviance encourages the individuals to come together in a group and react in the same way against the crimes. Deviance explains the ethnic and moral limitations, and individuals are wise and matured enough for differentiating between the right and the wrong. Deviance makes ethical limitations of society evident, which pave the way to alterations in the community. Further, Durkheim emphasized that Crime and deviance are usual, provided they don’t go beyond a definite intensity (Burke, 2013). Deviance and Crime gratis societies are difficult to attain .Individual originality must be able to explain its self properly. Becker is of the view that community produce deviance or crime by assembling the policies whose violation constitutes deviance i.e., crime, and by implementing those set of laws to specific group of people and categorizing them as outsiders. Minor deviance starts with an preliminary illegal work, or what Lemert referred to as prime deviance.
However, Initial criminal acts causes are not specified particularly. If civilization, particularly administrators of the states behaves oddly to an initial criminal act, the crook will possibly be pessimistically labeled or stigmatized. It is probably a situation that initial criminal act will not be accepted by the offender or internalize the negative label. Further, Secondary deviance is the insight rewarded. The crime anticipation insinuation of labeling theory is merely not to tag or to utilize essential non intrusion. It might be fulfilled by Diversion, which indicates removal of offenders from participation in the criminal integrity procedure, by better due procedure protections that comprise of replacing prudence with the rule of law, by Decriminalization where the deduction of many norms from the collection of the criminal law is ensured, Deinstitutionalization, which is a strategy of plummeting jail and prison populations and construction, and by The immoral and antisocial brand is conferred by all agencies of criminal justice, all agencies like rule of law making agency, police, courts, and correction boycott the criminal acts as well as the media, churches, the schools and other societal institutions
Conflict Theory explains that the causes of deviance in the societies are political and economic forces present in the society. Poor members of society are protected by Criminal law and the criminal justice system. The criminal integrity system serves the rich and influential. The individuals and the factors which are involved in controlling the society deviance and crime are defined according to them. According to conflict perspective, Crime is a function of the scope of variance produced by hierarchical relationships, stratification, power differentials, or the capability of a number of groups to govern other groups in that culture. Relative powerlessness is the main cause of crime.
Ever-increasing impartiality in that way might be consummate by redistributing assets through a more progressive taxes method. Moreover, important group members could turn out to be more victorious rulers and supplementary group members enhanced subjects. Consequently, leading groups would have to do a enhanced employment of persuading secondary groups that the present unbalanced allotment of authority in the world is lawful and in their common benefits. Individuals belonging to secondary groups, as a result, must either believe it or quit themselves to their mediocre class. However, leading group members expect that with the passage of time subordinate crowd will be taught to pursue those who rules them
Crime is good as well as bad for society. Crime good for society can be considered from views of Durkheim that crimes are normal part of every society, and they help in bringing social order in the society. According to Durkheim, crimes do not exists in only specific societies, but they are in all types of societies. Further, society draws moral advantages that are provided by crime. When there is no crime in the society, it becomes difficult for the society to define moral boundary. It becomes difficult for people to know what is right and what is wrong. It helps in defining morality, which in turn gives sense of moral distinction as well as sense of moral superiority. Criminals such as thief, murderer, etc are regarded are immoral, and so they deserve punishment, while citizen who abide by law are moral. Crime is not good for the society as it is an act against norms and law, and is not acceptable for people. For having a society, there are some actions that are not acceptable, because boundaries of societies are determined in this way. Crime is not acceptable as it causes loss and damage to others. Crime is breaking of law, which is not acceptable, because law ensure equal treatment with all members.
In my opinion, crime, which is a major form of deviance, takes place in every society. But, I think that it is not a moral and ethical act. Crimes interfere in normal functioning of the society, and sometimes punishment becomes necessary in order to restore normal activities of societies. I have also observed that males are involved more in crimes as compared to females. I have also observed that crime occur because of inequality in the society. This is because when crime is committed by wealthy individuals, they are not punished, but when crime is conducted by poor people, they are punished. By considering this, rich class becomes more involved in criminal activities as they have no fear of punishment. They just exploit the poor for their own personal self interests, and also do not hesitate in taking their lives.
Explanation and attributes of crime has contributed to my personal definition of deviance. My personal definition of deviance is violation of norms and rules of society, and crime is also violation of rules and norms of society. Because, society norms do not allow anyone to disobey rules and regulations, but in crime rules and regulations are not followed. People adopt deviant behaviors by breaking rules, norms, and laws prevailing in the society. They just focus on their self interest without considering vested interest of all individuals. Some people become criminals because they were not treated in proper manner. Someone has created disturbance for them, and in order to take revenge from that individual, they become criminals and adopt deviant behavior without considering rules and regulations and laws of society.
References
Akers, R. (2011). Social Learning and Social Structure: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance. Transaction Publishers, London
Burke, R.H. (2013). An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Routledge, New York
Doherty, E.E., & Ensminger, M.E. ( 2014). Do the adult criminal careers of African Americans fit the “facts”? Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(6), 517–526.
Liddell, M., & Martinovic, M. (2013). Women’s Offending: Trends, Issues and Theoretical Explanations. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 6(1), 127 - 142
Wiloch, T. (2005). Prisons and Jails: A Deterrent to Crime? Thomson Gale, Michigan
Thompson, W.E., Hickey, J.V., & Thompson, M.L. (2016). Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. Rowman & Littlefield, New York
