CRIMINOLOGY UNIT 2 SUMMARY
NOTES. CRIMINOLOGICAL
THEORIES
Norms
The normal way of behaving in society. All laws are norms (such
as not killing someone) but not all norms are laws (such as
coming to college with your homework). Someone who breaks
a norm is considered deviant.
Deviance
Deviance is any behavior that differs from normal. In other
words, it is behavior that is unusual, uncommon or out of the
ordinary in some way. It could be unusual in one of the three
different ways:
- Behavior that is unusual and good, such as heroically risking
one's own life to save someone else
- behavior that is unusual and eccentric or bizarre, such as
talking to the trees in the park, or hoarding huge quantities of
old newspapers
- behavior that is unusual and bad or disapproved of, such as
physically attacking someone for no reason.
The final definition is the most relevant to criminologists. This
type of deviance involves breaking a rule or norm of some kind.
This rule-breaking leads to a critical, hostile or disapproving
reaction from others.
,Values
Specific cultural goals. Norms follow these values. A norm
prescribes the actual behavior and a value justifies that
behavior. Values are the reason why some actions are approved
of more than others.
Norms and Values Example
Going to work.
Value = earn money to provide for family.
Norm = going to work.
Criminal norm = nefarious acts such as theft or fraud.
Sanctions
Punishments against someone who breaks laws/norms and
they depend on the severity of the act.
Informal Sanctions
When people are punished for not following social norms in an
informal setting. An example is a parent grounding their child.
Formal Sanctions
When social norms are being enforced at a legal level (breaking
the law.) An example is imprisonment after committing a crime.
Examples of formal negative sanctions
- recieveing a prison sentence
- being ordered to pay a fine
- community service
,Examples of informal negative sanctions
- a friend telling you off for speeding
- parents grounding a teenager for smoking underage
Social Construction
A view that things such as crime have no 'objective reality' and
are instead constructed by society. What constitutes a crime
tends to alter according to time, culture and circumstances.
Norms are the products of social construction. Behaviour can
vary in being normal or abnormal depending on the situation,
time and place. Therefore, both crime and deviance is relative.
How laws change from culture to culture
Different cultures have different expectations of appropriate
behaviour. What is a crime in one culture is not in another.
Particular difficulties can arise when a person who has their
origins in cultural background live in a different culture, but
prefer to retain their own cultural ideas of what is right or
wrong
Examples of different laws between cultures
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Bigamy
- Euthanasia
- Smacking children
- Drugs such as alcohol or cannabis
- Homosexuality
, - Same-sex marriage
- Abortion
Culturally different laws which are legal in the UK
- Smacking children
- Homosexuality
- Same-sex marriage
- Abortion
Culturally different laws which are illegal in the UK
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Bigamy
- Euthanasia
- Drugs such as cannabis
How laws change over time
The definition of crime changes to reflect society's changing
norms and values. We can gain insight into the socially
constructed nature of crime by looking at how the treatment of
certain behaviours varies over time. The 1960s in Britain are
often refered to as the 'permissive age'. This was intended to
convey what was perceived to be the general loosening of
moral codes in the period. It was also a time when a series of
liberalising laws were passed.
Examples of criminalisation in the UK
- It was illegal to take heroin up until the first world war (around
1920). After this the use was restricted but it could still be
NOTES. CRIMINOLOGICAL
THEORIES
Norms
The normal way of behaving in society. All laws are norms (such
as not killing someone) but not all norms are laws (such as
coming to college with your homework). Someone who breaks
a norm is considered deviant.
Deviance
Deviance is any behavior that differs from normal. In other
words, it is behavior that is unusual, uncommon or out of the
ordinary in some way. It could be unusual in one of the three
different ways:
- Behavior that is unusual and good, such as heroically risking
one's own life to save someone else
- behavior that is unusual and eccentric or bizarre, such as
talking to the trees in the park, or hoarding huge quantities of
old newspapers
- behavior that is unusual and bad or disapproved of, such as
physically attacking someone for no reason.
The final definition is the most relevant to criminologists. This
type of deviance involves breaking a rule or norm of some kind.
This rule-breaking leads to a critical, hostile or disapproving
reaction from others.
,Values
Specific cultural goals. Norms follow these values. A norm
prescribes the actual behavior and a value justifies that
behavior. Values are the reason why some actions are approved
of more than others.
Norms and Values Example
Going to work.
Value = earn money to provide for family.
Norm = going to work.
Criminal norm = nefarious acts such as theft or fraud.
Sanctions
Punishments against someone who breaks laws/norms and
they depend on the severity of the act.
Informal Sanctions
When people are punished for not following social norms in an
informal setting. An example is a parent grounding their child.
Formal Sanctions
When social norms are being enforced at a legal level (breaking
the law.) An example is imprisonment after committing a crime.
Examples of formal negative sanctions
- recieveing a prison sentence
- being ordered to pay a fine
- community service
,Examples of informal negative sanctions
- a friend telling you off for speeding
- parents grounding a teenager for smoking underage
Social Construction
A view that things such as crime have no 'objective reality' and
are instead constructed by society. What constitutes a crime
tends to alter according to time, culture and circumstances.
Norms are the products of social construction. Behaviour can
vary in being normal or abnormal depending on the situation,
time and place. Therefore, both crime and deviance is relative.
How laws change from culture to culture
Different cultures have different expectations of appropriate
behaviour. What is a crime in one culture is not in another.
Particular difficulties can arise when a person who has their
origins in cultural background live in a different culture, but
prefer to retain their own cultural ideas of what is right or
wrong
Examples of different laws between cultures
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Bigamy
- Euthanasia
- Smacking children
- Drugs such as alcohol or cannabis
- Homosexuality
, - Same-sex marriage
- Abortion
Culturally different laws which are legal in the UK
- Smacking children
- Homosexuality
- Same-sex marriage
- Abortion
Culturally different laws which are illegal in the UK
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Bigamy
- Euthanasia
- Drugs such as cannabis
How laws change over time
The definition of crime changes to reflect society's changing
norms and values. We can gain insight into the socially
constructed nature of crime by looking at how the treatment of
certain behaviours varies over time. The 1960s in Britain are
often refered to as the 'permissive age'. This was intended to
convey what was perceived to be the general loosening of
moral codes in the period. It was also a time when a series of
liberalising laws were passed.
Examples of criminalisation in the UK
- It was illegal to take heroin up until the first world war (around
1920). After this the use was restricted but it could still be
