Understanding and Differentiating Between Crime and Deviance
Understanding Crime
- Crime is considered as actions that break the law and are punishable by the state.
- Crimes are legally defined and can vary between cultures and societies; what is considered a crime in one may not be in another.
- Crimes include activities such as theft, assault, murder, fraud and other behaviours which infringe upon a person's rights and security.
- The formal system for dealing with crime includes the police, court and prison system which work together to enforce laws and punish offenders.
Understanding Deviance
- Deviance is behaviour that goes against the norms and values of a society, but may not necessarily be illegal.
- Deviant behaviour can lead to negative social reactions, and in some cases, can lead to the behaviour becoming a criminal act if made illegal.
- Deviance can include acts such as not wearing appropriate clothing, verbal rudeness, social inappropriateness in public.
- Deviance is more about the social response to the behaviour, unlike crime which is more about the action itself.
Differentiating Between Crime and Deviance
- Crime and Deviance, although related, have their distinctive aspects. Differentiating them revolves around legal judgement and social acceptance.
- Both are seen as challenging to the social order, but the difference lies in how society responds to the act.
- A crime is a deviance that is made illegal by a formal law, resulting in potential punishment by a criminal justice agency.
- Not all deviance is crime; however, all crime is deviance as it breaks the rules and norms set by society.
- While crime is defined by laws created by the state, deviance is characterised by societal reaction. This can vary widely based on cultural, historical and social contexts.