What is Crime and Deviance and Stratification?

A2 Syllabus. Deep Impact Activity PP: What is Crime and Deviance? What is Stratification? Mind Map Handout - What is Stratification?

What is Crime and Deviance?

Deviance: Behaviour that goes against

conventional norms and values. Mostly regarded as behaviour that’s

inappropriate, or at the extreme: unacceptable and wrong

Deviance is usually subject to a variety of ‘social controls’ ranging from mild disapproval to severe punishments (laws).

Crime: Crime is most often seen as breaches

of common laws. Crimes are usually seen as serious acts of deviance.

They are usually enforced by ‘agents of social control’ (Police, Courts, lawyers).

“ Crimes are those actions deemed so disturbing to citizens or disruptive to society as to justify state intervention’. (Pease, 2002)

Problems with defining crime: Wrong to assume some crimes are

more disturbing to citizens than others.

Some destructive behaviour can be non criminal (pollution, destruction of world wildlife).

Some crimes are put into a moral context.

Some ‘crimnial behaviour’ can be non destructive (Speeding fines)

Exercise (page 203, As Sociology)

What is Stratification? Make a mindmap outlining all the

different ways people are layered, given status, broken up or labelled in society

Read the handout on stratification