Crime + Deviance

• What does social control refer to?

  Methods that persuade or force individuals to conform to social norms and values.
• How does social control prevent deviance?

  By ensuring individuals conform to main social norms and values learned through early socialization.
• What are the two types of social control?

  Formal and informal social control.
• What are examples of formal social control agencies?

  Police and courts.
• What are examples of informal social control agencies?

  Parents, education system, and workplace.
• What are sanctions in the context of social control?

  Ways of enforcing social control that can be good or bad.
• What is an example of a good sanction?

  Pocket money or a knighthood.
• What is an example of a bad sanction?

  Sitting in the corner or life imprisonment.
• How is crime defined in the study material?

  Crime is whatever is against the law.
• According to Newburn (2007), what is crime?


  A label attached to certain forms of behavior prohibited by the state.
• Why is killing not always considered a crime?

  It depends on the circumstances surrounding the act.
• What does the social construction of deviance refer to?

  Deviance is deviation from rules, norms, beliefs, and values.
• What do Downes and Rock (2007) suggest about deviance?


  Ambiguity is a key feature, as people often disagree on what is deviant.
• How does societal deviance differ from situational deviance?

  Societal deviance is what society sees as deviant, while situational deviance depends on context.
• What are the factors that influence the definition of deviance?

  • Personal judgment
  • Social norms
  • Context of the situation
• What are examples of non-deviant crimes?

  Parking offenses, underage drinking, light cannabis use.
• How does the perception of deviance change over time?

  Deviance and crimes change as societal values and laws evolve.
• How does culture affect the perception of deviance?

  Different cultures may view certain behaviors as deviant or acceptable.
• What is the significance of social groups in defining deviance?

  Social groups may accept behaviors that are considered deviant by the law or wider society.
• How does context influence the perception of deviance?

  Context can determine whether an act is seen as acceptable or deviant.
• What did Richard Ericson et al. (1991) find about media coverage of crime?

  44-71% of quality news was about various forms of deviance.
• What did Williams and Dickinson (1993) find about British newspapers?

  They devote up to 30% of their news space to crime.
• What is a common media distortion regarding crime?

  Media over-represents violent and sexual crimes.
• What did Ditton and Dully (1983) find about media reports?

  46% of media reports were about violent and sexual crimes.
• What is the 'age fallacy' as described by Felson?

  It refers to the portrayal of criminals and victims as older and more middle class than those in the criminal justice system.
• How does the media exaggerate police success?

  By over-representing violent and sexual crimes with higher clear-up rates.
• What is the 'dramatic fallacy' as described by Felson?

  It leads us to believe that committing and solving crimes requires daring and cleverness.
• What changes in news coverage focus occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s?

  In the 1960s, there was more focus on murders and petty crime, while in the 1990s, crimes had to be special to attract coverage.
• How are serial attacks often misrepresented in the media?

  They are shown as being carried out by psychopathic strangers, which is often not the case.
• What do Cohen and Young (1973) suggest about news?

  News is manufactured rather than discovered.
• What are the news values that determine if a story is newsworthy?

  • Immediacy
  • Dramatisation
  • Personalisation
  • High status
  • Simplification
  • Novelty of unexpectedness
  • Violence
  • Risk
• How many crime thrillers were sold worldwide from 1945-1984 according to Mandel (1984)?

  Over 10 billion crime thrillers.
• What does Surette (1998) say about fictional representations of crime?

  They follow 'the law of opposites' compared to official statistics.
• What recent trends have emerged in media representations of crime?

  Reality shows depict young offenders as non-white 'underclass' and portray police as corrupt.
• How does the media influence crime according to the study material?

  By desensitizing audiences to violence and glamorizing certain types of crime.
• What are some ways the media can cause crime?

  Imitation, arousal, desensitization, transmitting knowledge of criminal techniques, and stimulating desires for unaffordable goods.
• What did Schramm et al. (1961) conclude about television's effects on children?

  Television can be harmful, beneficial, or neutral depending on the child and circumstances.
• How does media consumption relate to the fear of crime?

  There is a link between media consumption and increased fear of crime.
• What did Schlesinger and Tumbr (1992) find about tabloid readers?

  Tabloid readers expressed greater fear of becoming a victim.
• What do interpretivists like Richard Sparks (1992) suggest about media violence?

  Research must consider the meanings people give to the violence and crime they see in the media.