Defintion and measurement of crime and deviance

Defining Crime and Deviance

Crime is defined as behaviour that violates legally enshrined rules and principles, which can lead to formal punishment by the state.
Deviance refers to behaviour or actions that contravene social norms or values. Deviance can be both criminal and non-criminal in nature.
Both crime and deviance are socially constructed concepts that vary over time, across cultures, within social groups and between individuals.

Labelling theory posits that social reactions to alleged deviant behaviours contribute to the deviant identity of the accused, leading to further deviance.
The functionalist perspective views crime and deviance as necessary elements for maintaining social order, emphasising their roles in reinforcing collective values and norms.
Conflict or Marxist theories suggest crime is a product of social inequality and power relationships. Those with power create laws that protect their interests, while disadvantaged groups resort to crime due to their social circumstances.
Interactionist approaches focus on the small-scale, everyday interactions that lead to the labelling of certain behaviour as deviant or criminal.

Official crime statistics, compiled from reports to the police, are commonly used to measure crime. However, they can suffer from underreporting and dark figure of crime.
Victim surveys, such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales, provide alternative data, capturing crimes that aren’t reported to or recorded by the police.
Self-report studies inquire about individuals’ own law-breaking behaviours, providing a different perspective on actual crime rates.

Issues associated with official crime statistics include selective enforcement (the police focusing on certain crimes or areas) and non-reporting (not all crimes are reported to the police).
Victim surveys may be skewed due to memory recall issues, non-response bias (people refusing or forgetting to participate in the survey), or victims overriding legal definitions of crime.
Self-report studies may be affected by the honesty of respondents and are likely to be biased towards minor, petty crimes as respondents will be less likely to admit to serious offences.

The criminal justice system (police, courts, and prisons) plays a key role in controlling crime through detection, prosecution, punishment, and rehabilitation.
Situational crime prevention strategies aim to reduce opportunities for crime, for example, by making the environment less conducive to crime (e.g., increased lighting, CCTV).
Societal and community interventions (educational programs, improving housing and employment opportunities etc.) focus on tackling the root causes of criminal behaviour.