Crime And Deviance In Today'S Society
Throughout the world, all countries consider acts as either Criminal or Deviant, these are based on our societal background and culture; what may be acceptable to one may not be acceptable to others and vice versa. Crime is defined as an act that is considered unlawful and sanctioned by law. In the United Kingdom, acts such as: Honour Killings etc. are not tolerated, whereas in other countries such as South Asia and the Middle East consider these acts as Deviant much like crime however, are not sanctioned by law although may be socially abnormal to others. In today society, sanctions are put into place to distinguish between what is accepted or disapproved. These sanctions can be informal or formal. “Informal sanctions are rules or norms that are ‘unwritten’ and not enforced by an official authority”.
An example of an informal sanction would be the bus boycotts that took place in 1955-1956 in Montgomery, Alabama. “The boycott was a spontaneous reaction against racial segregation in the city's public transit system. The boycott was not recognized by any legal entity but is still considered a sanction due to the mass disapproval of racial segregation from the city's African American community”.
Formal sanctions play a major role in maintaining social stability: “actions that are legalized and official in nature and enforced by an authoritative force. Punishments and rewards from officials such as law enforcement and academic settings are examples of formal sanctions. An official trade embargo from one country against another country is a large-scale formal sanction. A traffic citation for speeding is an example of a minor formal sanction”.
In addition, some acts may move from deviant to criminal and vice versa. An example of this:
- Spitting in public places may be considered deviant however, if directed at someone then this act turns criminal.
- Before the year 2013 same sex marriage was considered illegal in England. However, since the law has passed it is now seen as a deviant act.
Furthermore, criminal and deviant behaviour can be defined by our culture, religion and historical background an example of this: In Jamaica, known as one of the most homophobic countries in the world considers gay sex a crime which is shown throughout their hysterical dancehall music or even punishable by death reason being they believe it is a sign of “sin and weakness”. This is stem from their historical background, it sis claimed during slavery, when enslaved men were often raped by their white masters which was meant to ‘demasculinise’ them also they have a strong religious background: Christianity which is the dominant religion.
