About Crime & Sociology

In Sociology, crime is identified as a deviant behavior. It is deviant in that it goes against accepted or written rules and laws that guide a society. All deviant behavior isn't a crime. Whether a behavior is a crime is determined from one society to the next. Understanding sociology will give you a better understanding of how crime affects society as a whole.

History

To understand crime and sociology, one must first understand the "Conflict Theory" founded by Karl Marx. Conflict theory sees society as two struggling groups engaged in conflict over resources. Under this theory, it is believed that the capitalist class (or the society elites) commit acts of deviance just as the working class does. The main difference is that society elites determine the rules regarding what is deviant. This difference among the people will always lead to conflict. This idea explains why there is crime in societies and why it will never cease to be.

Types

Sociologists classify crimes by three types: crimes against a person, crimes against property and victimless crimes. Crimes against a person include any offenses where violence is used or threatened. Mugging and assault are examples of crimes against a person. Crimes against property include theft of property or damage done to someone else's property. Burglary and arson are crimes against property. Finally, victimless crimes are crimes that are against the law, but no victim exists. Prostitution and marijuana are common examples of victimless crimes. In sociology, all crimes fall into one of these three categories.

Features

In order to identify who commits crimes and why they do it, the study of sociology utilizes age, gender, race, social class, and ethnicity. These features are helpful when breaking down what demographics commit which types of crime. By using this information, sociologists have been able to determine that younger individuals in society are more likely to commit crimes than older ones. They found out that men are more likely to commit a crime than women. A more appropriate example to the study of sociology and crime is that violent crimes are most often perpetrated by poor individuals. White-collar crime is more prevalent among the wealthy, and the laws involved in that sort of crime are less frequently enforced.

Effects

Studying crime together with sociology is important due to the effects that crime has on society. In addition to the victims of the crime, the rest of society is charged with the responsibility of paying for the incarceration of hundreds of thousands of criminals each year. Crimes against property often have devastating financial impacts on areas of high crime, particularly urban areas filled with low-income individuals unlikely to report crimes committed against them. Studying crime and sociology together seeks to identify why these individuals turn to crime, and it shows how we, as a society, can prevent it. With nearly 300 individuals under the age of 19 incarcerated in federal prisons, learning how to prevent children from turning into lifetime criminals is a current goal of sociologists. Finding alternative rehabilitation facilities is a first step in making sure underage offenders don't perfect their criminal skills while in the presence of career criminals.

Significance

Understanding crime and sociology together has great significance for the future of any society. By identifying the "who" and the "why" of crime, we are better equipped to find solutions that don't lead to a life of crime. For example, removing a child from an abusive home is the first step in making certain that child does not learn to express himself in only a physical manner. Without understanding the make up of the criminal, it is not possible to understand his or her motives. Sociology seeks to understand these individuals and their situations. By doing so, the goal is to determine a way to treat these individuals that will reduce their recidivism rate. A lower crime rate has a positive effect on society as a whole, including more money available for more necessary projects, greater property value in urban areas and less children incarcerated.

Resources

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