StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Nobody downloaded yet

Social Construction of Crime - Research Paper Example

Summary
The author of the "Social Construction of Crime" paper states that while some deeds of deviance may be criminal, it is the breach of social custom, whether criminal or not that makes them deviant thus setting the difference between deviance and crime. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96% of users find it useful
Social Construction of Crime
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Social Construction of Crime"

Download file to see previous pages

Crime is usually deemed as an act that goes against the provisions of the set law as set by the legislature or any other body tasked with making laws, and its social construction varies from society to society as well as the time and the law itself. Therefore, each crime is by the particular rules, beliefs, and norms as well as the values that are in play at any given time in the history of the society. A proper analysis of crime reveals that it is an integral part of any society that can be constructed politically, economically, or culturally in the way it affects the society (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2001, p. vii). Therefore, deeds become crimes in a society through a social construction process, in that the same deeds may be regarded as criminal in one society while it may be an acceptable act in a different society at the same or different time. This means that the legal standing of a behavior whether defined as a crime or not is in not in the behavior content itself, but lies in the social reaction to the behavior in question and the alterations in the legal status of the behavior, which can be brought about by the transitions in the society.

It is also imperative that the social reaction to crime including the numerous explanations for crime is usually based not only on the nature of the act itself but also on the moral and social standing of the offender as related to that of the victim. Crime is regarded as an act that tends to break the law based on the opinion of most people. When discussing the issue of crime it is very important to take into account several concerns that are raised by a couple of questions regarding how society views crime.

Some of the questions focus on who are the people that make the rules, which govern society, and the reason why they do so. These questions are quite vital as any answers given to them are underpinned by the discussion of political power, class difference, social power as well as how crime is socially constructed (McLaughlin,2001, p13). Further, it is noted that in the absence of any ontological reality of crime, there are tests that are used in the construction of crime.

One of the tests is the intention to commit the known crime and how it is perceived. In the social control process, the behavior of individuals and groups is usually regulated by both formal and informal agents and in the process of socialization, there is the social control where people adopt and learn norms as well as rules. 

...Download file to see next pages Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Social Construction of Crime

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF CRIME AND DEVIANCE

Consequently, they can impose their assumptions of crime, compared to the viewpoints of a layman individual.... Baldock defines social construction as the means in which crime and deviance in society can be formulated and fashioned by society, as well as social institutions.... A study by Baldock et al identifies that; a crime can be regarded as a social construction because what is illegitimate in a particular society or culture might be legitimate in another society....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Clinton Impeachment Trial

In the paper 'Media Trial' the author looks at the three most common types of media trials, which utilize narratives taken directly from entertainment media: abuse of power, the sinfully rich, and evil strangers.... These themes provide the news media with powerful pre-established conceptual frameworks....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Newspaper Media: Crime in Atlantic City

Each news report of crime outside of Atlantic City is sensationalized.... Either crime is at an all time low in Atlantic City, or the paper is careful to edit which stories they chose to carry.... More crime can be seen in college campus news reports!... For this review, I have chosen to look at the Press of Atlantic City, and how it covers crime locally, nationally, and worldwide. ... While some of these charges are notable sexual assault, for instance, this seems like a very low crime rate for such a big area, not to mention an area that does allow gambling....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Explanation Of Crime And Its Context In Criminology

Nowadays the criminology is considered as a sociological science (sociology of crime) because it studies crime as a social phenomenon.... The writer of the paper "Explanation of crime And Its Context In Criminology" discusses the impact of racism on criminal justice.... As a matter of fact this dual "nature" of crime ( which is, on the one hand, is real harm, and on the other hand, is a "foresight" of the criminal law (conventionality) causes the complexity of the definition of crime....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

Crime in Media

The author states the media is awash with reports of crime, and this has led to the question of the effect that media has on crime.... The use of crime both as entertainment and for information is very controversial as it may to some extent influence the behavior of the viewer negatively (Goldstein 2006).... The paper 'crime in Media' presents crime which has been a subject of interest for quite a long time together with deviance....
8 Pages (2000 words) Case Study

Role of Social Structure for the Increased Crime Rate in the US

This report "Role of Social Structure for the Increased crime Rate in the US" discusses white-collar crimes.... It has been admitted that white-collar crimes are usually committed by elite persons of high social status during the course of the occupation.... ... ...
13 Pages (3250 words) Report

The Relationship between Criminology and Criminal Justice

Maguire, Morgan, and Reiner explored a relationship between criminology and criminal justice in the context of the Social Construction of Crime itself by considering criminology and criminal justice as their two broad divisions.... On the one hand, criminology is concerned with social and individual antecedents of crime and with the nature of the crime as a social phenomenon while criminal justice deals with the institutional aspects of the social construction of the crime....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

Crime Is a Social Construct: Illicit Drug Use in Australia

It is important to note that behaviors become criminal activities through social construction.... This paper "crime Is a Social Construct: Illicit Drug Use in Australia" tells that there will be always contentions and debates among law enforcement agencies, academicians, the media, and the general public regarding the perspective from which one should view illicit drug use.... Some will contend that illicit drug use, as deviant behavior is a reality or a local crime....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us