3. what is the difference between crime and deviance

Least severe ones like theft are considered a misdemeanour. Crime can result in the offender receiving a legal sanction and punishment as written in the constitution or the law. They are usually controlled by the judicial system and police force. Criminology is the specific study of crimes and the individuals who commit a crime. They can help the police force in viewing a crime from the right perspective to catch the guilty.

Deviance is the violation of rules, social norms and convictions set by society. They also include behaviours that are not accepted by society. Since they change from society to society, it is not necessary to documentations and is open to facing more changes. This also means, if it is considered deviance in one society, it could be accepted as normal in another. Deviances are of two types: formal and informal. Since they are also based on the severity of the deviance, they also have different punishments.

These two concepts are often used together, as both have similar meanings. There is often an overlap between crime and deviance since deviant behaviours can also be regarded as criminal behaviours. Moreover, a crime also violates social norms and rules in addition to the violation of the law. This is why it is very difficult to determine the difference between crime and deviance.

What is Crime — Definition, Types, Examples 2. What is Deviance — Definition, Types, Examples 3. Crime, Deviance, Law. In other words, it is an illegal or unlawful action that is punishable by law. Moreover, there are many types of forms of crimes. In criminal law , crimes have two main basic categories felonies and misdemeanours. Put it another way, whether or not an act or behaviour is regarded as deviant, depends greatly on the way people look and label that act or behaviour.

In essence, the deviance is decided on the basis of social setting or the context in which the deviance happens. Smoking in a public place is an example of deviance. Norms are the rules which guide the members of the society about what is to be done and what should not be done in a particular situation.

Whenever there is a deviation from these norms, it is called as deviance. Norms are of two types:. Crime refers to any unlawful act or negligence causing physical or psychological harm to someone, often forbidden and punishable by the statute. It is detrimental to the welfare of the public, or to the interest of the state and so, it is prosecuted by the state. The punishment for committing a crime can be fine or imprisonment or both. In the commission of a crime four stages are involved:. Crime is the offensive act which breaks the statutory law, as well as it is strongly opposed by society.

Any action or behavior that violates these laws is considered as a crime punishable by a court of law. There are many behaviors that were earlier strictly considered as crimes but with the passage of time and changes in the social perspectives of the society, many of these behaviors today are merely deviances.

Examples include prostitution, alcoholism, going nude in public, stealing etc. There are crimes of all sorts and a crime can be petty shoplifting to a serious embezzlement of huge sums of money from the exchequer or the system. There are social crimes like illicit relationships and thefts and also murders and rapes. To deal with different types of crimes, various laws are made to empower courts and police to apprehend criminals and sentence them to prisons according to the provisions of the law.