The definition of deviance is socially constructed with labelling of given acts deriving from response of others (Becker, 1963). This has implications for study of crime and the recording crime statistics as this means data used to understand crime in society is drawn from social products, and these social products are based upon perception. These perceptions are usually constructed through the media, who create images to drive forward particular views, and it is in this that certain norms or categorizing of crime derives as time progresses (Heitzeg, 1995). The act of constructing particular views in some cases results in profiling, portraying certain groups more as criminals than others (Welch, 2007; Webster, 2007). This is evident in the
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It is just recently that Cyber Crime has been introduced to crime statistics, in which for first time ONS estimated 5.1m online fraud incidents and 2.5m cybercrime offences (Telegraph, 2015), emphasizing the ever growing threat of Cyber Crime in a society where technology holds a grasp, with government agencies recognizing the importance to combat this, as the media continuously headlines Cyber Crime as a new form of crime (Telegraph, 2015). This example provides us with an understanding as to how the construction of the study of crime and recording of statistics is based upon perception of others on crime. In this sense, data on crime statistics do not seem to provide a reflection as to what seems to be going on in society, rather official data appears as social products that are a “result of a long-drawn-out series of interactions between members of the community and the community’s guardians” (Box, 1971, p16). As part of these interactions community guardians exercise the duty of “sift[ing] and select[ing] acts and persons for eventual incorporation into official records” (Erikson, 1962, p.214). This combined with the idea that the …show more content…
As time progresses attitudes evolve in accordance to norms, meaning that the categorizing of crime in statistics changes to fit new forms of crime in society (Heitzeg, 1995) such as Cyber Crime (Guardian, 2015). An important part of this is the media that acts as a vehicle for constructing images that aim to invoke certain responses by shaping public perception by driving forward certain views, often contributing to class and racial profiling (Welch, 2007). These profiling’s often reiterate the implications of social responses in defining deviance for the study of crime and in particular the recording of crime statistics, with certain groups often observed as committed crimes (Webster, 2007). These recording of crime statistics lie upon social interactions, and it is within this sphere of thought that determining deviance comes under fire as this process is often subjected to bias as it pits the powerful against the powerless, with the powerful often escaping any serious consequences (Sutherland as cited by Shover and Wright,
It is just recently that Cyber Crime has been introduced to crime statistics, in which for first time ONS estimated 5.1m online fraud incidents and 2.5m cybercrime offences (Telegraph, 2015), emphasizing the ever growing threat of Cyber Crime in a society where technology holds a grasp, with government agencies recognizing the importance to combat this, as the media continuously headlines Cyber Crime as a new form of crime (Telegraph, 2015). This example provides us with an understanding as to how the construction of the study of crime and recording of statistics is based upon perception of others on crime. In this sense, data on crime statistics do not seem to provide a reflection as to what seems to be going on in society, rather official data appears as social products that are a “result of a long-drawn-out series of interactions between members of the community and the community’s guardians” (Box, 1971, p16). As part of these interactions community guardians exercise the duty of “sift[ing] and select[ing] acts and persons for eventual incorporation into official records” (Erikson, 1962, p.214). This combined with the idea that the …show more content…
As time progresses attitudes evolve in accordance to norms, meaning that the categorizing of crime in statistics changes to fit new forms of crime in society (Heitzeg, 1995) such as Cyber Crime (Guardian, 2015). An important part of this is the media that acts as a vehicle for constructing images that aim to invoke certain responses by shaping public perception by driving forward certain views, often contributing to class and racial profiling (Welch, 2007). These profiling’s often reiterate the implications of social responses in defining deviance for the study of crime and in particular the recording of crime statistics, with certain groups often observed as committed crimes (Webster, 2007). These recording of crime statistics lie upon social interactions, and it is within this sphere of thought that determining deviance comes under fire as this process is often subjected to bias as it pits the powerful against the powerless, with the powerful often escaping any serious consequences (Sutherland as cited by Shover and Wright,