How do sociologists explain crime and deviance?
Sociological explanations of crime and deviance: the difference between crime and deviance, and the functionalist, Marxist, interactionist (labelling) and feminist explanations of why crime happens.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on the sociological explanations of crime and deviance. Covers the difference between crime and deviance, and the functionalist, Marxist, interactionist (labelling) and feminist explanations of why crime and deviance occur, applying the perspectives to a social issue.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the sociological explanations of crime and deviance: the difference between crime and deviance, and how the functionalist, Marxist, interactionist and feminist perspectives each explain why crime happens. This is the Social Issues area applying the perspectives from Human Society to a real social issue.
The answer
Crime and deviance
The functionalist explanation
The Marxist explanation
The interactionist (labelling) explanation
The feminist explanation
Examples in context
Shoplifting shows the perspectives at work. A functionalist might note that punishing a shoplifter publicly reaffirms the value of honesty and property, so a limited amount of crime is normal and even reinforces shared values. A Marxist would point to inequality and poverty as pressures behind theft, and argue that a shoplifter is far more likely to be prosecuted than a company committing large-scale fraud, because the law serves ruling-class interests. An interactionist would focus on labelling: once caught and labelled a "thief", the person may be watched more closely and come to see themselves that way, a self-fulfilling prophecy. A feminist would ask why recorded offenders are so disproportionately male. Comparing these explanations, rather than relying on one, is exactly what lifts a "analyse" answer.
Try this
Q1. Explain the functionalist view that crime can be functional for society. [4 marks]
- Cue. Punishing wrongdoing reminds everyone of shared values and unites society against the offender, reinforcing the collective conscience.
Q2. Explain the interactionist idea of labelling in relation to crime. [4 marks]
- Cue. Deviance depends on who is defined as deviant; once labelled, a self-fulfilling prophecy can deepen the person's deviance.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher specimen16 marksAnalyse sociological explanations of crime and deviance.Show worked answer →
A -mark "analyse" question. Markers reward developed explanation of more than one perspective and how they differ.
Strong answers explain the difference between crime (breaking the law) and deviance (breaking social norms), then set out the perspectives: functionalists (crime is normal and can reinforce values), Marxists (crime reflects inequality and the law serves the ruling class), interactionists (labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy), and feminists (gender shapes crime).
Analysis marks come from comparing the perspectives, for example how Marxists and interactionists both question official statistics but for different reasons. A clear judgement on which best explains crime is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 20198 marksExplain the difference between crime and deviance, using examples.Show worked answer →
An -mark "explain" question. Markers want a clear distinction developed with examples.
Crime is behaviour that breaks the law and can be punished by the state. Deviance is behaviour that breaks the social norms of a group or society but is not necessarily illegal.
Develop the contrast: some acts are both crime and deviance (theft), some are deviant but not criminal (queue-jumping or unusual dress), and what counts as deviant varies between societies and over time. Clear examples of each category earn the developed marks.
Related dot points
- Patterns of crime and victimisation: how crime is distributed by class, age, gender and ethnicity, who is most affected by crime, and why official crime statistics may be unreliable.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on patterns of crime and victimisation. Covers how crime is distributed by class, age, gender and ethnicity, who is most likely to be a victim, and why official crime statistics may be unreliable because of unreported and unrecorded crime and the dark figure of crime.
- Sociological explanations of social inequality: the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and Weberian explanations, and the individualist versus structural debate about the causes of inequality.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on the sociological explanations of social inequality. Covers the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and Weberian explanations of why inequality exists, the individualist versus structural debate, and how to evaluate the competing explanations.
- Responses to crime and inequality: how the criminal justice system responds to crime (punishment and rehabilitation) and how government responds to inequality through social policy and the welfare state, and how effective these responses are.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on responses to crime and inequality. Covers how the criminal justice system responds to crime through punishment and rehabilitation, how government responds to inequality through social policy and the welfare state, the punishment versus rehabilitation debate, and how effective these responses are.
- The interactionist (social action) perspective: how it explains society from the bottom up through meanings, labelling and the self, the key concepts, and its strengths and weaknesses compared with structural perspectives.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on interactionism, the social action perspective. Covers how interactionists explain society from the bottom up through shared meanings, labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy, key thinkers such as Mead and Becker, and how the perspective differs from and is criticised by structural perspectives.
- The Marxist (conflict) perspective: how it explains society through class conflict and economic power, the key concepts of base and superstructure, ideology and false consciousness, and its strengths and weaknesses.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on Marxism, the conflict perspective. Covers how Marxists explain society through class conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat, the economic base and superstructure, ideology and false consciousness, alienation, and the main criticisms from functionalists, feminists and social action sociologists.
Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Sociology Course Specification (C868 76) — SQA (2019)