Understanding Power & Control

Crime can be described as a topic that dominates a person's collective consciousness. It can be seen all over the media in the form of newspaper headlines and movies. Despite all this, there is still an unclear attitude towards it.

The study of crime is made up of many elements such as biology, psychology, statistics and sociology. To research this topic the difference between crime and deviance must be clear.

A crime is an act that breaks a formal written rules eg laws.

Deviance is when someone commits an act that breaks societies unwritten rules eg the norms.
There are two forms of deviance: absolute and relative.
Absolute means that it is unchanging for example, it is deviant across all countries and times.
Relative means that it does vary across different countries and time periods.

The ability to decide what is deviant and what is criminal or sometimes even both is a result of having a considerable amount of power in society.
The people that determine what is a crime and what is deviant are described as 'actors'.

It can be suggested that many crimes are widely thought as by the majority of society as being minor or petty.
However, having a criminal record can really restrict the opportunities that an individual has. 
Being described a 'criminal' is a master label. 
A 'DBS Check' can be used to find out if someone has a criminal record or not. This is commonly used in businesses before they hire someone as they want to know what kind of person could be working for them.