Did you know that for cities with more than 500,000 people Nassau-Suffolk, New York has the best crime rate in the country while Tuscon, Arizona has the worst (Sperling, 2004)? Just a fun fact. It makes me happy to live in a state that doesn't have a lot of crime. But what is crime? “A crime is any act or omission that violates a law which results in a punishment (FreeAdvice Staff, 2011).” The funny thing about crime in the world is that if you’re in a different country they may not see a crime here in the United States as a crime in their country. You could even go state to state and have a different law. A good example of this is the sale of fireworks. In New Jersey you can’t buy them but if you go across the Delaware River with your New Jersey license and you can buy just about any fireworks you want from a vendor in Pennsylvania. Shooting fireworks on the 4th of July is an American tradition but if you don’t shoot them it’s not a crime. This is called Deviance.
Deviance according to our book is “behavior that is recognized as violating expected rules and norms.” Staying on the topic of fireworks, you’d technically be a deviant if you didn’t ever shoot or watch fireworks on the 4th of July and you’re a citizen of the United States.
There are a lot of reasons why sociologists think people become deviants or commit crimes. There have been studies since ancient times on why people do the things they do. After all isn’t that what sociology is all about, study of people and culture. An article that I found gives a good understanding of why.
“Reasons for committing a crime include greed, anger, jealously, revenge, or pride. Some people decide to commit a crime and carefully plan everything in advance to increase gain and decrease risk. These people are making choices about their behavior; some even consider a life of crime better than a regular job—believing crime brings in greater rewards, admiration, and excitement—at least until they are caught. Others get an adrenaline rush when successfully carrying out a dangerous crime. Others commit crimes on impulse, out of rage or fear
(Causes of crime, nd). ”
Another reason that sociologist talk about a lot is when a group of deviants get together they form a social bond. They create their own culture where people fit in with each other. At this point are they considered deviants? What do you think?
http://law.jrank.org/pages/12004/Causes-Crime.html Causes of Crime - Explaining Crime, Physical Abnormalities, Psychological Disorders, Social And Economic Factors, Broken Windows, Income And Education
Fire work picture:
What is a crime?
America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime
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