Crime and

Deviance
First Semester
NLUJAA
Emile Durkheim
1858-1917
• Crime

•  To designate any act which, regardless of degree,

provokes against the perpetrator the characteristics
reaction known as punishment.

•  Different species of crime

•  One thing in common

•  Punishment


Punishment Crime
•  The fact that punishment, except for differences in
degree, always and everywhere exists.

•  The oneness of the effect reveals the oneness of the

cause.

•  Universally they (crimes) strike the moral

consciousness of nations in the same way and
universally produce the same consequences.

•  All are crimes, that is, acts repressed by prescribed

punishments.
Crime as a “Social Fact”

Social Fact: “Manners of acting, thinking and feeling external to the
individual, which are invested with a coercive power by virtue of
which they exercise control over him.” (External)

(Durkheim worked hard to shape ‘Sociology’ as an empirical

discipline on par with the natural sciences.)

Durkheim specifically wanted to know- How does Society hold

itself together despite differences?
 Solidarity
•  Social Solidarity: Degree and Types of integration shown
by a society of group of people
•  It is the connections between individuals that allow them
to form a cohesive social unit.

•  What did Durkheim identify as the empirical base to

study “Solidarity”? (Law)

•  Collective Consciousness: “The totality of beliefs and

Sentiments common to average citizens of the same
society” (Moral Consciousness)

Mechanical Solidarity Organic Solidarity

•  Social integration that arises out of •  Independence/Differences

homogeneity of the members

•  Pre-modern Societies •  Modern Societies

•  Less interdependence •  More interdependence

•  Minimum division of labour •  Complex Division of labour

•  Intolerant towards Violation of norm •  Flexible

•  Closely bounded with “collective •  Marked by gap from the moral

consciousness” (moral conciseness) conscienceless.

•  Repressive laws: Restrains Personal and •  Restitute law: Restores the wrongs of
thus prevent the community to deviate Crime
from social norms
 Crime as Social Fact

Crime and Social fact

Punishment (Empirical approach)

LAW Social Solidarity

(Repressive & (Mechanical &
Restitute) Organic)


Punishment Crime
 what does crime do
(Functional Approach)

•  Necessity: A limited amount of crime is inevitable and

even necessary

•  Positive Function: Attributes to well being of the

society.

•  Too much crime is bad.

•  May lead to collapse
•  Institutions of social control is necessary
 Functions

•  Social Regulations

•  Social Integration

•  Social change
Source-internet
 Anomie
•  In periods where the norms and values of society
were unclear.

•  People become confused (how to behave)

•  Threatened social order.

•  An abnormal form of division of labor

•  Too little regulations to encourage corporation

between different social functions
Egoistic Altruistic

Suicide

Anomic Fatalistic
•  Egoistic- Stemming from the absence of social
integration. (Social Outcaste)

•  Altruistic-Highly integrated- sense of scarifies for

a group interest

•  Anomic- lack of social regulation. Hopelessness.

Sudden and unexpected change in situation.

•  Fatalistic- when an individuals are kept under tight

regulations.