CRIME AND DEVIANCE THE INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

Crime And Deviance the Interactionist Perspective

Crime and Deviance the Interactionist Perspective

Introduction

The classical theorists believe in the concept of free will when explaining crime.  If the rewards for being a criminal are greater than the retribution it would bring then criminal behaviour seems more likely.  This theory would predict that extreme punishments such as flogging or death would deter people from all crimes. The interactionist view takes a smaller scale view of society and social order and analyses small or medium scale social interactions.

Background

There have long been claims that the media, in one form or another, has had an overarching effect upon society, and especially so in regards to the portrayal of crime. Still, whilst this claim is not in dispute, what is of interest to us is not only the presentation of crime per se, but how and why it is created. Moreover, this approach will then enable us to consider the consequences such processes have on the public at large. To help us with this task we shall consider Stanley Cohen's, Folk Devils & Moral Panics, (1980) and Stuart Hall et al, Policing the Crisis, (1978). What is more, we shall situate both studies within a theoretical framework of moral panics as proposed by Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda (1994). The rationale behind this consideration is to establish the extent to which the media is seen to not only simply misrepresent the real nature of crime, but may actually construct false realties of crime.

Crime consumes an enormous amount of media space as both entertainment and news. Whether it be TV cop shows, crime novels, docudramas, newspaper articles, comics, documentaries, or 'real-life' reconstructions, crime criminality and criminal justice appear to have an endless capacity to tap not only into public fear but also public fascination…' (Muncie, 1996:44) The portrayal, and distribution of crime via the media, whether it has been by pamphlet, newspaper, or television has a relatively long and polemical heritage. Nonetheless, whilst it may true to say that media activity in earlier periods was moderately contained, the advent of the automated printing press and later, electronic mediums (television, internet, etc) have significantly extended the reach, and influence of the media.

Yet whilst this development has heightened the awareness of the general public in regards to crime, such awareness can only be measured in proportion to coverage. That is to say, if media coverage of crime is distorted, then this will ultimately be reflected in the mind-set of society. For instance, both police, and the British Crime Survey (BCS) figures reveal that 'Property crime accounts for the majority (78%) [of all] recorded crime.' Furthermore, 'Violent crime represented 23 per cent of all BCS crime and 19 per cent of police recorded crimes in 2003/04.' Nevertheless, press coverage of the latter far exceeds that for the former. What is more, if we were to flick through the majority of broadsheet, tabloid, and local press then we find an over reporting of violent ...