When people hear the word “crime”, they often picture
robbery, rape, murder, or other forms of violence. However, in today’s society,
crime, also known as a deviant behavior that violates norms, occurs everywhere and
is almost unavoidable in society. Nelson Mandela once said, “When a man is denied the
right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an
outlaw.” When the society becomes unbalanced, criminal activity occurs.
In this society, the criminal justice system is one that should guarantee
the citizens it serves a safe environment by preventing an excessive number of
criminals. However, if the system fails to reduce crime, the society can become
unbalanced. People not only commit crimes as a deviant behavior, which breaks
the law, but they also exhibit other deviance that violates social norms, both formally
and informally. Such behaviors can exist in everyone and are often reviled, but
in fact, thinking as a sociologist can reveal the reason why these behaviors
exist in society. The interrelation of the readings on crime have helped me to
understand the relationship between crime and deviance from a sociological
perspective, as well as changing my perspective on crime.
Criminal behavior exists as an inevitable part of society; therefore,
we should see crime as part of a normal pattern of behavior in society today.
In the article of “The Functions of Crime”, Emile Durkheim outlined his theory
that crime plays a normal role in the evolution of society. Durkheim believed,
as a sociologist, that crime should not be avoided because it is perceived as
detrimental to society. As most people believe crime is a scourge on society,
Durkheim holds “crime must no longer be conceived of as an evil which cannot be
circumscribed closely enough” (150). Even though crime contributes to disturbance
among people, it helps us to balance society. According to Durkheim, the
function of crime plays a huge social role: as a necessary factor that promotes
change to the society, crime provides, through social reaction against it, the
basis of morals and law. As the time goes on, crime changes as a functional
value that can influence our society. The morality in our society changes
continuously to reflect the crime that exists in every society. Even though
laws exist in every part of society, crime does not disappear. To keep society
evolving, there must be constant change, so we should consider criminals as performing
a normal role in social life, instead of as “utterly unsociable creatures”.
Thinking as a sociologist, I believe crime should be perceived as normal behavior
because it happens in every society, and there is no place that is free of
crime. Durkheim's article gave me a better understanding of crime, as well as
its function in society, helping me to think sociologically.
