6.2 What are the patterns of and explanations for crime and deviance?

2026 Syllabus Objectives

6.2.1 Patterns of crime and victimisation:

  • Age
  • Social class
  • Gender
  • Ethnicity

6.2.2 Explanations for crime and deviance based on age:

  • Police targeting / stop and search
  • Self-fulfilling prophecy
  • Stereotyping
  • Gang culture
  • Socialisation and social control
  • Lack of opportunity
  • Status frustration

6.2.3 Explanations for crime and deviance based on ethnicity:

  • Institutional racism
  • Prejudice and discrimination
  • Police targeting / stop and search
  • Material and relative deprivation
  • Stereotyping
  • Gang culture
  • Status frustration

6.2.4 Explanations for crime and deviance based on gender:

  • Chivalry thesis
  • Culture of masculinity
  • Socialisation and social control
  • Misogyny
  • Stereotyping
  • Gang culture
  • Lack of opportunity

6.2.5 Explanations for crime and deviance based on social class:

  • Social exclusion
  • Material and relative deprivation
  • Inadequate socialisation
  • Lack of opportunity
  • Status frustration
  • Power inequalities
  • Police targeting / stop and search

6.2.6 Sociological theories on crime and deviance:

  • Postmodernism
  • Interactionism (including labelling and moral panic theory)
  • Functionalism (including the New Right, subculturalism and strain theory)
  • Marxism
  • Feminism

6.2.7 Strengths and limitations of the different explanations for crime and deviance:

  • Age
  • Ethnicity
  • Gender
  • Social class
  • Different sociological theories

Patterns of Victimisation by Age, Social Class, Gender and Ethnicity

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Overview of Victimisation Patterns 🎯

According to official statistics and victim surveys, groups that are most likely to commit crime are also most likely to be victims of crime. This includes:

  • Young people
  • Males
  • Working-class people
  • Some minority ethnic groups

Important Pattern: The victim and offender of a crime often belong to the same group; for example, young working-class men are often victims of crime by other young working-class men.

Patterns of Victimisation by Age

Children as Victims

Children are at risk of being victims of some crimes because of:

  • Low status and little power
  • Vulnerability to neglect and abuse within the family
  • May not be believed when reporting abuse

Child Labour 👶

Child labour is a significant issue globally:

  • Refers to children under 15 working for more than 14 hours per week (usually not attending school)
  • The International Labour Organization estimated that in 2020, there were approximately 160 million child labourers (aged 5-17)
  • 79 million were engaged in hazardous work, against international law
  • The majority were in developing countries
  • More boys than girls were affected

Note: Not all cases break the law in every country, but they violate children's rights to education.

Children in Armed Conflict

Children may be used in wars as:

  • Soldiers
  • Cooks
  • Messengers
  • Spies

The Paris Principles (international standards) state that children under 18 should be treated primarily as victims, even if they participated as fighters.

Teenagers and Young People 🔑

Teenagers and young people have a higher risk of being victims of certain crimes, especially violent crime, because they:

  • Are more active
  • Are more likely to be in public places where crimes occur
  • May be involved in gang-related violence

Statistics: The World Health Organization estimates that around 200,000 young people (between 10-29 years) are victims of homicide every year, representing 42% of all global homicides.

Older People as Victims

Older people face different risks:

  • Less familiar with digital technologies than younger people
  • At risk of cybercrimes such as online fraud
  • Less able to detect suspicious online activity
  • Vulnerable to abuse and neglect by carers

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