👮 The police
They patrol, investigate crime and arrest suspects. Seeing police on the streets, and knowing offenders can be caught, makes people think twice.
Crime, Deviance and Control » Social Control and Crime Prevention
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: 6.1.2, 6.1.3, 6.1.4
- How formal agencies deter and prevent crime and deviance
- How informal agencies do the same job in everyday life
- Hirschi's control theory as a simple idea
- How effective social control is at preventing crime
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Unlock This CourseFrom conformity to crime prevention
Earlier in the course you met social control, the formal and informal agencies that keep people conforming. This lesson uses the same agencies for one purpose: stopping crime and deviance. Remember that crime breaks the law and deviance breaks the norms. Social control works on both.
Key terms:
- Crime prevention: any action that makes crime or deviance less likely to happen in the first place.
- Social bond: the ties that link a person to other people and to society, such as love for family or respect for teachers (Hirschi).
- Control theory: the idea that people commit crime when their bonds to society are weak, so the question to ask is why people conform, not why they offend.
Formal agencies and crime
Formal agencies are official bodies with written rules and the power to punish. Each one has its own way of deterring or preventing crime.
⚖️ Courts
They decide who is guilty and set the sentence. A harsh sentence given in public sets an example, which warns other people what will happen to them.
🏛️ Government
It makes the laws, decides the penalties and pays for the police, courts and prisons. It can also run campaigns, for example against drink driving.
🔒 Penal system
Prison removes offenders from the public for a time. The threat of prison deters, and programmes inside aim to stop people offending again.
The armed forces play a smaller role in crime prevention in most societies. In some societies they guard borders against smuggling or help the police restore order in an emergency. In others they are kept out of everyday policing altogether.
Notice the pattern. Formal control prevents crime in two ways: by deterring people, who fear being caught and punished, and by stopping offenders directly, for example by arrest or imprisonment. Policing methods and punishments are covered in detail in later lessons.
Informal agencies and crime
Informal agencies have no written rules or courts. They control people through everyday relationships, and they are often the first line of defence against deviance.
👪 Family
Parents supervise children, teach right from wrong and punish rule breaking. Many young people avoid offending because they do not want to let their family down.
🏫 Education
Schools have rules, detentions and exclusions. They also teach respect for rules and keep young people busy and supervised for much of the day.
💼 Workplace
A person with a job has something to lose. Breaking rules can mean losing the job, and a criminal record can make it hard to find work.
👥 Peer group
Friends can pressure each other to conform or to offend. A peer group with law-abiding norms keeps its members out of trouble through teasing and rejection.
📱 Media
Newspapers, television and social media report crime and punishment, which warns people of the risks. Online appeals can also help catch offenders.
🙏 Religion
Many religions teach that some acts are wrong and offer moral guidance. Believers may avoid crime through faith and fear of disapproval from their community.
Common mistakes
Students often describe how an agency "controls people" in general. In this topic you must link the agency to crime or deviance. Say how it deters or prevents it, for example "parents supervise children, so there are fewer chances to offend". Also remember that the media can influence people both ways: it can warn people about crime, but it can also make crime look exciting.
Hirschi's control theory
Travis Hirschi asked a different question from most sociologists. Instead of "why do people commit crime?", he asked "why do most people not?". His answer was the social bond. The stronger a person's bonds to society, the less likely they are to offend. He identified four parts of the bond:
- Attachment: close ties to family, friends and teachers. People do not want to hurt or disappoint those they care about.
- Commitment: having something to lose, such as exam results, a job or a good name.
- Involvement: being busy with studies, sport, work or hobbies, so there is little time or opportunity for trouble.
- Belief: accepting that the rules are fair and should be obeyed.
Worked example
Two 16-year-olds see a chance to steal from a shop. Ravi has close family ties, is training for a football team and hopes to go to college. Dev has left school, has few friends and little to do all day. Hirschi would say Ravi is less likely to steal because his attachment, commitment and involvement are strong. Dev has little to lose, so his bonds are weaker.
Notice that this theory links informal agencies to crime prevention. Family gives attachment, school and work give commitment and involvement, and the whole community teaches belief.
How effective is social control?
The spec asks you to judge how well these agencies prevent crime and deviance. Use points for and against.
✅ It works because...
Most people conform most of the time, mainly because of informal control from family, friends and work. Fear of being caught and punished deters many people from serious crime.
❌ It is limited because...
Crime still happens. Some offenders think they will not be caught, or that the penalty is too small to matter. Much crime is never reported, so it is never punished.
- Informal control varies. It is weak for people with few ties. Someone with little contact with family, school or work has few people to notice or discourage deviance.
- Agencies can pull in different directions. A peer group may encourage offending while family and school discourage it.
- Control theory has limits. It does not explain why some well-bonded people, such as those in well-paid jobs, still commit crime.
- Fairness matters. If people believe the law or its enforcement is unfair, belief weakens and control becomes less effective.
A good conclusion is that informal control prevents most everyday deviance, while formal control is needed for serious crime, and neither is fully effective alone.
Exam-style question
(a) Define the term crime prevention. [2 marks]
(b) Give two examples of formal agencies of social control. [2 marks]
(c) Explain three ways informal agencies of social control prevent crime and deviance. [6 marks]
Model answer
(a) Crime prevention is any action that makes crime or deviance less likely to happen (1), such as supervision or the threat of punishment (1).
(b) The police (1) and the courts (1). Government, the penal system and the armed forces also gain credit.
(c) Family: parents supervise their children and teach right from wrong, so young people have fewer chances to offend and do not want to let their family down (2). Workplace: people with a job have something to lose, because breaking rules can mean losing the job and make it harder to find work (2). Media: reporting crime and punishment warns people of the consequences, which deters them from offending (2).
Exam tip
For a question that says "three ways", name the agency, then explain how it prevents crime. Name three different agencies, and give a reason for each, to earn the full 2 marks per point.