Crime and Culture

Did you know that chewing gum was banned in Singapore? People caught by police selling, importing or eating chewing gum can be fined. However, in the UK and many other countries, chewing gum is not illegal. In fact, it's a common practice. These differences highlight that crime is not always defined by the actions itself but by rules, practices and unspoken rules of society. The social response is represented by culture. And therefore, culture impacts the perception and definition of criminal behaviours. Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between crime and culture.

• In this explanation, we will start by looking at the meaning of crime and culture.

• Moving on, we will delve into the relationship between crime and culture.

• Next, we will examine the conflict between crime and culture.

• And lastly, we will explore knife crime and gang cultures.

Crime and Culture Meaning

Although crime has significantly decreased since the 1990s, crime is still a concerning topic in most countries. Let's start by defining what exactly crime is:

Crime is an illegal act punishable by law, e.g. murder, assault or theft.

But are laws equal, regardless of culture? The answer is no, and before looking into the relationship between culture and crime, let's define culture:

You may be reminded of previous historical times when individuals suffering from mental health illnesses were categorised as anti-social individuals. Back then, these 'anti-social behaviours' were seen as a nuisance to society, and they did what they thought was logical; they got rid of them. E.g., people were imprisoned and even killed for it.

With time, culture and people's attitudes toward mental health have evolved. Furthermore, legislation concerning mental health has also changed.

This is an example of how crime and culture are interdependent. Legal acts are defined by culture, and the culture at the time may perceive different actions as criminal or not criminal due to different motivations, such as the intellectual spirit. This is because crime can be defined as a social construct. Let's look further into this.

Crime as a Social Construct

Since crimes are not classed as the same thing in different cultures and societies, crime can be identified as a social construct.

To consider crime as a social construct, we would expect to see cross-cultural differences between crimes.

Let's look at an example showing cross-cultural differences between crimes. The majority of Muslim countries, like Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, do not allow people to consume or have alcoholic drinks in their possession. Conversely, in Europe or the US, the same behaviour is not punished by law - unless you are underage. Another example is euthanasia.

Cultural Differences in Crime

The relationship between crime and culture can also be in conflict or present discrepancies.

Fig 2. An unknown fact that many people are unaware of is that it is illegal to be on your phone whilst your cars engine is on, even if it is stationary.

Generally speaking, there are two types of culture; individualistic and collectivist. And how crime is understood in these two cultures differs from one another.

Individualistic cultures are identified by societies where individuals focus on themselves rather than their community. In these cultures, it is generally understood that individuals have the freedom to choose their actions. Therefore, individuals committing crimes are seen as fully responsible for the crimes committed and expected to deal with the consequences. In collectivist cultures committing a crime is understood differently. Collectivist cultures focus on the shared interest of cultures - e.g. harmony and respectfulness - over the interests of the single individuals who compose it.

There are also different types of crimes that take place. For now, let's focus on knife crime and gang culture.

Crime and Culture Conflict

Culture, however, does not only influence crime but also deviance. Therefore, deviance has been in the spotlight of psychological research.

Criminal behaviour falls under the category of deviance, even though deviance refers to broader types of behaviours. Lying, bullying, or a male figure wearing a dress are not behaviours that would get anyone in legal trouble. But these behaviours can be judged as atypical or inappropriate.

There are several deviance theories in psychology. Here you will be presented with the Psychoanalytic and Learning Theories of Deviance.

The Psychoanalytic theory states that every person has repressed urges and desires hidden in their unconscious mind, the psyche. And these hidden feelings sometimes influence our behaviour. Among these drives, there may be criminal tendencies. People often do not carry out deviant behaviours because they go through the process of socialisation. When a person is socialised, then the person learns to control these urges.

The Learning Theory states that deviant behaviour is learned by observing others engage in it and seeing the consequences. If an individual sees another person engaging in deviant behaviour that does not lead to negative consequences, the observer is more likely to engage in such behaviour themself.

Other examples of the learning theory of deviance are gangs. Let's explore these further.

Knife Crime and Gang Culture

You probably have heard of gangs before, but what is exactly a criminal gang?

Gangs usually put pressure on others, especially young people, to recruit them. Once an individual is in a gang, social influence and social pressures make it hard for individuals to leave the gang.

People in gangs are more likely to observe deviant behaviours often, which according to the learning theory, makes them more likely to engage in deviant behaviour. If they see others rewarded for their behaviour, e.g. they may make a lot of money, they may be popular or be confident individuals, the individual may imitate it so that they can be rewarded in the same way.

If, in a specific culture, many believe that weapons, such as carrying guns or knives, are acceptable, e.g. because it provides protection, then it may make weapons more accessible and increase crime rates.