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AQA GCSE · Question 06 · Crime and Deviance

SOURCE TEXT:
Item A

There are concerns from some social commentators about the relatively high level of youth crime in society.

The Ministry of Justice produced a report entitled 'Youth Justice Statistics: 2018 to 2019', in which they presented the national statistics on recorded criminal behaviour amongst young people (below the age of 18). The report stated that there were 21 700 children either cautioned or sentenced in that time. Of this group:

• 85% were male
• 15% were female
• 73% were White
• 27% were Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
• 23% were aged 10–14
• 77% were aged 15–17.

Source: Ministry of Justice, 2020

QUESTION:
Identify and explain one factor which may account for the relatively high level of crime that is committed by young people, according to Item A.

How to approach this question

First, identify a sociological factor that explains youth crime (e.g., peer pressure, status frustration, lack of opportunity). Then, explain how this factor leads to criminal behaviour. Finally, link your explanation to the data in Item A, for example, by referring to the high percentage of offenders in the 15-17 age group.

Full Answer

One factor is peer pressure. Young people, particularly those aged 15-17 who make up 77% of offenders in Item A, may feel pressure from their friends to engage in deviant acts to gain status or acceptance within their group. This can lead to crimes like vandalism or shoplifting, as individuals conform to the norms of their subculture rather than mainstream society. This desire for peer approval can override their knowledge that the act is wrong.
Sociologists offer several explanations for youth crime. Subcultural theories, like those of Albert Cohen, suggest that working-class youths experience 'status frustration' in a middle-class dominated school system. They cannot achieve success through legitimate means, so they form delinquent subcultures where they can gain status through deviant acts. Other explanations include peer pressure, where the desire to fit in leads to conformity to deviant norms, and labelling theory, where being labelled as 'deviant' can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Common mistakes

Providing a common-sense explanation (e.g., 'they are bored') without using sociological concepts or linking it to the data in Item A.
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