A level sociology students should be looking to using contemporary examples and case studies to illustrate points and evaluate theories whenever possible. In the exams, the use of contemporary evidence is something examiners look for and reward.
Below are a few examples of some recent events in the news which are relevant to the sociology of crime and deviance. You’ll need to read the items for more depth on how to apply them.
- The Extinction Rebellion Protests – possibly an illustration of Durkheim’s theory of crime, also relevant to green crime.
- Displacing the Poor from London – relevant to critical victimology
- China – the World’s biggest tech thief? – relevant to state crime
- How do we explain the surge in knife crime?
- Nine criticisms of the view that school exclusions are the main cause of knife crime
- The government’s failure to deal with criminal employers who fail to pay the minimum wage – yet more support for the marxist perspective on crime
- What to do about Shamima Begum? – relevant to ethnicity, globalisation and crime.
All of the above took place in either 2019 or 2018!
