expresses that even in a ‘society of saints’ deviance would occur and without crime the standards would be so high that if someone acted out of behaviour it would be seriously frowned upon and regarded as a serious offence. However, in a society with social regulation, where the police arrest someone for committing a criminal offence, it shows society that that action is not condoned. This can also be viewed as Durkheim’s theory of social fact, a control technique, that allows individuals in society to know what to do in the everyday life. Whether it be how we work or who we befriend, it is how we think, act and feel. Crime levels can rise and fall due to many different factors; “Varieties of crime rise: Jason Ditton 1979: crime rise can mean a number of things; As a result of new laws, acts that were previously non-criminal now become criminal. More criminal acts are discovered. There is more mass media coverage of crime. More criminal acts are committed.” (Tierney & O’Neill, 2013) Most importantly to Durkheim, he argued that a positive social function is provided by crime as it perpetuates social consensus and clarifies deviant behaviour.

“According to Durkheim, deviance actually contributes to the maintenance of order within society. It does this in several ways. First of all, deviance helps identify the moral boundaries between right and wrong in society. By doing this, it alerts people to what is expected of them. Second, deviance enhances social solidarity by bringing people together against common threat. Third, deviance has an important role to play in allowing for change within society. Finally, deviance has an important role to play in reducing societal tensions, since it allows anxieties to be produced onto