Police Deviance Research Paper

Police deviance may be viewed as a very controversial topic by some and most people hold an opinion about it because of the nature of the policing profession. Using the positivist perspective involving empirical knowledge deviance can be defined as “a determined behaviour, a product of causation; hence, casual, explanatory theory can be developed” (Thio 2010:11). As a result of this view, police deviance in regards to breaking the law can be justifiable because police work can be stressful. Decades of studies have been done in the light of objectivism and these studies have revealed that “the pressures of law enforcement put officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, increase of destructive stress hormones, depression, heart problems,
Within the constructionist perspective, relativism sees “[d]eviance as a label, defined such at a given time and place; hence labellers, labelling, and impact of labeling can be subject of study” (Thio 2010:11). People who represent the power elite are the ones who apply the labels to society, usually those who violate laws. “Labellers include the police, judges, prison guards, psychiatrists, mental hospital attendants, and other social control agents” (Thio 2010:35). The individuals whom are most likely to be associated with the labelling include racial or ethnic minorities, genders and sexual minorities, religious minorities, people of low social status like the poor, homeless, age minorities, and those with disabilities. In this paper I will discuss police deviance through the view of the
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