Deviant, deviance act, youth, young people, crime, gang
Abstract
Deviant acts such as murder, sexual victimization, bullying, mental health issues, substance use, violent crimes and theft represent behaviors outside of social norms. These acts are often closely associated with minority, youth and marginalized groups, who may be subjected to such behaviors due to systemic discrimination, exclusion and adverse social conditions. This systematic discrimination, exclusion or adverse social conditions. This systematic literature review examined 31 articles focusing on deviant acts experienced or committed by these groups. Thematic analysis categorized deviant behaviors into five main types which is substance use and HIV/AIDS, sexual crimes, criminal offenses, bullying victimization and discrimination. The review also identified the communities most frequently represented, including African Americans, Hispanic, LGBTQ, Palestinian Arab, Russian, homeless, and Latino. Findings reveals that deviant acts occur at a disproportionately high rate among these groups, particularly in urban contexts such as United States where its often driven by structural inequalities and marginalization. This paper highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between minority status and deviant behavior to foster safer environments and promote equity. The study concludes by outlining directions for future research in criminology and minority as well as youth studies. ReferencesAnderberg, M., Dahlberg, M. & Wennberg, P. (2022). Criminality among Young People with Substance Use Problems in Sweden: A One-year Follow-up Study. Journal of Drug Issue, 52(3), 406-420. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220426211046596Anthony, A.A. & Brunson, R.K. (2015). The police and public discourse on “Black-on-black” Violence.https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/248588.pdfAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2023). Abuse before the age of 15. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/concepts-sources-methods/personal-safety-survey-user-guide/2021-22/abuse-age-15Baird, A. (2012). The Violent Gang and the Construction of Masculinity Amongst Socially Excluded Young Men, Safer Communities., 11(4). 179-190.Beck, A.J. (2021). Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Offenders and Arrestees, 2018. Office of Justice Programs.Bird, D.K. (2009). The use of questionnaire for acquiring information on public perception of natural hazards and risk mitigation- a review of current knowledge and practice, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9(4), 1307-1325. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-9-1307-2009, 2009Bronson, J. & Stroop, J. (2017). Drug use, dependence and abuse among state prisoners and jail inmates, 2007-2009. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/dudaspji0709.pdfBuchholz, K. (2023). Violent Crime Rates Fall in the U.S. https://www.statista.com/chart/31063/violent-and-other-crime-rates-us/Bulletin. (2023). Crime in the San Diego Region Mid-Year 2023 Statistics. https://www.sandag.org/-/media/SANDAG/Documents/PDF/data-and-research/criminal-justice-and-public-safety/criminal-justice-research-clearinghouse/cj-bulletin/cj-bulletin-crime-in-the-san-diego-region-mid-year-2023.pdfCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). HIV and Substance Use. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/hiv-drug-useClinard, M.B. (1957). Sociology of Deviant Behavior. Library of Congress.Clinard, M.B., Meier, R. F. (2011). Sociology of Deviant Behavior. Library of Congress.Coomber, R., Donnermeyer, J.F., McElrath, K., Scott, J. (2015). Key Concepts in Crime and Society. SAGE Publications Ltd.Department of Justice and Attorney-General. (2023). Sexual Violence statistics.https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/about-us/services/women-violence-prevention/violence-prevention/sexual-violence-prevention/sexual-violence-statisticsDavids, D., Soji, Z., Abdulla, Z. (2022). Experience-Based Lessons From Males In The Northern Areas Of Port Elizabeth (GQEBERHA) On Factors That Protected Them From Becoming Involved in Gangsterism. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 58(4), 419-441. https://doi.org/10.15270/58-4-1074 Douglas, J.D. & Waksler, F.C. (1982). The Sociology of Deviance: An Introduction. Little, Brown and Co., Boston, MA.Dziewanski, D. (2020). Femme Fatales: Girl Gangsters and Violent Street Culture in Cape Town. FeministCriminology, 15(4), 438-463. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085120914374Ericson, N. (2001). Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200127.pdfFerrante, J. (2011). Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Lachina Publishing Services.Fisher, B. S., Daigle, L. E., Cullen, F. T., & Turner, M. G. (2003). Reporting Sexual Victimization to the Police and Others Results from a National-Level Study of College Women. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30(1), 6-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854802239161Goode, E. (2011). Deviant Behavior. Pearson Education, Inc.Hinton, E. (2018). An Unjust Burden: The Disparate Treatment of Black Americans in the Criminal Justice System. https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/for-the-record-unjust-burden-racial-disparities.pdfHockenberry, S. (2020). Delinquency cases in juvenile court, 2018. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/publications/delinquency-cases-in-juvenile-court-2018.pdf Humphrey, J., & Schmalleger, F. (2021). Deviant Behavior. (Vols. 1-10). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781544394947Ikoh, M. U., Smah, S. O., Okwanya, I., Clement, U. A., & Aposhi, Z. A. (2019). Factors Affecting Entry Into Drug Abuse Among Youths in Lafia Metropolis: Implications on Security. SAGE Open, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018823428Kabir, S. (2016). Methods of Data Collection. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325846997_METHODS_OF_DATA_COLLECTIONKinnear, K. L. (2009). Gangs Second Edition. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.Krona, M., & Caskey, O. (2023). The Gangster and the Bride: The Media Representation of Masculinity and Femininity in News Coverage of Jihadi Terrorists. Terrorism and Political Violence, 36(8), 1048-1063. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2023.2244083Liu, J. L., Yan, L., Zhang, Y. H., Gan, J. H., Yang, L. C. (2023). Lower Class Competence Stereotypes of the upper-class conflict: mediation by intergroup envy and moderation by upward social mobility belief. Frontiers in Psychology. 15(2024), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360951Madrid-Cagigal, A., Kealy, C., Potts, C., Mulvenna, M. D., Byrne, M., Barry, M. M., Donohoe, G. (2025). Digital Mental Health Interventions for University Students with Mental health Difficulties: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry,19(3) https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.70017Marshall, I. H. (1997). Minorities, Migrants, and Crime: Diversity and Similarity Across Europe and the United States. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483328072Mcleod, S. (2018). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. https://canadacollege.edu/dreamers/docs/Maslows- Hierarchy-of-Needs.pdfMoffitt, T.E. (2018). Male antisocial behaviour in adolescence and beyond. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(3), 177-186. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0309-4Nalah, Bala, A., Ishaya & Daniel, L. (2013). A Conceptual Overview of Deviance and Its Implication to Mental Health: a bio psychosocial perspective. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 2(12), 2319-7714.National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. (2020). Drug related crime statistics. https://drugabusestatistics.org/drug-related-crime-statistics/National Public Radio. (2018). Discrimination in America. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/2018/01/NPR-RWJF-HSPH Discrimination-Final-Summary.pdfNational Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2015). Statistics about Sexual Violence.https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_factsheet_media-packet_statistics- about-sexual-violence_0.pdf Orsolini, L., Pompili, S., Salvi, V., Volpe, U. (2021). A Systematic Review on TeleMental Health in Youth Mental Health: Focus on Anxiety, Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Medicina, 57(8), 793. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57080793Perkins, C. A. (1997). Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/apvsvc.pdfPetrus, T., & Kinnes, I. (2018). New social bandits? A comparative analysis of gangsterism in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(2), 179-196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895817750436Roopa S, & Rani MS (2012). Questionnaire Designing for a Survey, Journal of Indian Orthodontic Society, 46(4), 273-277. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10021-110Ryan, L. & Vigne, N. L (2022). Trends in Youth Arrests for Violent Crimes. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/publications/trends-in-youth-arrests.pdfSahoo (2022). Interview as a Tool for Data Collection in Educational Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360313105_Interview_as_a_Tool_for_Data_Collection_in_Educational_ResearchSikhwari, M. G. (2025). Addressing School Violence in the Foundation Phase: The Role of Leadership and Community Involvement in Rural Areas. e-Bangi: Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 22(2), 683-695. https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2025.2202.55Singwane, T. P. & Ramoshaba, D. J. (2024). Exploring Crystal Methamphetamine Use Among School-Going Learners: A Qualitative Case Study in South African Schools. e-Bangi: Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 21(4), 66-76. https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2024.2104.06Taherdoost. H (2020). Different Types of Data Analysis; Data Analysis Methods and Techniques in Research Project Authors. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 9(1). 1-9. https://hal.science/hal-03741837/documentTaherdoost. H (2021). Data Collection Methods and Tools for Research; A step-by-step Guide to Choose Data Collection Technique for Academic and Business Research Projects. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 10(1). 10-38. https://hal.science/hal-03741847/documentWillis. L (2009). Gangs. Greenhaven Press.Thompson, A. & Susannah, N. T. (2024). Violent Victimization by Race or Hispanic Origin, 2008-2021. https://bjs.ojp.gov/violent-victimization-race-or-hispanic-origin-2008-2021 United Nation. (2001). Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned. Case Studies Booklet. Central and Eastern Europe and the Central Asian States. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/449882?v=pdf&ln=enUnited States Department of Transportation. (2025). Alcohol-impaired driving.https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813713U.S Department of Education. (2024). Students Reports of Bullying: Results From the 2022 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2024/2024109rev.pdfU.S Department of Justice. (1991). Violent Crime in the United States. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/127855NCJRS.pdfWorld Health Organization. (2022). Violence against children. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-childrenXiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2017). Guidance on Conducting a Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971
