The Diary is intrigued that York University Students' Union has placed an "essay bank" on its website. Along with physics, politics, health and other topics are five offerings on criminology, including one entitled "What do you understand by the term deviant career?" This contribution cites the work of Emile Durkheim, who "considered deviance as functional and indeed an 'integral part of all healthy societies'". We hope anyone marking essays cribbed from this site takes a similarly understanding view.