Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Abstract Crime is not merely a legal matter, but a social-cultural construction created by human beings. The main purpose of this article is study of social construction of crimes among young people in Rasht city. The study was conducted on the basis of qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sampling. Based on theoretical saturation 30 young adult of 20-35 years were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed based on thematic method of analysis. The results show that most of the youth have de-stigmatized some cultural categories such as violating hijab rules, make up, dance, having satellites and divorce. However, most of them still admit drug use, financial crimes, social inequality, failure to respect the rights of others and violence as a crime. Alongside these two narratives some young people are ambivalent about social issues such as cohabitation, alcoholic drinks and premarital relationship.