Ch 5 - Deviance and Crime Flashcards
deviance
breaking a norm that evokes a negative reaction from others
crime
deviance that is against the law
law
a norm stipulated and enforced by gov’t bodies
formal punishment
penalization by the judicial system for breaking a law
informal punishment
a mild sanction that is imposed during face-to-face interaction rather than by the judicial system
stigmatization
process of negatively evaluating people because of a marker that distinguishes them from others
victimless crimes
violations of the law in which no victim has stepped forward and been identified
self-report surveys
surveys in which respondents are asked to report their involvement in criminal activites, either as perpetrators or victims
victimization surveys
surveys in which people are asked whether they have been victims of crime
street crimes
crimes including arson, break and enter, assault, and other illegal acts disproportionately committed by people from lower classes
white-collar crimes
illegal acts committed by respectable, high-status people in the course of work
labelling theory
holds that deviance reswults not so much from the actions of the deviant as from the response of others, who label the rule breaker a deviant
strain
the result of a culture teaching people to value material success, but society failing to provide enough legitimate opportunities for everyone to succeed
control theory
holds that the rewards of deviance and crime are ample. Therefore, nearly everyone would engage in deviance and crime if they could get away with it. The degree to which people are prevented from violating norms and laws accounts for variations in the level of deviance and crime.
medicalization of deviance
the process of applying medical definitions to deviant behaviour, a practice that is becoming more prevalent
moral panic
widespread fear that occurs when many people fervently believe that some form of deviance or crime poses a profound threat to society’s well-being
primary deviance
ppl commit a deviant act but do not get labelled as deviant by authorities
secondary deviance
ppl who commit deviant acts and authorities label them as such. can often happen to ppl who are members of a stigmatized group.
recidivism rate
the proportion of convicted offenders who commit another crime
restorative justice
focuses not on punishment but on rehabilitating offenders through reconciliation with victims and the larger community
“diversion”
an alternative procedure similar to restorative justice: i.e. a victim-offender reconciliation program (VORP). to be recommended for such, the offense must be minor.
iatrogenic
ivan illich said this: the more you watch someone/the more you’re authoritative over someone, the more extreme length they go to to commit crime
legislative reform
an attempt to reduce the # of incarcerated offenders i.e. decriminalizing marijuana possession
