Chapter 11: Social Control, Deviance, and Crime Flashcards
deviance
a person, behaviour or characteristic perceived as unacceptable
deviance is what?
socially constructed, subjective
social control
actions that are meant to prevent, correct, punish, or cure behaviours or characteristics that are perceived as unacceptable
what is the difference between high-consensus deviance and low consensus deviance
high-consensus deviance are acts that are widely considered deviant and cause significant losses and are defined as real, while low-consensus deviance are acts that are seen as deviant by fewer people and cause minor losses and are defined as socially constructed
criminologists
researchers who specialize in the study of criminal behaviour
crime
any behaviour that violates criminal law
legal ingredients of a crime
the act must define the act or behaviour as criminal
must show the accused engaged in the guilty act (actus reus) and had the intent to commit the act (mens rea)
official crime statistics
use standardized procedures, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCRS)is forwarded annually to statistics Canada and compiles the data into statistics that give us information about crimes, which can be compared across cities, countries, provinces, over time
gap between perceptions of crime and reality about crime
the media portrays crime as out of control with most being violent crimes
In reality most crimes are property crimes and crime have been declining since 1991
what are the legally recognized forms of punishment
detterence, protection of society, rehabilitation
punishment as retribution
a morally justified “eye for an eye” consequence
deterrence theory
punishment can be used to prevent crime
people are rational decision makers
punishment must be prompt, severe, and certain in order to be effective
specific deterrence
an offender is detered from committing the act in the future as a result of the punishment
general deterrence
others in society are deterred from committing crimes by witnessing the consequences for the offender
control theory of deviance
factors restrain us from unacceptable acts (social bonds, fear of disappointment, or loosing you job) absence of these factors result in deviance
social bonds
attachment: to significant others
committment: to conventional lines of action
involvemnt: in conventional behaviour
belief: in systems of authority
labelling theory
interactionist, we all engage in primary act of deviance: minor offences/ insidnificant events, which leads to a social penalty with a label attached that causes people to keep engaging in worse deviant behaviours, known as secondary deviance, which leads to a formal penalty which leads to community stigmatization and in turn acceptance of the deviant role and strengthening of criminal conduct
formal social control
is implemented through an official mechanism that carries institutionalized authority
stigmatization
the process by which individuals are excluded because of particular behaviours/ characteristics
classical strain theory
An individuals location within the social structure contributes to deviance. Constraints arise from institutionalized goals: goals we are supposed to aspire to in society(wealth, power, prestige) and legitimate means: socially acceptable ways of acheiving those goals. There is a gap between goals and means, creating strain which people responde to through different modes of adaption.
conformity
mode of adaption of pursing goals via legitimate means
innovation
pursing goals via alternative means, ex. credit card fraud
ritualism
giving up goals but continuing to engage in legitimate means, ex. working hard at low paying job
retreatism
rejecting institutionalized goals and legitimate means, ex. not working, substance abuse
rebellion
rejecting current goals and means and living according to an alternative set of goals and means, ex. hippie communes, extremist groups
