Chapter 6 Flashcards
Deviance definiton
Deviance is the recognized
violation of social norms
Norms are rules for
behavior in society
Social Control defintion
is society’s
attempts to regulate
people’s thoughts and
behavior
DEVIANCE on a scale
Low level
Violation of Etiquette
Informal Norms
Informal Social Control
Socialization
High Level
Violent Crime
Formal Laws
Penal System
Incarceration
Why is deviance necessary? What does it claffisy as?
Its classifys as structural functionalism
Without deviance society would have
no clear moral guidelines—they help
us contrast what is good, right and just
from what is evil, wrong, or unfair
Deviants also clarify the boundaries
for acceptable behavior—but only to
the extent that we have a strong
collective reaction
To the extent society has a
_____ reaction to deviance…
strong,guidlines of moral
community
When there is ambiguity
regarding norms, what happens?
society may
engage in prolonged discussion
and reflection, possibly bringing
about change in moral
boundaries
MERTON’S STRAIN THEORY
Informal social control through
socialization is far more
efficient than formal social
controls
For informal social controls to
guide behavior, individuals and
subcultural groups must?(MERONS STRAIN THEORY)
accept the culturally defined goals of
the dominant culture AND have
the means to attain those goals
No act is inherently deviant—rather deviance is
defined through social interaction
Deviance varies
through time and space—even within a society (e.g., subcultural groups)
We come to recognize norms when we
violate them and accept the group’s definition of the situation
Sometimes our reference group and significant others
disagree with the wider society regarding norm
Whether or not an individual or group is defined as deviant also depends on
power and the mobilization of
resources
Some people have more resources at
their disposal—not just money, but also
social, cultural and even human capital
These resources may be used to
redefine the situation to avoid the
deviant label or, at least, severe
punishment
There a four main rationales for
punishment:
Retribution—an eye for an eye;
vengeance
Deterrence—to discourage such
behavior
Rehabilitation—to alter an individual’s
behavior
Societal Protection—to remove the
threat a person represents to the wider society
There are formal ways that the penal system protect the wider society from criminals such as
fines, imprisonment, executions, and death penatly
While the death penalty is still on the books in most states relatively
few offenders are executed—usually after many years in prison and a very time consuming and costly system of legal
appeals
However, there have been numerous cases of people wrongly
convicted and sentenced to death
INCARCERATION RATES PEAKED AROUND (the year ans a few stats)
2009
1 percent of the adult population behind bars
1 in 36 adult Hispanic men behind bars
1 in 15 adult Black men (1 in 9 for ages 20-34)
Many argue that too heavy a reliance on incarceration as a means for social
control is
bad for society (or points to
a breakdown in informal mechanisms for social control)
While there certainly are some benefits from prisons in terms of general and
specific deterrence and societal protection, alternatives to long-term and mass
incarceration are increasingly popular
Reforms could instead use periods of detention or probation and community-
based corrections as a deterrent for those involved in few, non-violent crimes
while retaining long-term incarceration for career criminals, especially violent
offenders
