Chapter 6 Flashcards
Deviance
any behaviour, trait, or belief that departs from a social norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group
Crime
any deviant act that violates the criminal law- a formally stated set of social norms
Emile Durkheim
key figure in talking about crime and deviance
Laws
rules of conduct specifying what a society members may and may not do that punish violators
Moral Panic
occurs when a condition, episode, person, or group of people, emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests
Moral Entrepreneurs
people who launch such moral panics through ‘deviance amplification,’ drawing attention to the deviant behaviour of smaller. usually powerless social groups
5 Criteria that Identify a Moral Panic
- Concern
- Hostility
- Consensus
- Disproportionate Reaction
- Volatile Shifts in public mood about this matter
Crimes are either against _______ or ________
property, persons
Crime Funnel
a process in which ever-fewer people continue through the justice system, from criminal act to punishment
Self-Reporting
the victim reports to authorities that a crime has occurred
- not accurate
Victimization Surveys
samples of people are asked how many times within a given period they have been the victim of specific crimes
- a better measure but may still be inaccurate
Crime Severity Index
a measure that tracks changes in the severity of police-reported crime and assigns each offence a weight
Social Order
the prevalence of harmonious relationships that exists only when people obey rules and social institutions are controlled and predictable
- manufactured and protected by a society
Social Disorder
the uncertain and unpredictable condition in which rules are not obeyed
- environment is unsafe and boundaries of acceptable behaviour are broken down
Homicide
the killing of one human being by another including murder and manslaughter
Murder
the unlawful killing of another human being with malicious intent
Manslaughter
the unlawful killing of another person without enough intent to constitute murder
Assault
a crime more common than homicide, occurring at a rate of 500 per 100 000 population in Canada
Hate Crime
can be violent or non-violent
- targets marginalized populations
White-Collar Crime
committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation
Edwin Sutherland
the first sociologist to carry out systematic research on white-collar and corporate crime
Corporate Crime
corporations commit crimes in their own corporate interest
Organized Crime
a group of professional criminals who practise illegal activities as a way of life and whose criminal activities are co-ordinated and controlled through a hierarchical system of bosses
Cybercrime
any criminal act in which a perpetrator hacks into a computer network to illegally gain sensitive information or spread destructive software
Differential Socialization
the process by which different people learn different standards of behaviour
Domestic Violence
violence against spouses, children, and aged parents
Intimate Partner Violence
affects nearly one in three women worldwide, over their lifetimes
- local norms are strong predictors of IPV
Secondary Victimization
suffering caused to a victim of crime by the negative responses of the justice system and other significant people following their primary victimization
- leads to unreported cases
Situational Couple Violence
conflicts and arguments escalate into physical violence
- both partners may exhibit violent behaviour
Intimate Terrorism
one partner exerts power and control over the other partner through fear and violence
Violent Resistance
when a victim of intimate terrorism fights back against their abuse
Gladue Report
a pre-sentencing and bail hearing report that link the life story of the indigenous offender to broader issues that have affected indigenous life
Routine Activity Theory
people are victimized because they are ‘suitable targets’ in high risk ‘hot spots’ without ‘motivated guardians’
Suitable Targets
people who are routinely exposed to crime or who have heightened vulnerability
“Suitable Targets”
- Vulnerability
- Gratifiability
- Antagonism
Gratifiability
female sex increases the risk of the crime of sexual assault
Antagonism
an ethnic or group identity that may spark hostility or resentment
Groups with higher risk of Victimization
- seniors
- juveniles
- immigrants or ethnic majorities
- inmates of ‘total institutions”
Structural Functionalism Theories
- strain/anomie theory
- social disorganization theory
- subculture theory
Conflict Theory
- feminist theory
Symbolic Interactionism
- social constructionism
- labelling theory
- differential association theory
Strain Theory
proposed by Robert K. Merton
- strain is produced when social structure prevents people from achieving culturally defined goals through legitimate means, so they must turn to illegitimate means (ie; crime)
Social Disorganization Theory
breakdown of social norms (anomie) causes crime and other deviant behaviour
- breakdown may result from rapid social change
- social disorganization leads to loss of social cohesion
Subculture Theory
says there are some groups in society that have different norms that are different than the rest of society
- some norms encourage criminal behaviour
Subculture
groups with norms that set them apart from mainstream society
Conflict Theory
inequalities in society is the cause of deviant and criminal behaviour
- privilege and white collar crime
Feminist Theory
patriarchal norms and values promote violence against women
Rate Myths
women are depicted as responsible for their own victimization
Social Constructionism
Behaviours are not innately right or wrong, they only become wrong when someone with power ascribes a moral label to them
Labelling Theory
deviance is not a quality of the act a person commits rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’
Differential Association Theory
people learn deviant and criminal behaviour the same way they learn conforming behaviour; through observation and communication
Social Consequences of Crime
poverty and inequality
Robert Agnew’s General Stran Theory
strains that are most likely to lead to crime are 1. seen as unjust 2. seen as high in magnitude 3. associated with low social control 4. create some pressure or incentive to engage in criminal coping
- focuses on the negative emotions evoked by the strains
Medicalization
the process by which non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, in terms of illness or disorders
Reasons for Growth of Medicalization
- the rise of the practice of medicine as a dominant, prestigious, and successful profession
- secularization has allowed medicine to fill the void created by a decline In religious faith
Deterrence
a justice system that assumes that most crimes are a rational act
- the offender rationally weighs the benefits of committing the crime against the chance of being caught and the severity of the punishment
- assumes law enforcement agencies to be efficient in catching offenders
Racial Profiling
as any action undertaken for reasons of safety, security, or public protection that relies on stereotypes about race, ethnicity, rather than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment
