Chapter 6 Deviance, Crime and Social Control Flashcards
Deviance
Behavior that violates social norms and which typically arouses negative social reactions.
Social control
Ways in which a society tries to prevent and sanction deviant behavior
What is socialization?
The process of learning to conform to cultural standards, enforced through social sanctions.
What are social sanctions?
Rewards and punishments used to enforce conformity to cultural expectations.
How do informal and formal social controls differ?
Informal social control enforces informal norms, while formal social control enforces formal norms.
What is informal social control?
Actions taken to control behaviors that violate informal norms, like ridicule or ostracism.
What is formal social control?
Actions taken to control behaviors that violate formal norms, enforced by institutions like police and courts.
Why is a society without deviance impossible, according to Émile Durkheim?
The collective conscience cannot prevent all rule-breaking, and deviance serves important functions for society.
Relativity of deviance
In a monastery, talking is prohibited, while it’s expected in most other social settings. Killing an enemy in warfare is accepted, but killing a civilian is deemed murder.
Place
A behavior may be considered deviant in one society but acceptable in another.
Time
An action can be acceptable at one time but prohibited at another (like the historical inclusion of cocaine in Coca-Cola).
Functions of Deviance: Durkheim argued that deviance serves key functions in society
Clarifying social norms and increasing conformity through observed sanctions. Strengthening social bonds among those reacting to deviance. Promoting positive social change. Creating jobs related to monitoring and penalizing deviance.
Social Ecology Theory
Certain community characteristics increase the likelihood of deviance, known as criminogenic factors, like high poverty rates, population density, residential instability, and poor living conditions.
Social Ecology Theory factors
Contribute to social disorganization, weakening social bonds and institutions.
Strain Theory
Robert Merton’s theory posits that deviance arises from the gap between societal emphasis on economic success and the inability to achieve it through legitimate means.
Innovation
Accepts the goal but uses deviant means to achieve it.
Ritualism
Rejects the goal but follows societal norms (like pursuing education).
Retreatism
Rejects both the goal and means, withdrawing from society.
Rebellion
Rejects existing goals and means, aiming to create a new value system.
What are the shortcomings of Merton’s Strain Theory?
It fails to explain why individuals choose specific adaptations, the prevalence of crime among middle and upper classes, and personal crimes that do not provide economic benefits.
Conflict Theorists’ View
Those in power manipulate laws and the legal system to maintain their status, resulting in poorer individuals and minorities being more likely to face arrest and imprisonment.
Differential Justice Theory
Elite individuals can evade accountability for their crimes due to their resources, while the justice system focuses on enforcing laws against lower-class individuals who lack power.
Feminist Theory
This theory attributes crimes against women, like intimate partner violence and sexual assault, to gender inequality and outdated views on gender relations.
Feminist theory highlights gender differences in crime
Men are more likely to commit crimes and be penalized, with gender socialization fostering values and behaviors that promote deviance among males.
Interactionist View
Deviance is attributed to social interaction and socialization processes.
Differential Association Theory
Edward Sutherland proposed that deviance is learned through interactions with deviant individuals, who teach the values and rationalizations needed to justify criminal behavior.
Social Control Theory: Travis Hirschi argued that people’s bonds to conventional institutions (like family and schools) deter deviance. Strong attachments to these institutions and participation in their activities reduce the likelihood of deviating from social norms. Questions arise about whether poor relationships lead to deviance or if deviance worsens relationships.
Labeling Theory
Labeling someone as deviant increases the likelihood of further deviance by shaping their self-image.
The “Saints” (middle-class delinquents) were viewed as harmless and not prosecuted, while the “Roughnecks” (lower-class delinquents) faced scrutiny and negative perceptions.
As a result, the Saints went on to successful careers, while the Roughnecks struggled with low-paying jobs and unstable lives.
Conventional crime includes violent and property offenses
There were 8 million reported conventional crimes committed in the U.S. in 2020.
Violent crime victimization is more prevalent in [_] areas compared to rural regions.
urban and suburban
Most violent crimes are [_], meaning the offender and victim typically belong to the same race or ethnicity.
intraracial
Sex Demographic
Males commit a disproportionate number of conventional crimes; in 2020, nearly 74% of over 6 million arrests were male, with females primarily arrested for prostitution.
In 2020, 70% of arrests were white, 26% African American, and 4% from other races, with Latinx individuals accounting for 20.7% of arrests.
African Americans are arrested at a disproportionately higher rate (26%) compared to their population size (12.4%).
Most individuals arrested for conventional crimes have low educational attainment and income levels.
Wealthier individuals are more likely to commit white-collar crimes.
Conventional crimes are predominantly committed by those aged 30 and under, with about 40% of arrests involving individuals aged 10-29.
Peer influence is significant during this age.
White-collar crime
Offenses committed in the course of one’s professional work.
White-collar crime examples
Fraudulent repairs by auto shops. Corruption in high finance. Unsafe products and work environments. Employee theft (cash and property). Healthcare fraud. Tax evasion.
Corporate crime
Type of white-collar crime committed by individuals within their legitimate occupations on behalf of their company.
Corporate crime examples
Price fixing: An agreement between competing corporations to set product prices, costing consumers billions annually. Workplace-related illnesses and injuries that could have been prevented by adhering to regulatory laws and safety practices. Corporations knowingly producing and selling dangerous products, such as asbestos. Environmental degradation and pollution, exemplified by events like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Data demonstrates that white-collar crime has an out-sized impact
Resulting in significantly more deaths and economic damage compared to other types of crime
White-Collar Crime in the U.S. is pervasive due to
Greed from a cultural focus on economic success. Lack of regulatory policies for corporate conduct. Insufficient funding for regulatory agencies. Weak penalties for corporate criminals.
Victimless crime
Illegal behavior in which people may willingly engage and in which there are no unwilling victims.
Get-tough approach
Dominant since the 1970s, emphasizes harsher law enforcement and increased incarceration rates, leading to mass incarceration.
The [_] has the highest incarceration rate globally.
U.S.
The approach is linked to political strategies aimed at gaining white votes by associating crime with African Americans, prompting punitive legislative measures:
Nixon’s “war on drugs” in the 1970s increased funding for drug enforcement and implemented mandatory minimum sentences. Reagan expanded the “war on drugs,” increasing incarceration for nonviolent offenses. The “three strikes” law during the Clinton administration mandated life sentences for repeat offenders.
Maintaining high incarceration rates is costly.
Scholars argue that this approach accounted for only 10%–25% of crime reduction in the 1990s, suggesting funds would be better spent on prevention.
Advocacy for Reform
Groups like the Sentencing Project advocate for reforming harsh sentencing practices and addressing racial disparities in mass incarceration.
Preventive Strategies
Economic equality. Recreational projects. Improved living conditions. Educational enhancements. Alternative corrections for non-dangerous offenders. Drug and alcohol prevention programs.
