Chapter 6: Social Control, & Deviance

Question 0

What Is (Crime)?

Answer 0

Major acts of (Deviance), or violation of social laws, aka formal deviance

Question 1

What is (Social Deviance), what R minor acts called?

Answer 1

Any form of (Transgression) of a social norms, can be either minor or major, minor acts R called (Informal Deviance),

Question 2

What do both acts of (Deviance) have in common?

Answer 2

They both usually end in some type of (Punishment) by society, the more sever the deviance the more sever the punishment

Question 3

Because deviance is a type of social norm, what is it subject 2, what causes this 2 happen?

Answer 3

It is subject 2 (Change), depending on the (Context) in which it was committed, eg breaking a window to save a life is a good thing, changes R often due 2 a change in laws, social values, or norms

Question 4

What is the (Functionalist Approach) 2 deviance?

Answer 4

Society is made up of various people with different jobs that help it 2 function, some more important than others

Question 6

What is (Social Cohesion)?

Answer 6

The degree to which those of a society bond, relates, & gets along with each other on a daly basis

Question 7

What R the 2 types of (Social Cohesion), & what R they based on, & what form of society R both found in?

Answer 7

1) Mechanical or Segmental Solidarity: Cohesion based on society being the (Same), thus sharing same consciousness, thus each member can perform each other’s job if necessary, found in postmodern society, eg most peasants were farmers
2) Organic Solidarity: Cohesion based on society being (Different), or specialized, thus each member performs own unique job that keeps, a more modern form of society functioning, aka (Interdependent Society), found after industrial revolution, eg peasants developed (Specialized Skills), results in more (Productivity)

Question 8

In a society what did (Organic Solidarity) lead 2?

Answer 8

It led 2 people not being able 2 (Relate) 2 one another, post modern it was much easier for people 2 relate they were all the same

Question 9

Explain the thought process behind (Mechanical Solitary) social punishment.

Answer 9

When the (Collective Consciousness) is interrupted, it equates 2 a breach or a tear in what society sees as rules that hold it together, thus the goal is 2 repair the breach, by (Rehabilitating the Offender of Societal’s Rules),

Question 10

What determines what type of punishment is is given 2 people?

Answer 10

It depends on the type of (Solidarity) holding society together, eg pre-modern society, or (Mechanical Solidarity), aka when people were the same, you saw (Collective Punitive Punishment), aka the offender suffered via group 4 committing crimes against the collective consciousness, group not interested in hearing facts

Question 11

Explain how one’s deviance keeps us together, aka cohesive as a society.

Answer 11

When someone commits a crime no matter how big or small the collective action of (Vengeance) helps keep a society feeling as one, even in today’s society, if your not against the (Penal System) we all come together (Symbolically) whenever we punish someone, in coming together we R trying to (Reinforce) social norms

Question 12

Explain how (Organic Solidarity) punishment works?

Answer 12

It’s a punishment that is tailored to a specific crime, thus the goal is 2 (Rehabilitate) offender, & make them active participant of society

Question 13

Explain (Restitution) as a form of punishment?

Answer 13

It’s when someone is forced 2 pay a monetary amount 4 their crime, with the hope that money balances out effects of crime

Question 14

Describe the difference between (Punitive and Rehabilitative Justice)?

Answer 14

Punitive justice focuses on making criminals suffer for their violation whereas rehabilitative justice is focus on finding ways to rehabilitate prisoners

Question 15

What is the (Collective Consciousness)?

Answer 15

Durkheim refereed 2 it as the common (Faith, Norms, Values, etc) of society, he believed w/o a collective consciousness society would dissolve into (Survival of the Fittest)

Question 16

What R (Social Controls)?

Answer 16

The (Formal & Informal) attempt 2 make people comply 2 societies norms

Question 17

What R the 2 types of (Social Control)?

Answer 17

1) Formal Social Sanctions: Which R (Rules/Laws) that R meant 2 deter deviant behavior
2) Informal Social Sanctions: Unexpressed, but believed 2 be widely known, aka unwritten rule, eg belch or fart in public

Question 18

What is the process that informs, & teaches us about (Informal Sanctions), & what is the idea behind them?

Answer 18

(Socialization), which we start 2 learn from birth, the idea is that society gets 2 in a way enforce rules believed 2 help keep us a functional society, this way we R all watching each other, & doing our part 2 keep our society moving forward

Question 19

The claim of (Deviance) is sometimes used as an excuse to do what?

Answer 19

To keep a society from changing, when some see a society changing they make up reasons of deviance to scare people to cling to old values or norms, aka some believe the Salem witch hunt was a tactic to keep people in line due to Puritan’s belief that their values and norms work changing in part due to influx of new people coming to America, or civil rights movement, etc

Question 20

According to Durkheim when (Deviance) is recognized and punished what happens to a society?

Answer 20

It strengthens their morality and belief systems, thus it unifies society as well as sets clear boundaries of what society deems as deviant behavior

Question 21

What does (Formal Social Control) count on the most 2 help do its job?

Answer 21

(Informal Social Control), aka society looking out 4 each other, eg after a crime police count on those in community 2 help solve it by coming forward with any info that could be helpful

Question 22

According to Durkheim what are the intuitive reasons for suicide?

Answer 22

Divorce, depression, mental illness, etc, all of these reflect a chemical or emotional imbalance, Durkheim believed these may be part of reason 4 suicide but, he also wanted 2 look a (Social Forces) 2 see if they played a role in ones suicide

Question 23

How does a society perceive suicide, how did Durkheim perceive it?

Answer 23

Most religious people consider it a sin, even those not considered religious look at it as going against social norms, Durkheim perceived it 2 be the ultimate form of (Social Deviance) he based this on the way society looks at it

Question 24

Describe Durkheim’s (Normative Theory) on suicide?

Answer 24

He believed 2 high or low of compliance, of certain social or group norms aided in the suicide rate of those in a particular groups, thus in order to resist suicide, & other deviant behavior one we need to be in the middle of these social norms, this would lead to a normal life

Question 25

What are the 2 social systems that cause suicide rates to vary?

Answer 25

1) Social Integration: How well one is integrated in their social group or community
2) Social Regulation: The amount of rules that guide one’s daily life, aka people don’t like surprises they want to know what to expect on a day to day basis

To little or too much of either of these leads to a life not considered normal, eg think of a XY axis with (X) being social integration and (Y) being social regulation

Question 26

Describe Durkheim’s 4 types of (Social Forces) that could lead 2 suicide.

Answer 26

Each description is diametrically opposed to the other

1) Altruistic: Suicide when one feels they have let down the group, thus their whole identity is tied 2 the group, aka they are to integrated with the group eg (Hara Kiri)
2) Egotistic: Suicide due to one not be an integrated enough with the group, thus U feel (Insignificant) due 2 lack of integration which is needed so that others can stroke your (ego)
3) Anomie: Suicide due to low predictability due 2 to little (Social Regulation) can be caused by both negative or positive events in one’s life, eg stock market crash, winning the lottery, etc
4) Fatalistic: Suicide due to too much predictability due 2 to much (Social Regulation) aka doing the same thing every day with little to no variation, eg slaves, prisoners, etc

Question 27

What was the name that feminist gave (Fatalistic Suicide)?

Answer 27

The problem that has no name, referring to women in the 1950s that were stay-at-home moms, that had little to no variation in their lives

Question 28

What did Robert Merton believes was the cause of (Anomie Suicide)?

Answer 28

He believed it was societies belief that everyone should be expected to strive 4 the same goal of life, although not everyone is given the same opportunity 2 reach these goals, aka some in society get a head start over others

Question 29

Explain the (Strain Theory) by Merton?

Answer 29

It’s Merton’s (Means-Ends Deviance Theory) that suggests deviance happens when society expect certain goals from its members but doesn’t provide equal opportunities to all its members, eg inner-city schools, thus those who don’t make it become social deviants

Question 30

According to Merton, who is a (Conformist)?

Answer 30

A person who excepts the goals of society and the strategies necessary to achieve them, eg have a good life, maybe start a family, save some money, take good vacations, etc. and the strategies necessary to achieve this is through higher education, hard work, etc

Question 31

What is the difference between a (Ritualist & an Innovator)?

Answer 31

A ritualist rejects society’s goals 4 what it considers a good life but not the means on how to obtain said good life, where as an innovator is the complete opposite, thus they want the good life but they will sell drugs, marry a rich person, create a.com business, etc. to get there

Question 32

What is the difference between a (Retreatists & a Rebel)?

Answer 32

A person who rejects both the means and the goals established by society as a good life, thus they (Retreat) from society, vs a rebel who feels the same way yet they want to change or destroy society, and it’s social institutions

Question 33

Which of the big three theories of Sociology did Durkheim’s and Merton’s theories of deviance fall under?

Answer 33

They are (Macro levels of Sociology) that fall under the (Functionalist theory of Sociology)

Question 34

If the functionalist theory is at the macro level what theory is at the micro level of explaining deviance?

Answer 34

(the Symbolic Interactionisim Theory), explains deviance at a micro level, thus it looks at everyday interactions, & how others see us and how we respond to our surroundings

Question 35

Explain the (Labeling Theory) of social deviance?

Answer 35

The belief that some in society sub-consciously recognize how people (See/Label) them, thus they respond accordingly, a micro level concept

Question 36

When a societal rule is broken, what determines if it is considered a deviant act or not?

Answer 36

Societies reaction 2 the broken rule determines if it’s a deviant act or not, the same is true (Deviants) themselves, if U commit a crime, have the means 2 get away with it then U R not a deviant, even if U committed a deviant act

Question 37

Explain the difference between (Primary and Secondary) deviance?

Answer 37

Primary deviance is the initial act of breaking a rule, eg breaking a window, shoplifting, etc, where as secondary deviance has to do with rules broken after primary deviance, as well as how people look at you, & treat U based on your label of being a deviant, thus U come 2 think of yourself as a deviant

Question 38

What is a (Stigma), & what is it a result of?

Answer 38

A negative social label that alters how others as well as self thinks about self, it’s a result of secondary deviance, eg having a criminal record

Question 39

Explained the (Broken Window Theory) of deviance.

Answer 39

Social cues and social context influence potential acts of , deviance, no matter if in poor or rich areas, thus it’s not necessarily the people in the neighborhood that are deviant but the cues that lead to deviant acts, eg broken windows, graffiti, etc leads people to believe it’s okay to do the same thing, this is especially true in areas where it is deemed okay to act this way

Question 40

What is (Street Crime)?

Answer 40

Crime committed in public and often associated with violence, gangs, poverty, etc.

Question 41

What R 3 theories to reduce the street crime rate?

Answer 41

1) One theory suggests it rises and falls with the availability of jobs in the economy when there are jobs available street crime falls
2) Another theory suggests if the crime itself is not worth the time then crime rates will fall, thus U reduce crime by handing out stiffer sentences, eg three strikes program
3) Integrate cops into the community so that they are viewed as an insider or part of the community vs an outsider, aka community policing

Question 42

What is (White-Collar Crime)?

Answer 42

Crimes committed by professionals against corporations, agencies, institutions, etc

Question 43

What is (Corporate Crime)?

Answer 43

A type of white-collar crime committed by high level executives of a corporation, eg CEO, board of Directors, etc

Question 44

What do we have to know about the crime rate before we can make a statement that it’s going up or down?

Answer 44

We have to know what is factored into the crime rate, eg does assault include fights at a sporting event, in other words if the definition of assault changes over time it’s hard to track if it’s going up or down

Question 45

Explain the (Deterrence Theory) of crime?

Answer 45

A theory that suggest that crime is based on a calculation of its (Cost vs Benefits), thus tougher sentences takes away incentive 2 commit crime

Question 46

What do criminologists look at to determine the overall health of a community?

Answer 46

Instead of violent crime which can be skewed, they look at the murder rate of a community, but even that is not foolproof for example if you were shot today because of technology you would have a better chance at surviving, than if you were shot 40 years ago

Question 48

Explain the (Differential Opportunity Theory) of crime?

Answer 48

A theory that suggests along with a legitimate economic system, an illegitimate system also exists, that is unequally distributed across social classes, thus crime should (Rise or Fall) based on the return in the (Legitimate or Illegitimate) economies, thus if one wants 2 lower crime make stiffer sentences

Question 49

What is (Recidivism)?

Answer 49

When a person who has been caught for a crime and did their time reverts back to criminal activity upon being released from jail

Question 50

What are some of the unintended consequences that accompany the use of the (Deterrent Theory)?

Answer 50

1) Increase in supervision: System calls for increase in meetings with parole officers which increase the odds of technical slip ups, thus resulting in incarceration

Question 51

How does one being in the prison system relate to Durkheim’s (Anomie Theory)?

Answer 51

Anomie leads to suicide or other types of deviant behavior based on to little predictability in one’s life, thus a person coming out of the prison system often cannot find a job, which makes it hard to find dependable housing or potentially start a family, thus their life is unpredictable

Question 52

What is (Total Institutions)?

Answer 52

It’s a place where one building/facility takes care of all three phases of one’s life which R sleep, work, and play, all three phases R conducted under one roof, with the goal of breaking down the barriers between them, & there’s only one authority figure, eg jail, hospitals, retirement homes, etc

Question 53

What are some of the consequences of (Total Institutions)?

Answer 53

Because everything is the same and you have little say of the activities that take place they tend to strip away your sense of self, & self-control

Question 54

Describe Michel Foucault’s theory on punishment, and how it relates to the real world.

Answer 54

Foucault believes the same practices of monitoring and discipline used in prison is used in the social world, 2 help influence one’s behavior, eg report cards, parent teacher conference, etc R all used 2 monitor behavior

Question 55

What has happened to the prison system since the 1970s?

Answer 55

It has largely gone away from being in a place of rehabilitation to a place where punitive justice takes place on a large scale

Question 56

What is a (Panopticon)?

Answer 56

It’s a circular building set up so that prisoners can be monitored 24 hours a day without them being aware of it