Chapter 7 - Social Control And Deviance Flashcards
Sanctions
Rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms
Internalization of norms
Process by which a norm becomes a part of an individual’s personality; individual conforms to societies expectations
Positive sanctions
An action that rewards a particular kind of behavior
- praise
- good grades
- pay raises
- cheers from a crowd
Negative sanctions
Punishment or threat of punishment used to enforce conformity
- most times the threat of punishment is enough
- parking ticket, frown, imprisonment, death
Formal sanctions
Reward or punishment given by a formal organization or regulatory agency
- low grade, suspension, fired, fines
- diploma, promotion, awards
Informal sanctions
Spontaneous expression of approval or disapproval given by an individual or group
- frowns, gossip, insults, standing ovation, compliments, smilesm
Social control
Enforcing norms through internal or external means
- Principal means is self control
- Authority figures, police, courts, family, public opinion
- Social stability jeopardized by behavior that violates public norms
Deviance
Behavior that violates public norms
- varies from society to society
- labeling someone as deviant
- –repeating an offense
- –act has serious negative consequences
Labeling of deviance involves…
- Be detected committing a deviant act
2. Must be stigmatized by society
Stigma
Mark of social disgrace that sets them apart from the rest of society
Emile Durkheim said…
Deviance helps clarify norms, unify the group, diffuse tension and promote social change
What else does deviance do?
- Provides jobs in various fields (lawyers, law enforcement, judges)
- Defines boundaries of acceptable behavior
- Punishment of violators serves as warning to others
- Draws line between conforming members of society and “outsiders”
- Minor deviance allows people to vent
- Prompts social change by identifying problem areas
Functionalist perspective - strain theory
Robert K. Merton
Views deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structures of society
1. Society places a high value on certain goals
2. People don’t have equal access to achieve goal
3. Anomie
Anomie
Situation that arise when the norms of society are unclear or see no longer applicable
Conformity
Accept society’s goals and means to achieve them
Innovation
Accept goals of society but do not accept the means for reaching those goals
Ritualism
Abandon societal goals while continuing to observe expected rules of behavior
Retreatism
Reject cultural goals and the acceptable means of attaining them
- may drop out of society
Rebellion
Want to substitute new goals and means for the approved set
Conflict perspective
Competition and social inequality lead to deviance
- People with power commit deviant acts to keep power
- People without power commit deviant acts to get power
Richard Quinney
Ruling class declares anything that threatens their power as deviant
Interactionist perspective - control theory
Deviance is a natural occurrence; look at WHY people conform
Why do people conform?
- Social ties among individuals
- Individuals integrated into community will conform
- Travis Hirschi - people develop bonds in four ways
Four ways people develop bonds
- form attachment with others who accept norms
- strong belief in society’s moral codes
- show commitment to traditional societal values/goals
- involved in nondeviant activities (time consuming)
Cultural transmission theory
Behavior is learned through interaction with others
- differential association
- all people are conformists
Differential association
Frequency and closeness of associations a person has with deviant and nondeviant individuals
Labeling theory
Focuses on how individuals were identified as deviant
- primary deviance
- secondary deviance
Primary deviance
Occasional violation of norms
Secondary deviance
Deviance is a lifestyle, labeled as deviant and believes the label
Crime
Any act that is labeled as such by those in authority and is prohibited by law
Violent crime
- murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault
- occurs every 22 seconds in US
- most victims are African American; for murder it is African American men 18-24
- majority of murders committed by people with guns
Property crime
- Involves stealing or intentionally damaging someone else’s property
- burglary, larceny (theft other than auto), motor vehicle theft and arson
- committed every 3 seconds in America
- people under 25 commit a large part of the crimes
- drug use/habits have strong correlation with crime rates
Victimless crimes
- prostitution, illegal gambling, illegal drug use, vagrancy
- supposedly harm no one other than themselves
White collar crime
- Offenses committed by people of high social status in the course of other profession
- misrepresentation, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, price-fixing, toxic pollution, insider trading and political corruption
- cost the U.S. more than $300 billion
- not always dealt with equally
Organized crime
- crime syndicate
- many have legitimate business that they use as “front”
Crime syndicate
Large-scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or legitimate business through violence or the threat of violence
Police
- hold most immediate control
- police discretion
Police discretion
Power to decide who is actually arrested
Factors to consider for police discretion
- seriousness of offense
- wishes of victim taken into consideration
- suspect’s attitude
- make arrest if bystanders are present
- more likely to arrest and use force against African Americans (racial profiling)
Courts
- holds a trail to determine guilt
- penalty phase
- plea bargaining
Plea bargaining
Legal negotiation that allows accused to plea guilty to a lesser charge
Corrections
Sanctions used to punish a criminal
Go four basic functions of corrections
- retribution
- deterrence
- rehabilitation
- social protection
Retribution
Socially acceptable act of revenge for victim and society
Deterrence
Discourage offenders from commiting future crimes
Rehabilitation
Reform criminals so they could be law abiding citizens
Social protection
Limiting freedom of offenders protects society
Recidivism
Repeated criminal behavior (remains high)
Juvenile Justice System
- laws became more specific for juvenile offenders in the 1960s
- juveniles could not be expected to be as responsible as adults
- – juveniles needed special, more considerate treatment
