Chp 5 Terms - Deviance and Crime

Question 1

deviance

Answer 1

Departure from a norm that evokes a negative reaction from others.

Question 1

formal punishment

Answer 1

Penalization by the judicial system for breaking a law.

Question 2

informal punishment

Answer 2

Mild sanction that is
imposed during face-to-face interaction rather than by the judicial system.

Question 3

law

Answer 3

A norm stipulated and enforced by government bodies.

Question 4

crime

Answer 4

Deviance that is against the law.

Question 5

street crimes

Answer 5

Crimes including arson, break and enter, assault, and other illegal acts that are disproportionately
committed by people from lower classes.

Question 6

victimless crimes

Answer 6

Violations of the law in which no victim has stepped forward and been identified.

Question 7

self-report surveys

Answer 7

Surveys that ask whether they have been involved in criminal activities as perpetrators or victims.

Question 8

white-collar crimes

Answer 8

Illegal acts committed by respectable, high-status people in the course of work.

Question 9

stigmatization

Answer 9

A process of negatively evaluating people because of a marker that distinguishes them from others.

Question 10

restorative justice

Answer 10

Focuses not on punishment but on rehabilitating offenders through reconciliation with victims and the larger community.

Question 11

labelling theory

Answer 11

Holds that deviance results not so much from the actions of the deviant as from the response of others, who label the rule breaker a deviant.

Question 12

control theory

Answer 12

Holds that the rewards of deviance and crime are ample. Therefore, nearly everyone would engage in deviance and crime if they could get away with it. The degree to which people are prevented from violating norms and laws accounts for variation in the levels of deviance and crime.

Question 13

recidivism rate

Answer 13

The percentage of imprisoned people who commit another crime, usually within two years after release from prison.

Question 14

medicalization of deviance

Answer 14

The process of applying medical definitions to deviant behaviour, a practice that is becoming more prevalent.

Question 15

strain

Answer 15

The result of a culture teaching people to value material success, but society failing to provide enough legitimate opportunities for everyone to succeed.

Question 16

moral panic

Answer 16

Widespread fear that occurs when many people fervently believe that some form of deviance or crime poses a profound threat to society’s well-being.