Crimer And Deviance Part 2

Question 1

How else do we need to gain an understanding of crime apart from studying the institutions of it

Answer 1

Through the response of the public, how it is perceived and understood by the general public

Question 2

Is there any disparity between peoples thought about the threat of violence of crime and the statistical evidence of crime rate?

Answer 2

Yes
Most people tend to think that there is a higher crime rate than what actually exist

Although overtime there has been a decrease in crime rate

Question 3

Why is the statistics on crime rate not 100% a certainty

Answer 3

Because the statistical evidence of crime rate is only based of the crime that was caught by the police, the crimes that went on noticed or caught are not recorded

Nevertheless they can still be used statically to understand crime

Question 4

Could the personal thoughts and feelings of the public be used to determine the rate of crimes

Answer 4

No they rate of crime and the views of people do not correlate
Their perception of crime compared to what is in actual existence is completely different

Question 5

What is the relationship between the fear of crime versus the rate of crime

Answer 5

People’s fear and perception of the crime rate especially violent crime is completely different from the actual crime rate that exist

Canadians tend to overestimate the prevalence of crime than the actual crime that exist

So even though crime rate has steadily decreased overtime, the perception of this crime especially violent ones is still heightened in the mind of most people

Question 6

What accounts for the disparity between the actual threat of crime and the perceived threat of crime

Answer 6

Availability heuristic
Mass media Report of crime

Question 7

The tendency to overgeneralize our experiences based on what we recall is called

Answer 7

Availability heuristic

Question 8

What two factors accounts for the availability heuristic

Answer 8

The experience
If it induced a vivid recollection ( emotional recollection especially fear that increase its salience in our mind)

Question 9

What is the availability heuristic

Answer 9

A pattern of human cognition that results in our ability to remember what we experienced and what produced an emotional effect we are more likely to remember

For example we are more likely to remember a strong emotion of fear when we experience something which could cause us to over exaggerate the experience

Question 10

How does the availability heuristic cause us to overestimate the amount of crime prevalent

Answer 10

Because we tend to remembber the most promineit crimes which tend to be more violent ones.
We creat the thought that these events are common and more prevalent that they actually are

Question 11

As the surge of 24hr news networks became overall, to meet up with 24 hrs demand of interesting information in order to keep viewers invested how was the report of crime affected

Answer 11

Because of the demand to keep viewers engaged, there was a significant increase in the report of violent crimes and less of smaller crimes

Multiple repetitions of of violent crimes in a day and less information on smaller crimes like shoplifting

Question 12

So what accounts for the fear of crime?

Answer 12

The fear of crime did not arrive from the existence of the crime itself and more from the the representation of crime through the media

As the coverage of crime increased even though crime declined, more people started to believe that since the media covered more violent crimes, therefore there must be more crimes prevalent

Also with the availability heuristic, we then tend to remember the more popular violent crimes that the media overly broadcasted and over exaggerate those in our mind

So even though there is statistical evidence that is available to us to see these effects, but our minds tend to remember more of the violet news we heard since it elicited an emotional response fear in us

Question 13

An extreme over experience that occurs when many people fervently believe that some form of deviance or crime poses a profound threat to the society’s well being is termed

Answer 13

Moral panic

Question 14

The account of witch trials discussed in the lecture, could be considered what?

Answer 14

A moral panic
The Christians began to think that witches had infiltrated the society, the devil was taking over the people and therefore, an urgent response was necessary to purge the community of the witch craft

This over exaggerated thought led to killing of over 20 people.

So it was not the reality or truth of witchcraft but the apprehensive feeling and thought that created the moral panic

Question 15

Why would moral panic be specifically referred to as an OVERRESPONSE

Answer 15

Because it is not just a response to a threat that elicits a response
Most times its an extreme fear of something that may not necessity exist that forces the people with the society to think of a possible solution

Question 16

Explain the circle of fear of crime and moral panic

Answer 16

1.An idea is generated because the media is constantly highlighting it

2.The politicians (law and order campaign), in their campaign profess to end crime

3. Therefore more police and law enforcement agents are hired
4. As there are more arrest and more reported crimes
5. The media broadcast this crimes more and more to the public
6. This leads more viewers to see these crimes and internalize this thoughts
7. This has heightened moral panic about the incidence of violent crimes
8. Overall when asked about crimes the availability heuristic affects their thoughts and they specify the most violent crimes as they have heard from the media
9. Therefore profess that there is more crime
10. Even though there is less crimes, since more criminals are being caught

Question 17

Explain the relationship between moral panic and the fear of crime

Answer 17

This is largely due the media focusing on more violet crimes leading to moral panic and the viewers availability heuristics that causes them to over exaggerate what they actually remember, therefore creating that fear of crime

Question 18

Why is the fear of crime more prevalent now even though statistically there is less crime, compared to the 1970, 80, 90s, but at that time they thought there was less crime even though there was actually more crime

Answer 18

At that time there was less crime reported, less police officers, less criminals were caught and less media coverage. So even though there was more crime, the people were not aware and so there was no fear

But, now, there is the constant media coverage, more police officers, more criminals caught, that even though crime may be less prevalent since there are so much resources to prevent them, yet there is still more fear because we are more aware of the crimes, especially through media that over emphasizes the more interesting eye catching violent narratives to attract views

Question 19

Why is the study of serial killers difficult, why do sociologist study not the serial killers themselves but the victims of such crimes?

Answer 19

Because serial killing is a rare phenomenon

Even though there have been many over times but sociologist study groups of people not individuals to find pattens and create some kind of prediction based on their results

Serial killing is so rare that even though they exist, using the social economic class, race, income, eduction does not necessarily account for a means to explain serial killers.

So for example from the slide most of the killers are male, but that does not mean on average more male are expected to be serial killers than female, because looking at the wider population of the male so few of them actually become serial killers that it would be an erroneous thought to make that just by they virtue of being a male you’re likely to be a serial killer

Question 20

How does knowledge of the victims of serial killers provide a sociological illustration of the perception of serial killing to the public

Answer 20

The public response and the authorities respond to the rate of serial killings have been greatly biased depending on the specific population of people being killed
For example serial killers who killed white middle class women (population of more advantageous people) like ted bundy have more media coverage, more attention than Robert picketon who killed more people but his killings were more members of the public that belong to a disadvantageous class ( drug addicts,prostitutes , indigenous people)

More police and investigators were searching for the killings of ted bundy than the killings of Robert picketon and therefore picketon was able to kill way more people

Question 21

How does intersectionality play a role in victimization and social inequality

Answer 21

Being a certain race, gender, sexuality and social class increase or decreases your chance of being a victim of a serial murder

For example, just by being Indigenous in Canada, the likely hood of being a victim of a violent crime is heightened regardless of poverty eduction, age and geographical location

Question 22

How does the culture and and structure of victim hood differ in practice vs in theory

Answer 22

In theory the law enacted states that anyone who murders, regardless of who that person is must go to jail, everyone has equal rights to life

However in practice, some people are considered victims while others are not thought to be one or they are seen as being partially responsible for the crimes committed against them

This assumption is often prevalent in the marginalized community of people such as drug addicts, people in the downtown area,
Victims of Robert Pickteton, the media associated them as they were people who lived suspicious places and regularly engaged in such heinous acts.
So maybe if they didn’t live such lives or stay in such places they wouldn’t have been killed

Question 23

What did Schilt and Westbrook deduce from analysis of the murder of trans gender women and how does that relate to the culture of victim hood

Answer 23

According to the law, it was murder
But based on the cultural narrative built around the case the transgender women were killed partly because it was their fault

The reason why the cisgender men murdered the transgender women was because prior to sexual intercourse the transgender women did not reveal who they were and therefore chose to deceive the men and when the men were confronted with this they panicked and murdered them

So the story told was that the victim was responsible for their death, since they did not disclose this information to the cis gender men (known as gender deceivers)

So although the truth came out that the cis ended men were aware but the story of this murder was framed in a way that it was their fault for dying, if they had disclosed their gender identity then they wouldn’t have been murdered, it was their fault. Thus the very victim of the murder should not be considered a victim

Question 24

What is the predisposition does culture use to justify and understand the victimhood of marginalized communities

Answer 24

People in marginalized communities even though are more likely to be victims of crimes ( unequal access to Saftey)

BUT
They are less likely to be seen or considered as victims of a crime. Just for belonging in such a community, their murder may partially be their fault ( unequal access to social recognition)

Question 25

What 2 social inequalities are experienced by marginalized groups

Answer 25

They face unequal access to safety
Unequal access to social recognition

More likely to be targeted for crime
They are less likely to be considered as victims of a crime

Question 26

How is internal social control achieved

Answer 26

Socialization

Question 27

When the source of conformity to a social expectation is internal to the social actor, what is that considered to be?

Answer 27

Internal social control

Question 28

My not to steal my moms credit card, not because I can’t, or because i am scared of the repercussions but because morally i know its inappropriate and I shouldn’t do so, is considered what type of social control

Answer 28

Internal social control

Question 29

A regulation of behavior that warrants imposition of punishments, and offering rewards is considered?

Answer 29

External social control

Question 30

When the source of conformity to the social expectation is external to the social actor is regarded as what type of social control

Answer 30

External

Question 31

My choice not to cheat on a test, not because I don’t want to or I don’t have the means to but because I fears the risk of expulsion and the repercussions on my transcript is considered what?

Answer 31

External social control

Question 32

What predates and determines the admission of punishment and social control

Answer 32

Based on what the culture determines to be deviant and may require to be punished

Question 33

The way by which a social system attempts to regulates peoples behavior, thoughts, feelings, appearance and behavior is what

Answer 33

Social control

Question 34

In understanding what social control is, why is it necessary to understand that the social system does not explicitly try to force people in to do what it wants

Answer 34

Social control is the effect the social system, not just the system purposely trying to control people to act the way it wants.

It is not a blatant effect but more of a emergent property

Question 35

How does the school system, social media an d the justice law system enforce social control

Answer 35

There are varying degrees and expectations that each institution exerts social control is different and also change overtime

For example, the school system- a life of a child is regulated by time, leaves home, comes to school, listen and follow instructions, and go back home where there’s a completely different environment which all in preparation to do the same when they grow up and get a Job, get to work in the morning, listen to their boss and going back home to a place of relaxation, etc,
A teacher would not explicitly point out that they are teaching their kids to join the vicious circle of the workforce, like as if its a intentional initiative to exert control over the lives of the children, it just the way things are

Also years ago for peasants the distinction between home and work didn’t exist, they worked on their farms to support their family and sold the rest, there wasn’t a clearer distinction that to be able to work on the farm, they must do certain things

Social influencers, even though they just showcase brands and their life style, they are not explicitly telling you to buy what they are selling and pushing consumerism down your throat

The criminal justice system exerts a more stronger control, they enforce the expectation that if you go against the laws you will go to jail

Question 36

What is panopticism

Answer 36

How people react in the society to being subjected to a specific kinds of surveillance

Question 37

Michele Foucault introduced what

Answer 37

Logic of panopticon in a work titled discipline and punish

Question 38

What is the significance of panopticism and how has it changed overtime compared to the pre modern era and now

Answer 38

In the premodern era, having someone to watch over you was less common, the monarchs did not decide to keep constant surveillance over the peasants
But in the modernity and the post modern era, the need to keep watch over people become necessary to maintain that social control but that surveillance was even better when people are aware of it but don’t know they are being watched at the moment because it led to internalization of the social control

Question 39

What is the concept of panopticon, what is its significance as an architectural design and the use of lights?

Answer 39

It is an architectural design of a prison arranged in a circular manner, where there are rings of cells that inmates reside around each other with the guard tower being in the middle

The impact of such infrastructure resulted in:
~Saving on the economic cost of employing many guards because one cell tower watches has access to watch all at the same time
~the light on the cell tower were also impactful in illumination of the prisoners behavior or things they were doing
~but the lights also, helped to obscure the prisoners, from knowing they were being watched
~guards could see the prisoners but they could not see the guard

Question 40

What was the correlation between the panopticon and the social control

Answer 40

Since the guards could see the prisoners but the prisoners could not see the guards because of the light

The possibility of being watched is continually in the mindfulness of the inmates, since the know there is a chance they are being watched but also there may not even be a guard at the watch tower but this is not apparent to them

So with this uncertainty they start to act the right way just because of chance of being watched
Which is considered as the internalization of the Gaze
Even though i am not certain i am been watched,so i should act a certain way also they know or present the ideal prisoner behavior to the guards

Question 41

How doe the theory of the panopticon translate into taking exams and day care systems

Answer 41

In the exams, people are sited with their heads facing down, not looking st anything, the though that I vigilant or may not be staring at them but just because of the prospect of being watched would encourage them to elicit the behavior that follows the societal expectations, this internal social control

In a daycare, with cameras, the kids could be seen by their parents freely- this exerts a double impacts on the children and the workers, where the children may act a certain way because the daycare teacher may remind them that they are being watched by their parents they shouldn’t throw a tantrum but it also follows the for the teacher

The teacher would hav that double subjectivity of being a teacher and doin the right thing but being apprehensive that they are being watched by the parents, so how should they act that the parents would approve or disapprove of their behavior , thus internal social control

Question 42

What is the relation between Dubois and MIchekle Foucault

Answer 42

Dubois emphasized how subjectively, we all know ourselves to be someone, who we are, what we are, what we do but we have a double consciousness, where we develop a sense of how other people see us

So the concept of panopticon the inmates by themselves because of the fear of being watched start to imagine how the guards my see them, and forces them to change the way they act, causing them to internalize that social control by themselves

If they were aware of being watched it more of an external control because the know that I definitely need to change my behavior since someone is definitely watching me

Question 43

How has the internalization of the gaze now, completely changed in the post modern era

Answer 43

People have come to internalize the gaze of the panoptic observer, such that they subject themselves to the surveillance of others
So people now decide by themselves to openly showcase their behavior or social media, to present to the world who you are

We have internalized the idea so deeply that we welcome the gaze of others by our own hands not because we are in a certain prison cell but because we do want people to see us

Question 44

How does the Truman show differ from the conception of internalization of the gaze now

Answer 44

In the Truman show him not being aware that he was under surveillance was the only way to achieve the possibility of being watched by million of people

But now people are fully aware they are being watched and decide to subject themselves to this panoptic observer status, as they share themselves openly on social media

Question 45

How does the theory of panopticon proposed by Michele Foucault apply to social control today?

Answer 45

We have so in-depthly internalized the thought of being watched that even when we are performing daily activities we start to imagine how other people would see us if we were to publicize what we were doing at the moment
So social internal control has become a normality in our daily life
For example I am watching an anime that not popular, but i have the thought that if I posted this on my anime list, my friends would think i was a weeb

Just having that thought alone, without posting it, we are internalizing the effect of how people would see us even without exposing it

The relationship of surveillance is already in our daily thoughts of how something would be seen by others even if they are not even watching or looking at us

Question 46

Relation of social media to the concept of panopticon

Answer 46

We internalize the gaze, that is We are constantly thinking that we are being watched and looked at and how others may see us or interpret who we are through for example my post on instagram

And voluntary surveillance- we choose to post those picture to create a concept of who we are be portrayed to outsiders as they view our post

Question 47

How does the internalization of the gaze affect our perception who we are and how others may see us

Answer 47

By internalizing the gaze, one’s subjective thought even when it is not subjected to surveillance keeps the thought of i maybe watched and so i shelf control how I speak, walk, interact, eat etc, even when we may not be watched

Question 48

What explains the disparity between the fear of crime and the rate of crime

Answer 48

The actual threat of crime
Perceived threat of crime

Question 49

The tendency to over generalize experiences recalled from memory is?

Answer 49

Availability heuristic

Question 50

When we say social control is an effect of of a social system and not necessarily its purpose based on its own self concepts, what does that mean

Answer 50

Social control is often not an intentional act to mitigate deviance and foster control, it is more of a result of the way the structure exist.
It implicitly causes us to elicit those pattens of behaviors that result in social control

Question 51

An example of Contemporary social control is;

Answer 51

Panopticism