Final: Crime

Question 1

“Carnival Mirror”

Answer 1

Argued by Reiman and Leighton that the reality of crime differs greatly from how it is presented in the media.

Question 2

Why is crime an illusion in our society?

Answer 2

The typical criminal is characterized as a young, poor, black, urbanized, male. The reality to crime is more often perpetrated by those who engage in fraud, cheating on taxes, consumer deception, medical malpractice, and property crime.

Question 3

Norms

Answer 3

Refer to expectations of human behaviour.

Question 4

Deviance

Answer 4

Non-normative behaviour. In other words, when we violate a norm.

Question 5

Crime

Answer 5

Involves breaking a law (a codified norm).

Question 6

Crime vs. Deviance

Answer 6

A given act may be a crime, but not necessarily deviant. A given act may be deviant, but not a crime.

Question 7

How does Hagan refer to crime?

Answer 7

Crime can be divided into two categories.

1) Consensus crimes, very harmful and carry the harshest sanctions.
2) Conflict crimes, there is less agreement when it comes to conflict crimes.

Question 8

“Mala in se”

Answer 8

Consensus crimes. Meaning: Evil crime.

Question 9

“Mala Prohibita”

Answer 9

Conflict crimes. Meaning: Prohibited by law”

Question 10

Social Deviation

Answer 10

Refers to legal, but stigmatized behaviour (mental illness, ex-convicts).

Question 11

Social Diversion

Answer 11

Refers to how people appear to others. Example: A person with many piercings.

Question 12

Strain Theory

Answer 12

Grew out of functionalism. It suggested that people behave deviantly when they are strained. Claimed that crime and deviance are the result of “rising expectations and falling realizations.”

Question 13

Robert Merton

Answer 13

A strain theorist that created the “Merton’s Typology”.

Question 14

Merton’s Typology

Answer 14

1) Conformity, accepting the American Dream.
2) Innovation, most common type of deviance/criminal. Has the dream, but not the resources, so engages in crime to get the dream life.
3) Ritualism, second type of deviant. Low ambition. Rejects American Dream.
4) Retreatism, people who literally retreat from society. Merton argued these are people who are alcoholics, drug-addicts, or have mental illness. Rejects the American Dream.
5) Rebellion, rejects the American Dream, but wants to replace it with another dream. Communists and terrorists.