Key Terms Flashcards
Deviance
Behaviour that goes against current norms & values
Subject to sanctions
Social construct
Absolute Deviance
When an act is considered wrong in every circumstance
E.g. Incest
Relative Deviance
When an act is only seen as deviant within a cultural context
E.g. Sexual relationships between a men and his scholar is tolerated in Greece
Situational Deviance
[Introduced by Ken Plummer]
When a typically deviant act is not seen as such due to the context
E.g. running naked in the street while escaping a fire
Crime
Any act forbidden by statue or law
Social construct; built so can be abolished (e.g. gay legalisation)
CRB Check
When police records check new employees and volunteers for past criminal activity (particularly sex offenders)
Folk Devil
S. Cohen
A specific group of people in which the media has victimised after committing deviant behaviour with the purpose to create a narrative
State Crime
Crime committed by governments
E.g. torture
White Collar Crime
Crime committed by the ruling class
Blue Collar Crime
Crime committed by the lower (working) class
Corporate Crime
Crime committed by businesses
Utilitarian Crime
Crime which only produces a monetary reward
E.g. Theft
Non-Utilitarian Crime
Crime which does not produce a monetary reward
E.g. Vandalism / Joyriding
Marginalised
A sense of exclusion from society
Caused by no organisation supporting communities / representing people
E.g. Unemployed / Youth / Black youth / Etc.
Green Crime
Crime which affects the environment in some aspect
Global Crime
Crime which affects the global population
Criminogenic
Produces / Likelihood to cause crime
Negotiation
[Interactionist]
People can sue their social status to challenge the CJS
Master Status
When deviance overrides any other status (individual / social identity)
Deviancy Amplification
When an agent (in particular, the media) exaggerate a social problem out of proportion
Moral Entrepreneur
Prominent people whose position enables them to define certain actions as deviant
Criminal Act
Breaking the law
Political Act
Reaction against being oppressed by systems
Military-style Policing
A policing style wherein police have to resort to extreme methods such as stopping & searching or using surveillance as an alternative method of solving crime when others fail