Midterm 2 Flashcards
Social mobility
is the movement of individuals, families, households, or other categories of people
within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one’s current
social location within a given society.
The “broken windows” thesis/theory
asserts that an unrepaired broken window sends a message
that nobody cares and, therefore, leads to more damage (Wilson & Kelling, 1982; Crichlow &
Deuchar, 2021, p. 58)
Warrior vs Guardian policing.
The warrior concept is associated with the idea of militarizing policing
and is consistent with the traditional view of police work – to search, chase and capture. However,
the newer concept of guardian policing emphasizes social service, valuing community partnerships
and establishing positive contacts.
Mission impossible.
The unique challenges of police work as “the impossible mandate,” or mission
impossible, due to unrealistic public expectations. In contexts where resources are scarce and
personnel are stretched, police are expected to be effective at enforcing the law, maintaining order,
and keeping crime at bay, while also garnering trust and partnering with communities. During times
of crisis and social change, such wishes are even more difficult to fulfill, and given the lessons of the
last hundred years it is not surprising that police often fall short of lofty ideals (Crichlow & Deuchar,
2021, p. 156).
A role model
is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others,
especially by younger people. The term role model is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who
hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the
social role to which the individual aspires.
Racial profiling
is the act of suspecting, targeting or discriminating against a person on the basis of
their ethnicity or religion, rather than on individual suspicion. Racial profiling involves discrimination
against minority populations and often builds on negative stereotypes of the targeted demographic.
The Ferguson effect
is a hypothesized increase in violent crime rates in a community caused by
reduced proactive policing due to the community’s distrust and hostility towards police. The
Ferguson effect was first proposed after police saw an increase in violence following the 2014
shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The welfare magnet hypothesis
postulates that individuals’ migration decisions are influenced
by the generosity of the welfare system in the country or area of destination. Welfare dependency
is the degree to which immigrants take up welfare more intensively than natives. The
conventional wisdom is that states, seeking to avoid a magnet effect, will reduce benefit levels so
as to be less generous than their neighbors.
o Empirical studies present mixed results, though those with the most rigorous tests
question the extent of welfare migration among poor families. Despite this limited
evidence, the “welfare magnet” hypothesis problematically continues to influence state
policy makers. [García, 62-63]
deportability
Anthropologist Nicolas De Genova uses the concept of “deportability” to refer to the constant
possibility of deportation, one that fundamentally shapes the lives of undocumented immigrants
and those connected to them. [García, 98]
Hyper awareness
of the law is a condition in which undocumented immigrants “think of the law,
what the government does, and their legal status before engaging in even routine activities”.
[García, 98]
Legal violence
For noncitizen immigrants with tenuous immigration status—those who are
undocumented, have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or are the recipients of deferred action,
and even those who hold visas and permanent resident status—legal violence refers to the
harmful, often hidden living conditions and experiences produced by the gradually intertwined
nature of immigration law and criminal law. The term “captures the suffering that results from and
is made possible through the implementation of the body of laws that delimit and shape
individuals’ lives on a routine basis”. Importantly, contemporary legal violence is recognized as
emanating from overlapping restrictions at the federal, state, and local levels. [García, 174]
legal passing
a strategic presentation of self
to the outside world that takes on characteristics associated with mainstream, US-born groups to
mask unauthorized immigration status. Reacting to the dangers of restrictive destinations, they
literally embody the knowledge they accumulate about people born in their destinations on the
“front stage” of their public personas, from the clothing they wear to the gait with which they walk,
the language they use, and the cars they drive. [García, 134]
