SOC212 - 3. Interpersonal Violence Flashcards
Introduction
related to some of most fundamental features of social life:
Age, Sex, Social Class, Residence
Introduction
Deviance is structured behavior, not random
related to social conditions people find themselves in and social positions (roles) they employ.
Crime as Deviance
deviant behavior + results from an act that violates a law,
which is particular kind of norm
Crime as Deviance
2 ways to examine crime:
•violation of the criminal law
•violation of any law that triggers punishment by state
Three categories of criminal activity
- Common law crimes (conventional or street crime)
- White-collar crimes
- Delinquency (adolescent violations)
Mala in se crimes
crimes that are bad in themselves
murder + incest
Mala prohibita
crimes because the law prohibits them
J-Walking, drunk driving, building codes, tax laws
reactions to social + technological changes
Crime as Deviance
Offenses only juveniles can commit are often referred to as status offenses
For example: running away from home + truancy
Crime as Deviance
crime must incorporate elements of actus reus + mens rea
Behavior that violates the law (actus reus) constitutes a crime only if the actor pursues some criminal intent (mens rea).
Criminal Career
Differs from noncriminal career in the acquisition of criminal norms that lead to criminal acts + individual’s
view of the criminal behavior
Criminal Career
Involves a lifelong organization of roles built around criminal activities, such as:
Identification with crime
Commitment to crime as a social role + characteristic activity
Criminal Career
Progression in crime through development of increasingly complex criminal techniques + increasingly sophisticated criminal attitudes.
Homicide in Canada
Culpable Homicide: causing death of human being by unlawful act, criminal negligence
meant to cause them harm
Nonculpable: armed forces
Homicide in Canada
First Degree Murder: killing is planned + deliberate
killing officer, highjacking, sexual assault
automatic life sentence, no chance of parole for 25 years
Homicide in Canada
Second Degree Murder: still intentional
heat of the moment,
assaults
automatic life sentence, parole betw 10-25 years
Homicide in Canada
Manslaughter: culpable murder with no intent
crimes of passion - provocation
victim of abuse that kills abuser
no set sentence - highest level is life in prison
• Infanticide-
Homicide in Canada
crime peaked in 70s, but gone down, fear of crime is high
feel more at risk for crime more than ever
facination of media with crime
2013: 505 murders, 165 in ontario
nunavut - crime looks high, but smaller pop
gun deaths, gang deaths, intimate partner homicide are down
Global Homicide
-highest rate in africa, latin america US among developed
higher population, but homicide rate going down as well
countries believe in machisma
Group Variations in Homicide
Homicide rates vary by:
Country, Regions (i.e., South vs. North), Local Difference
(poor neighborhoods vs. wealthy neighborhoods)
Race, Social Class, Age, Sex, access to resources
Group Variations in Homicide
highest among males betw 18-24 (homicide, assault)
murder similar race, class, age, sex, access to resources
low recidivism - don’t usually do it again
Interaction Between Offender & Victim
Most murders + aggravated assaults represents violent responses to social interactions betw 1/more parties
> 1/2 of all murderers know their victims.
Differential Power
Understanding & Explaining Violence:
must also understand another characteristic of offenders and victims: differential power
Differential Power
violence usually establish or reestablish power
in assaults, abuse, relationships
Understanding and Explaining Violence
•distribution of violent crime suggests looking for the subculture in the inner-city regions of urban areas
within location - what is happening there?
gangs - promote violence
Understanding and Explaining Violence
High income inequality can inspire hostility + frustration, as people resent their economic + social positions relative to those of others
Development of Dangerous
Violent Offenders
Some violent crimes result when certain ppl characteristically resort to violence in varied situations + circumstances
Development of Dangerous
Violent Offenders
Rhodes (1999) indicates 4 stages ppl become dangerous violent offenders:
- Brutalization: physical coercion
- Belligerency: resort to violence in relationships (socialized)
Development of Dangerous
Violent Offenders
- Violent Performances (intention to hurt other)
4. Virulency: convinces them as violent ppl, not as ppl capable of violence
Missing & Murdered
1017 murdered Aboriginal women + 164 missing
(1980-2013)
•4.3% of female population
•16% of homicide victims
Missing & Murdered
•Police failure & systemic discrimination (Human Rights Watch)
•Public Inquiry - nothing’s happened yet
disregard for native issues
Child Abuse
physical/mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child under the age of 18 by person who responsible for child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby
Child Abuse
children and women used to be considered property until late 1800s
in early 1870s - case of 8 year old girl whipped and beaten daily at foster home
closest organization that could help were aspca - horses had better rights
Child Abuse
Risk factors or family characteristics that contribute to child abuse
Family Size, Income, Single-parent households
Child Abuse
Alcohol and drug abuse, coping skills, social support (daycare)
Child Abuse
2 conditions distinguish child sexual abuse:
“abuser is older than the child and in a position of
authority over the child”
Child Abuse
Child sexual abuse involves behaviors such as
exhibitionism, fondling of genitals, and mutual masturbation, as well as intercourse.
Intimate Partner Violence
Both men + women use physical force at
about the same rate
Women are more likely than men to receive injuries from
abuse that requires medical attention
Intimate Partner Violence
Spouse abuse occurs largely among members of the
lower class
stress, not being able to achieve goals
deplorable responses to stress
Intimate Partner Violence
disproportionately high levels in same sex relationships
lower SES - aren’t able to leave, have children
Elder Abuse
Elderly ppl sometimes experience abuse in nursing
homes or while living with younger family members
increasing with amount of baby boomers
Elder Abuse
rate of abuse occurs in 4 to 6 percent among older people, if physical, psychological, and financial abuse and neglect are included
Forcible Rape
min 18-10 years
1 person unlawfully compels another to engage in sexual intercourse/interaction against that victim’s will
Forcible Rape
Although forcible rape is often underreported, the FBI (2009) recorded 89,000 rapes in 2008.
Sexual Assault in Canada
in canada (2013) - 60 for 100,000
1/3 women experienced sexual assault in 90s, but 6% reported
only 1-2% of date rape is reported - someone you know
Sexual Assault in Canada
Sexual Assaul
Sexual assault with a weapon, threats to a third party or
causing bodily harm - 14 years
Aggravated Sexual Assault - max life in prison
Sexual Assault in Canada
1/4 in NA will be sexually assaulted 80% are women 57% aboriginal women 1/5 involve weapon 80% assailants are friends or family
Sexual Assault in Canada
far more common than most ppl think
very few are ever reported
young or vulnerable are most likely to be abused + assault
most are close to victim
most assaulters are young men 18-25, also victims same demographic
intraracial crime
Legal History of Sexual Assault
-first definition of rape in 1890: act of a man having carnal not his wife without her consent, or with consent which has been extorted by threats or fear of bodily harm, obtained by personating the woman’s husband, or by false and fraudulent representations as to the nature and quality of the act
says men could not get raped
1983: applicable in marriage - made it illegal for husbands to rape wives finally, gender neutral, 3 diff types of sexual assault
Legal History of Sexual Assault
991: Victim cannot consent to intentional infliction of bodily harm, Past sexual history of the victim can be used in certain circumstances
992: Silence does not equal consent
995: Private records of the victim can be used in certain circumstances
998: Sex discrimination in the policing of rape condemned by court
2011: Consent cannot be communicated in advance - has to be ongoing
Date Rape
form of rape where victims of these sexual assaults know their attackers, who usually rape them after dates or other social occasions that the couples attend.
Date Rape
Many date rapes go unreported because of the
further embarrassment to the victim.
Only 2% of date rapes are reported to police.
Date Rape
lots of rape prevention are focused on women
goal is to stop rape, by teach women to protect themselves, when we should teach men not to rape
Male Victims & Prison Rape
Men being victims of sexual assault often remains hidden from the police by a reluctance to report the crime
Over 31,000 jail inmates incarcerated in 2008 were
victims of sexual assault
Male Victims & Prison Rape
Victims are disproportionately white + most are heterosexuals
threatens sense of masculinity
makes them gay
Political Context of Rape
changing conception of sexual assault as a crime of
violence rather than a crime of sex has helped dramatically to reorient thinking about the offense.
Political Context of Rape
observers regard forcible rape as a political act, because it reflects an exercise of power by one group (males) over another (females)
extension of patriarchy
Rape Reporting
Sexual Assault: Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to police
Reasons rape is underreported
Rape is an emotionally upsetting and deeply humiliating.
Victims often encounter a strong stigma
Reasons rape is underreported
Victims sometimes must deny implications that they
consented to the sex acts by either resisting too weakly or
leading on their assailants
response is strange: look at women as causing it
Reasons rape is underreported
Reasons rape is underreported
Some victims’ stories are doubted by police officials.
Victims face embarrassing questioning about the crime.
Rape Reporting
Courtroom treatment may involve previous sexual
experience in an attempt to discredit the victims story
that they were raped and not willing.
victim blaming
Theories of Rape
Psychiatric and psychological approaches to rape stress causes like rapists’ hidden aggression + classification schemes with categories like power rapists and sexual rapists.
2 kinds of sexually aggressive men
those who admit to sexual contact and define that contact
as rape and those who admit sexual contact but deny it was rape
sociological theories advance several explanations in rape
Rape represents and extension of legitimate violence in society
Rape varies with the degree of gender inequality; increasing equality between the sexes reduces the likelihood of rape
Theories of Rape
Rape results in part from depictions of women as sexual
objects in pornography
Rape results from value conflicts in the larger society
women’s rights vs men’s privilege
moral reaction to sexuality
Society’s Reaction to
Crimes of Personal Violence
Society expresses an extremely severe reaction to murder, aggravated assault + forcible rape by enacting strict laws.
Society’s Reaction to
Crimes of Personal Violence
Legal penalties include lengthy prison terms + under some circumstances, execution
Social Movements: advocating police not the blame the victim - slut walk
no one deserves it
