Deviance 1

Social deviance is any transgression of socially established norms. Minor transgressions of these norms can be described as informal deviance. Formal deviance or crime involves the violation of laws. 2

Social Control Informal Social Control Parents; teachers; peers Formal Social Control Criminal Justice System: A formal response by police, courts, and prison officials to alleged violations of the law 3

Explanations for Deviance Biological context Genetic & environmental factors, esp. abuse early in life: predictors of adult crime/violence Personality factors Deviance is viewed as unsuccessful “socialization” 4

Durkheim's Basic Insight Deviance affirms cultural values and norms There can be no good without evil and no justice without crime Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries A boundary between right wrong Responding to deviance brings people together People typically react to serious deviance with shared outrage Deviance encourages social change. Deviant people push a society’s moral boundaries 5

Labeling Deviance Medicalization of deviance Transform moral and legal deviance into a medical condition How people respond Personal competence of the deviant person 6

Hirschi’s Control Theory Attachment Strong social attachments encourage conformity Opportunity Greater the access to legitimate opportunity, the greater advantages of conformity Involvement Extensive involvement in legitimate activities inhibits deviance Belief Strong belief in conventional morality and respect for authority controls deviance 7

Deviance and Capitalism Steven Spitzer - likely targets of labeling: People who interfere with capitalism People who cannot or will not work People who resist authority Anyone who directly challenges the status quo White-collar crime Those committed by people of high social position in the course of their occupations Corporate crime Illegal actions of a corporation or people acting on its behalf Organized crime A business supplying illegal goods or services 8

Deviance, Race, and Gender Hate crime A criminal act against a person or person’s property by offender motivated by racial bias The Feminist Perspective & Gender The world applies more stringent normative controls to women Tension due to reality of gender-based inequality Different standards are used to judge the behavior of women and men Why do women commit fewer crimes than men? 9

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Risk of Violent Crime across the United States 10

Crime The violation of criminal laws enacted by a locality, state, or the federal government Two elements The act itself Criminal intent Crimes against the person Direct violence or threat of it Crimes against property Involves theft of property Criminal statistics Victimization surveys: Crime rate is two to four times higher than official reports 11

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Crime Rates in the United States, 1960–2010 Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (2011). 12

Crime in Global Perspective United States The US crime rate is high by world standards. The rate of US violent crime is several times higher than in Europe Elliott Currie: Crime stems from our culture’s emphasis on individual economic success Frequently at the expense of strong families and neighborhoods Other countries Crime rates are high in some of the world’s largest cities Rapid population growth and millions of poor 13

US Criminal Justice System: Due Process Anyone charged with a crime must receive Fair notice of the proceedings A hearing on the charges conducted according to law and with the ability to present a defense A judge or jury that weighs evidence impartially The criminal justice system must operate according to law This principle is grounded in the Bill of Rights Police: Primary point of contact between population and criminal justice system 14

Justifications for Punishment Retribution An act of moral vengeance by which society Makes offender suffer as much as the suffering caused by the crime Deterrence The attempt to discourage criminality through the use of punishment Rehabilitation A program for reforming the offender to prevent later offenses Societal protection Rendering an offender incapable of further offenses temporarily through imprisonment Or permanently by execution 15

The Death Penalty Most of population supports death penalty Death penalty sentences have declined: Decline in crime rates has resulted in a decreased fear of crime Fear of wrongful convictions Increased use of life sentences without parole High cost of prosecuting capital cases. 16

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Capital Punishment in Global Perspective Source: Amnesty International (2011). 17

Sources Conley, Dalton May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist (Second Edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Macionis, John J Society: The Basics (Twelfth Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson 18