1 Social Control and Deviance Chapter 6 Lecture PowerPoint © W. W. Norton & Company, You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

2 What Is Social Deviance? You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2  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.

3 What Is Social Deviance?  Howard Becker states, “All deviant acts, attitudes or appearance have some element of difference” that causes us to think of another person as an “outsider.”  Do we appear deviant (different) to one we consider deviant? You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 3

4 What Is Social Deviance?  Is deviance more than a personal choice?  Yes, because society defines deviance.  All behavior, deviance and conformity, is influenced by society You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 4

5 What Is Social Deviance?  ***Definitions of deviance are subject to change, and the definitions of what counts as deviance are likely to vary across contexts/cultures/countries.*** You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 5

6 Three social foundations of deviance: 1. deviance varies according to cultural norms 2. people become deviant as others define them that way 3. both norms and the way people define rule- breaking involve social power—white collar crime v. loss from theft, etc. You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 6

7 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control  Emile Durkheim pointed out that deviance fulfills four essential functions: 1. affirms cultural values and norms 2. clarifies boundaries 3. brings people together 4. encourages social change You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 7

8 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 8  Social cohesion refers to the way people form social bonds, relate to each other, and get along on a day-to- day basis.  Emile Durkheim theorized that social cohesion is established either through: Mechanical solidarity — based on the sameness of society’s parts or members—premodern society Organic solidarity — based on the interdependence of specialized parts or members—modern society

9  Why do we punish those who are or behave different?  Collective conscience refers to the set of common assumptions about how the world works.  This is our understanding of the world, and we have a stake at defending it. You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 9

10 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 10  Punitive justice is focused on making the violator suffer and thus defining the boundaries of acceptable behavior.  Rehabilitative justice examines the specific circumstances of an individual transgressor and attempts to find ways to rehabilitate him.

11 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 11  Social control is the set of mechanisms that create normative compliance in individuals.  Normative compliance is the act of abiding by society’s norms or simply following the rules of group life, internalization of norms.

12 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 12  Informal social sanctions Are unspoken rules and expectations about people’s behavior Help maintain a base level of order and cohesion in society and form a foundation for formal social control, formal sanctions Formal sanctions are laws, the authority of police officers, etc.

13 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control  The idea behind informal social sanctions is that we are all simultaneously agents and objects of social order. You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 13

14 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 14  Emile Durkheim’s theory of suicide proposed that suicide is a product of social forces, depending on a person’s level of social integration and social regulation.

15 Figure 6.1 | A Normative Theory of Suicide 15 You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

16 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control  Robert Merton’s strain theory argues that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals. You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 16

17 Functionalist Approaches to Deviance and Social Control ConformistInnovator RitualistRetreatists You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 17 Rebel Conventional Means AcceptsRejects Accepts Rejects Cultural Goals Seeking New Goals Through new means

18 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 18  Symbolic interactionists take a micro view of society, examining the beliefs and assumptions people bring to their everyday interactions to find the causes or explanations for deviance.  Deviance is not just what you do but how others respond to what you do.

19 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 19  Labeling Theory People unconsciously notice how others see or label them, and over time they internalize these labels and come to accept them as “truth.” People then behave in accordance to expectations surrounding the label they’ve been assigned or that’s been assigned to another — in this way deviance is a social construct. Similar to “Self-fulfilling-Prophesy”

20 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance  According to Howard Becker, deviance is only behavior that others define as deviant.  Just as deviant acts are created through labeling, so are deviants created by a process of labeling.  Smoking inside public spaces is now a deviant act; therefore, one caught smoking inside is now seen as a deviant.

21 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 21  Primary deviance The first act of rule breaking, provokes slight reaction from others; this “may” result in the rule breaker being labeled “deviant” and thus influence how people think about and act toward him or her.  Not all primary deviance leads to a label and therefore, secondary deviance. Most provokes little reaction from others and has little effect on one’s self concept.  Edwin Lemert calls this a passing episode of primary deviance.

22 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance  Secondary deviance Refers to acts of rule breaking that occur after primary deviance and as a result of a person’s new deviant label. In other words, the response to primary deviance, labeling one deviant, sets in motion secondary deviance.

23 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 23  Stigma Negative social label that changes your behavior toward a person; also changes that person’s self- concept and social identity Has serious consequences in terms of the opportunities made available, or rather that are not made available, to people in a stigmatized group

24 Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 24  Broken Window Theory of Deviance Developed by Philip Zimbardo Explains how social context (environment: well kept up or run down community) and social cues (smaller signs within the social context: broken windows, drinking/drugs) impact the way individuals act People who wouldn’t exhibit a certain behavior in one social context might do so in another context where the behavior seems more permissible

25 Crime You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 25  Street crime — refers to crime committed in public and is often associated with violence, gangs, and poverty.  White-collar crime — committed by a professional against a corporation, agency, or other business.  Corporate crime — type of white-collar crime committed by the officers or executives of a company.

26 Crime You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.  Differential Opportunity Theory Developed by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin  States that in addition to the legitimate economic structure, there is an illegitimate opportunity structure that is unequally distributed across social classes  An extension of Merton’s strain theory

27 Crime You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 27  It can be difficult to measure crime rates over time for a variety of reasons, including: Changes in how crimes are defined Fluctuations in whether people report crimes In the case of murders, improvements in medical technology

28 Crime Reduction You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 28  Deterrence theory is a philosophy of criminal justice based on the notion that crime results from a rational calculation of its costs and benefits.  According to this theory stiffer penalties, increased prison terms, and stricter parole guidelines should thus help reduce crime.

29 Crime Reduction You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 29  There are numerous unintended consequences of deterrence theory that may ultimately result in increased recidivism.  Recidivism occurs when a person who has been involved in the criminal justice system reverts back to criminal behavior.

30 Crime Reduction You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 30  While commitment to a total institution is supposed to help an individual learn to function as a productive member of society, there are many aspects of total institutions that lead to the opposite result.  Michel Foucault argues that penal practices are indicative of how social control is exercised outside of prisons and various modes of discipline are used in society at large to monitor, examine, and order our lives and behavior.

31 Crime Reduction You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 31  Since the 1970s, there has been a change from a more rehabilitative sense of justice to a more punitive one in the United States. This is evidenced by historically high rates of incarceration. The consequences of this mass incarceration include staggering costs, the disenfranchisement of millions of former felons, and a disproportionately high rate of imprisonment for black males, which has a ripple effect throughout black communities.

32 Crime and Inequality  Minorities are overrepresented in the criminal justice system.  Minorities are overrepresented on death row.  The war on drugs looks like a war on the black family.

33 Figure 6.6 | Number of Executions and Race of Prisoners Executed, You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

34 Figure 6.5 | Size of Death Row Population since You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

35 Figure 6.2 | Total U.S. Violent Crime Rate, You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

36 Figure 6.3 | Homicide Victimization Rate, You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

37 Figure 6.4 | National Recidivism Rates for Prisoners Released in 1983 and You May Ask Yourself Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.