SOCIOLOGY: A Brief Introduction Richard T. Schaefer SOCIOLOGY: A Brief Introduction Sixth Edition McGraw-Hill © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL 8 DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL Social Control Deviance Crime Social Policy and Social Control: Gun Control

Social Control Techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behavior in any society Occurs on all levels of society Sanctions: Penalties and rewards for conduct, concerning a social norm

Social Control Conformity and Obedience Conformity: going along with peers who have no special right to direct behavior Obedience: compliance with higher authorities in an hierarchical structure

Social Control Conformity and Obedience Conformity to Prejudice Research demonstrates that people may conform to attitudes and behavior of peers even when it means expressing intolerance towards others

Social Control Conformity and Obedience Obedience to Authority Milgram pointed out that in the modern industrial world, we are accustomed to submitting to impersonal authority figures, whose status is indicated by a title or uniform We view authority as larger or more important than the individual, and we shift responsibility for our behavior to the authority figure.

Social Control Informal and Formal Social Control Informal Social Control: used casually to enforce norms Formal Social Control: carried out by authorized agents Interplay between formal and informal social control can be complicated, especially if people are encouraged to violate social norms

Social Control Law and Society Some norms are so important to a society that they are formalized into laws Laws: governmental social control Creation of laws a social process Legal order reflects the values of those in position to exercise authority

Social Control Law and Society Control Theory: our connection to members of society leads us to systematically conform to society’s norms

Social Control Figure 8.1: The Status of Medical Marijuana

Deviance What is Deviance? Deviance: behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society Involves violation of group norms, which may or may not be formalized into law Subject to social definition within a particular society and at a particular time

Deviance Sociology on Campus: Binge Drinking Source: Wechsler et al. 2002:208.

Deviance What is Deviance? Deviance and Social Stigma Stigma: labels society uses to devalue members of certain social groups People often stigmatized for deviant behaviors they no longer engage in

Deviance What is Deviance? Deviance and Technology Technological innovations can redefine social interactions and standards of behavior related to them

Explaining Deviance Figure 8-2: Catching Music Thieves Source: Healy 2003:A21

Deviance Explaining Deviance Functionalist Perspective Deviance common part of human existence, with positive as well as negative consequences for social stability. Durkheim Legacy Anomie: loss of direction felt in society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective

Deviance Explaining Deviance Functionalist Perspective Merton’s Theory of Deviance Anomie Theory of Deviance: How people adapt in certain ways by conforming to or by deviating from cultural expectations, including conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion

Deviance

Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Explains why rule violations continue despite pressure to conform and obey

Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Cultural Transmission Theory Cultural Transmission: humans learn how to behave in social situations, whether properly or improperly Differential Association: sutherland’s term describing the process through which exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts leads to the violation of rules

Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Routine Activities Theory Criminal victimization increases when motivated offenders and suitable targets converge.

Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Labeling Theory Attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants while others are not Some individuals or groups have the power to define and apply labels Also known as societal-reaction approach Social Constructionist Perspective: deviance is product of the culture we live in

Deviance Explaining Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Conflict Theory Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Conflict Theory Agents of social control and other powerful groups can impose their own self-serving definitions of deviance on the general public.

Deviance Explaining Deviance Interactionist Perspective Feminist Perspective Society tends to treat women in stereotypical fashion Emphasizes deviance, including crime, tends to flow from economic relationships

Deviance Social Inequality: Race and the Death Penalty Continued… Source: Based on Bureau of the Census 2002a; Dieter 1998:13; Snell and Maruschak 2002:10, 11.

Deviance Social Inequality: Race and the Death Penalty Continued… Source: Based on Bureau of the Census 2002a; Dieter 1998:13; Snell and Maruschak 2002:10, 11.

Crime Types of Crime Crime: violation of criminal law, for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties Laws divide crimes into categories based on: Severity of offense Age of offender Potential punishment Jurisdiction

Crime Types of Crime Professional Crime Organized Crime Professional criminal: person who pursues crime as a day-to-day occupation Organized Crime Work of a group that regulates relations between various criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities

Crime Types of Crime White Collar and Technology-Based Crime White-collar Crime: illegal acts committed in the course of business activities, often by affluent, “respectable” people Computer Crime: use of high technology to carry out illegal activity Corporate Crime: any act by a corporation that is punishable by the government

Crime Types of Crime Victimless Crimes Willing exchange among adults of widely desired, but illegal, goods and services

Crime Crime Statistics Not as accurate as social scientists would like Serve as an indicator of police activity and approximate indication of the level of certain crimes Mistake to interpret these data as an exact representation of the incidence of crime

Crime Crime Statistics Understanding Crime Statistics Reported crime is very high in the U.S. Public regards crime as major social problem Victimization Surveys: surveys of ordinary people, not police officers, to determine whether they have been victims of crime

Crime Crime Statistics International Crime Rates Violent crimes much more common in U.S than Western Europe in 1980s and 1990s Disturbing increases in violent crime are evident in other Western societies

Crime Figure 8.3: Victimization Rates, 1973 to 2002 Source: Rennison 2003:1.

Social Policy and Social Control Gun Control The Issue Over the past 10 years, two-thirds of all murders were committed with firearms The 1994 Brady Act mandates that firearms dealers run criminal history background checks on people who wish to purchase handguns About two percent of all purchases denied as result of the checks

Social Policy and Social Control Gun Control The Setting The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” 30 to 35 million people in the United States own handguns About 45 percent of U.S. households have some type of firearm on the premises.

Social Policy and Social Control Gun Control Sociological Insights: Since the Brady Act, support for stricter measures has actually declined Conflict theorists contend that groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) can dominate the legislative process because of their ability to mobilize resources

Social Policy and Social Control Gun Control Policy Implications Advocates for stricter gun control would like to see: A total ban on assault weapons Tight restrictions on permits to carry concealed weapons Increased penalties for leaving firearms where they are easily accessible to children and others who could misuse them

Social Policy and Social Control Gun Control Policy Implications In light of growing concern over terrorism on the home front, the handgun debate has turned to the question of allowing pilots to carry guns in the cockpit Firearms issue not limited to the U.S.