Social Consequences of Inequality Roderick Graham Fordham University

Main Topics  The measurement of crime  Street crimes  Who commits them and why (what are the factors leading to their commission)  How does inequality affect sentencing  White collar crimes  Who commits them and why

The Measurement of Crime  Groups that are more powerful in society get to determine what behaviors are criminal and what behaviors are not  Behaviors of low status groups more likely to be considered “criminal”  Once a crime is defined, the enforcement of those crimes is determined by the SES and race of the citizens  Thus…crime and its measurement is socially constructed  Source:

The Social Construction of Crime  Fines of up to $500 or a six-month sentence in cities across the country (local ordinances in towns…no state law)  These ordinances have come at the urging of largely African-American lawmakers!

Street Crimes Statistics  Crimes determined by FBI crime index (chart above was FBI data)  In 2007 over 2.2 million arrests were made.  ¾ of those arrested were men  Overall most arrested were white, but blacks were disproportionately represented

Street Crimes What effects arrest rates?  There is a relationship between official crime rates and SES. Law enforcement increases its efforts and makes more arrests due to:  The racial makeup of a community (more black/brown = more attention paid)  The stereotypes and perceptions of police

Street Crimes What causes the commission of street crime?  In general, societal pressure affect all social groups the same, however blacks face these societal pressures more than other groups  Inadequate education  Poverty  Economic Inequality  Social isolation/segregation  Underemployment and Unemployment No surprise…these are the things we saw in our last video!

Street Crimes

A Quick Note  Your textbooks’ discussion of how social factors affect human behavior points to something very fundamental:  We like to focus on individual morality and group cultures as complements to structural influences. However…  The individual/social group is interchangeable…structural influences do not discriminate. Throughout history and in all societies, crime follows the social factors we have just mentioned. No group is immune.

Street Crimes – The Effect of Residential Segregation Page 267 in Hurst

Street Crimes Inequality and Criminal Sentencing  In general, those with lower SES or minorities tend to have longer sentences  Why?  Blacks and Hispanics arrested for “minority crimes” are given harsher sentences  Stereotypes – blacks are seen as a social threat and need to be put away

White Collar Crime What is white-collar crime?  OLD: “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation”  NEW: Nonviolent crime for financial gain committed by means of deception by persons whose occupational status is entrepreneurial, professional or semi- professional and utilizing their special occupational skills and opportunities; also, nonviolent crime for financial gain utilizing deception and committed by anyone having special technical and professional knowledge of business and government, irrespective of the person’s occupation

White Collar Crime What is white-collar crime?  Also called “suite” crimes  Not a part of the FBI crime index  Losses to victims of $250B annually (street crimes $18B)  Involve more than one victim  Erodes faith in social institutions (I am confused by this…I understand social institutions to be work, family, education, religion)…maybe bureaucracies/organizations?

White Collar Crime Punishment  Stereotypes (middle class, white) and the public’s misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of crime leads to less negative views of white collar criminals  Malfeasance?  Insider trading?  In general white collar criminals are given lighter sentences

White Collar Crime What causes white collar crime?  Low likelihood of harsh punishment  Greed and immorality – “a few bad apples”  Corporate culture of competition, winners, and losers – its ok to cheat if you can get away with it and make money  Political and economic structure - Federal laws are ambiguous; deregulation has created “wild-west” style competition; pro-business climate

“Strain” Theory of Deviance “Strain” = the pressure to reach society’s goals without the appropriate opportunities available Crime breeds in the gap, between culturally induced aspirations for economic success and structurally distributed possibilities of achievement.

“Strain” Theory of Deviance Most People Alcoholics, Drug-Addicts Low SES Individuals Criminal Behavior

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