Sociology 101 Chapter 6 Crime and Deviance

Deviance u This is behavior that departs from social norms; –a.Nudist Colony –b.Obesity –c.Body Piercing u Depends on social context

Crime u This is behavior that violates local, state or federal statutes:

Examples of Crime Crime Key Facts Robbery Most occur in the street, are unplanned, occur within one mile of the robbers’ home: 91% of arrests are for males under 25 Burglary Only about half of all burglaries are reported, targets are near the burglars’ home, 90% of arrests are for males under 25 Homicide Only 65% of murders result in an arrest, victims are mostly black males, killers are most likely to be the same age, sex, and race as the victim

The Criminal Act Characteristics of the Criminal Act Characteristics of the Criminal Act Most involve short range choices Most are brief in duration Most reap small but immediate rewards Most are easy to commit, simple in design, and exciting to the criminal

Crime and Deviance: The Differences u Not all crimes are deviant: –a.Marijuana smoking –b.Speeding u Not all deviance is criminal: –a.Nudist colony –b.Full body tattooing

Functionalist Perspectives u Deviance is universal because it serves three important functions: 1.Deviance clarifies rules 2.Deviance unites a group 3.Deviance promotes social change

Types of Functionalist Theory u Strain Theory (Robert Merton) –The U.S. is a materialistic country and success is often defined in terms of material wealth –People who are denied the legitimate opportunities to achieve goals “innovate” by developing deviant strategies –5 modes of adaptation: modes of adaptation –Critiques F Some poor people don’t turn to crime F Doesn’t explain white collar crime u Opportunity Theory (Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin) –expansion of Merton

Merton’s Typology of Individual Adaptation to Anomie

u Conflict Perspective –Point out that crime is often defined as activities of the less fortunate. But what about the fortunate? –Note that armed robbery is often punished with a heavier sentence then, say, price fixing, even though the later cost society more –Marx points to the capitalist system as inherently faulty and the cause of crime F The system must convince people to buy goods while simultaneously keeping wages low to ensure higher profits for businesses –This contradiction forces workers to turn to crime to get the things they cannot afford –Similar to anomie theory, yet differs in that it suggests that full employment won’t solve the problem. Why? Because it’s the system that causes the problem in the 1 st place. Conflict Perspective

Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives u Social Constructionism Social Constructionism u Differential Association-social learning (Edwin Sutherland) –Friends and relatives teach us to to deviate by rewarding us for deviant behavior and not rewarding nondeviance F Lot’s of support from research. About 50% of young defenders have deviant friends/relatives F Doesn’t explain why kids have deviant relatives & friends though u Control Theory (Walter Reckless, Travis Hirschi) –People are more likely to become delinquent when social bonds are weak –Attachments, investments, involvements, beliefs u Labeling Theory (Howard Becker)

Producing Deviance u How does something come to be defined as deviant (not necessarily criminal)? –Often, something becomes deviant when people are persuaded to see it as morally or socially discrediting social construction –Sociologists call this process the social construction of deviance F Smoking as an example… –Smoking is not “inherently” deviant, it’s deviance is “socially constructed”

An Example... Smoking In The Early 1970s Non-Deviant Deviant Non-Deviant Deviant 1. Smoking in an 1.Smoking in the presence airplane of a lady without asking 2. Smoking outdoors prior permission

An Example... Smoking In The Early 1970s Non-Deviant Deviant Non-Deviant Deviant * Smoking outdoors *Smoking in an airplane *Smoking in the presence of a lady without asking

Smoking In The 1990s Non-Deviant Deviant Non-Deviant Deviant Smoking outdoorsSmoking on an Airplane

The Steps Of Constructing An Activity As Deviant 1. The idea of a boundary must occur to someone 2. Create public horror stories 3. Create a moral panic 4. Impute responsibility to “outsiders” 5. Recruit opinion leaders 6. Develop practical responses or legislation 7. Enact legislation

Apply Sanction Do Not Apply Sanction Label as a Violation of Norms Not Labeled Noticed Not Noticed Behavior

Assumptions of Labeling Theory Definitions of What Constitutes Deviant Behavior Varies Across Time and Place Rules are Socially Constructed Rules are Socially Constructed Some People Who Break Rules Are Not Detected or Not Sanctioned If They are Detected and Some Who Do Not Break Rules Are Treated As If They Had Arbitrary Enforcement

Postmodern Perspectives u Power, knowledge and social control are intertwined –New means of surveillance creates a form of power of some over others. F The Panopticon

Consider this… u Foucault contended that new means of surveillance would make it possible for prison officials to use their knowledge of prisoner’s activities as a form of power over inmates. How is this power being exerted by these guards?

How the Law Classifies Crime u A felony is a serious crime such as rape, homicide, or aggravated assault, for which punishment typically ranges from more than a year’s imprisonment to death. u A misdemeanor is a minor crime typically punished by less than one year in jail.

FBI Crime Clock

Arrest Rates by Gender, 2010

Arrests by Race, 2010

Discretionary Powers in Law Enforcement

Death Row Census, July 2011