Crime and Deviance

 Behavior that violates a norm  Behavior that is successfully labeled deviant

 Not really the point  E.g., is Homosexuality wrong? – Again, not the point – Is it deviant behavior?  At this point in history, in this country….  Yes – violates a norm AND successfully labeled

The majority of criminal acts:  Lack planning  Are performed incompetently  Tell Stark story of escaped convict in carpool lane  Result in trivial gains  average robbery of a service station = $546.

 Robbery – taking from another by force  Burglary – unlawful entry and theft  both a young person’s game, a male game - 91% of those arrested of robbery males under the age of 25.  Burglary 5 times more common than robbery

 Rate today “high” or “low”?  50s and 60s about 5 per 100,000  1980 peak 10.2 per…  Today about 5.5 per…  US Rate “high” or “low” compared to other countries?  High, but less so than 20 years ago  Killers often quite similar to victims (in race, age, sex)  Today more than 50% killed by stranger (up from 1990s)  For women victims well over 50% killed by non-stranger  In fact, over 50% female victims killed by “intimate”

 Legalize?  Use “up” or “down”? In general, peak in 1979, down in 80s, up through mid-90s, down recently  True of alcohol, smoking, marijuana and many more serious  E.g., marijuana  In 2003, 21% HS seniors last 30 days, 48 % lifetime  1979, 37% HS seniors last 30, 60% lifetime

 Etiology…. Study of causes…. “why do they do it?”  How does something come to be seen as deviance in the first place – How are deviance categories “constructed”

 Biological theories  E.g., gender  Psychological theories  E.g., Mental illness, Personality Theories  Sociological theories  E.g., learning, structural strains

 IQ related to crime  Gender and age powerful social structural predictors of crime. Why?  Gender, some say only socialization  But why gender stronger predictor of violent crimes than property?  Probably also has to do with strength  A man more likely to be physically capable of violent crime  Strength and energy decline with age

 A study in Denmark examined 3,586 twin pairs.  Identical twins - if one twin had a serious criminal record, odds were , the other twin did, too.  Fraternal twins - if one twin was a criminal, the odds were only 1 in 5 that the other twin also was a criminal.

 People with low self-control =  unwillingness or inability to defer gratification.  prefer actions that are simple and easy.  thrill seekers  indifferent, or insensitive to the suffering and needs of others.

 Learning/subcultural/deviant attachment  Structural strain  Control  Integration  Labeling

 Subcultures reinforce deviance – “norms” for one group may be deviance for another  Socialization “always” successful  Differential Association (Edwin Sutherland) most famous  Explains White-collar crime?  Policy implications?

 Cultural goals uniform (American Dream)  Means to achieving goals not (social structure = variation in life chances)  disadvantaged will not be able to achieve their goals at all, or as easily as people better placed in the system.  Policy implications?  Problems?  Most crime not utilitarian  Rich also commit crimes  Status Aspirations negatively to crime

 Replaces the question: Why do they do it? with Why don’t they do it?  Durkheim says “moral” and “social”  Travis Hirschi more micro – “stakes in conformity” – “social bonds”  attachments  Investments  Involvements  beliefs

 Looking glass self, W.I. Thomas Theorem, Self-fulfilling prophecy  Primary deviance is the behavior a person engages in that causes others to label him or her as deviant.  Secondary deviance is behavior that is a reaction to having been labeled a deviant.

1. A deviant label, such as burglar, alcoholic, or prostitute, limits legitimate economic and occupational opportunities. 2. A deviant label will impact attachments 3. Being labeled a deviant can affect self concept. (If others see us as deviants, we may come to accept their judgments.)