1. Crime and Deviance Chapter 5

2. Crime and Deviance: Discussion Outline I. The Nature of Deviance II. Theories of Deviance III. Crime and the Criminal Justice System

3. I. The Nature of Deviance Deviance: – Any behavior that violates a norm-Folkways, mores, or laws Norms vary from society to society, as do reactions to deviance In analyzing deviance we must consider two important points – 1. Whether something is deviant depends on who is evaluating it » Deviance is what people say it is-based upon one’s value system – 2. When important norms are violated, social control mechanisms function to maintain order

4. The Nature of Deviance The Relativity of Deviance – Relativity-There is nothing inherent in an act that makes an act wrong, criminal, or deviant. Social definitions of deviance are relative to the values, beliefs, and norms of a society Defining deviance is a social and historical construct, varying from: – Time to time – Place to place – Group to group » Examples?

5. Significance of the Relativity of Deviance – When the social structure and culture change, what is considered to be deviant/criminal changes How does culture change? – The political nature of defining crime and deviance Politics?... I.e.: The case of Homosexuality – What cultural changes have taken place? – What political changes have occurred? » Time? » Culture? » Group?

6. Is what comes to be considered deviant or criminal based upon the overall harm done to American society? – Murder->Harmful?: ->Criminal?: – Child abuse->Harmful?: ->Criminal? – Marital sexual abuse->Harmful?: Criminal?: – Racial discrimination in hiring->Harmful?-> Criminal? – Alcohol/cigarettes->Harmful?: Criminal? – Texting while driving->Harmful? Criminal? – Marijuana-Harmful-> Criminal->

7. Why is the use of some drugs considered deviant/criminal, while others are not? Is it based on relative harm done? – Does drug policy and concern about drug use make sense when looking at objective reality? I.e- Statistics regarding the harm done by certain drugs

8. Relativity and Drug Use Objective component is physical, psychological, or social evidence of harm Subjective component is people’s perceptions about the consequences Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010 Example: Marijuana vs. Alcohol Subjectively our society believes that marijuana is harmful and should remain illegal, while alcohol is relatively harmless and should stay legal Objectively there is little evidence that marijuana is harmful but much evidence of alcohol and tobacco and associated dangers.

9. The relativity of deviance and drug use These subjective definitions have very real consequences – According to the FBI in 2008, "Law enforcement made more arrests for non violent drug abuse violations (an estimated 1.8 million arrests, or 13.0 percent of the total number of arrests) than for any other offense in 2007." “Marijuana arrests set another all-time record in 2007, totaling 872,720 — that’s a marijuana arrest every 36 seconds.” “Arrests for marijuana possession totaled 775,138, greatly exceeding arrests for all violent crimes combined, which totaled 597,447” – When and why was marijuana made illegal?

10. “The Power to Make Definitions Stick” Who and what are defined as deviant or criminal depend on who is doing the defining and who has the power to make definitions stick – I.e.: The case with illegalizing marijuana – I.e.: White Collar Crime-How often do we hear about corporate crimes and when we do, how much time do the very wealthy often spend in prison? Americans are more likely to be victims of white collar crime than street crime, but what do we fear most? Hear about every night in the news? Who are we scared of?

11. The Nature of Deviance Dysfunctions of Deviance – Interferes with institutional life – Can lower morale of non-deviants – Erodes societal trust Functions of Deviance – Promotes conformity – Clarifies boundaries – Strengthens the censuring group – Warn non-deviant majority

12. Social Control and Deviance Social control regulates behavior within a society – Functionalists see it as indispensable – Conflict theorists see it as tool of powerful groups Internalization of norms Formal vs. Informal Sanctions