1. Crime and Deviance

2. The Nature of Deviance Deviance: – Any behavior that violates a norm-Folkways, mores, or laws When deviance constitutes law breaking, it is considered criminal 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 » Informal and formal sanctions

3. The Nature of Crime and Deviance Universality 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?

4. Significance of Relativity of Crime Understanding what is considered a social problem and how certain problems are constructed as the social structure changes – The Cultural nature of defining crime and deviance: A changing culture=changing attitudes, beliefs and values. A changing Social structure= Institutions acknowledge and give way to the demands of oppressed minorities and populace – Influenced by social movements » I.e.: Sexuality: Is homosexuality deviant? – The political nature of defining crime and deviance Power struggles between groups in political arena – The case of marijuana-The criminalization of certain substances happens through political processes

5. Is what comes to be considered deviant or criminal based upon the overall harm done to American society? – Murder->Harmful?:yes->Criminal?:Yes – Child abuse->Harmful?:yes->Criminal? Yes, but has not always been. – Marital sexual abuse->Harmful?: Yes-> Criminal?: Yes, but has not always been – Racial discrimination in hiring->Harmful?->Yes-Criminal? Since 1964 – Alcohol/cigarettes->Harmful?: Yes-> Criminal? No – Texting while driving->Harmful? Yes-> Criminal? Just recently – Marijuana-Harmful->??? Criminal->Yes

6. Critical Constructionism – Argues that social problems are constructed, conceived, and presented to the public in ways that reflect the interests of those in power, the elite. Critical constructionists ask the question, why are some drugs criminalized while others are not? Is it based on relative harm done? Social Construction of Drugs-Definitions about drugs are based on meanings that people in groups have imputed to certain substances. – Who has the power to socially construct the meaning of drugs?

7. Subjective vs. Objective View of Drug Abuse 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.

8. The Case of Marijuana Why was the drug made illegal? – Who was it connected to in New Orleans? – Who was it connected to in the Southwest? – How did the great depression and economy play a role in making marijuana illegal? Who had the power to define pot smoking as deviant? What did marijuana symbolize to the rich and powerful? How was the public made aware of the “so called” negative or positive effects of the drug?

9. “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 and hear about every night in the news? Who are we scared of? – Street violence vs. corporate violence

10. 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”

11. Public Opinion All Americans have opinions regarding criminal behavior: what constitutes criminal behavior; how we, as a society, should deal with crime; and what crimes and criminals we should fear. – Where do Americans get information related to crime and form their opinions?

12. ??? How do media sources impact our view and understanding of crime and justice in America? – Examples?? Are media portrayals of crime accurate and representative of crimes occurring? How can the media influence how we vote on policies related to crime? – Is America tough on crime?

13. Public Opinion A majority of Americans tend to believe that we are “soft on crime,” despite the fact that we already lock up criminals at higher rates and for longer sentences than every other country in the world As a result, state expenditures on education continue to decrease, while spending on prisons has been increasing – Does this make sense? – What role does the media play in this process?

14. The Cultural Production of knowledge about crime The social problems perspective Measurements of crime and deviance – Uniform crime reports – The dark figure of crime – Victimization surveys The social construction of the crime problem

15. Images of crime and justice from the media – Crime news sells – Reality based cop shows

16. Crime Scares The social construction of crime as a social problem – 1980’s-Missing children scare – 80’s and 90’s-Serial murder scare – 80’s and 90’s-The drug scare – How might a critical constructionist view these crime scares?

17. Street Crime U.S.-high rates of violent crime – Culture and social structure – American values and crime Robert Merton and the American Dream – Strain Theory People adapt to inconsistency between means and goals in society. Structural limitations  Strain  adaptation(Crime)

18. The American Punishment Frenzy The Death Penalty Escalating incarceration rates and expenditures – Began in mid 1970’s – The prison experience is so common in America today that the Federal government predicts 1 in every 11 men will be imprisoned at some time during his life Why the increase in incarceration rates?

19. The American Punishment Frenzy Punitive policies Imprisonment of non-violent offenders 1980’s-The drug war – Mandatory minimums – Three strikes laws – Plea bargains – In 2007, the United States had the highest incarceration rate in the world Over 7 million people in prison, jail, or under correctional supervision

20. ??? Who benefits from the incarceration boom? – The massive escalation in imprisonment has occurred despite the fact that there was evidence to suggest that it makes society safer or takes drugs off the streets There is very little evidence indicating that imprisonment has any effect on crime – “Despite extensive research…a direct link between increased incarceration and lower crime has never been empirically established” (Heiner 146) – Then Why does the drug war continue??

21. The Prison-Industrial Complex Idea that correctional expansion serves many other interests rather than the public’s interest – Prison guards union-Strong lobbyists for tough on crime strategies – Prison construction=money and jobs – Prison labor benefits government and corps – Many prisons now run by corporations For these groups, whether or not incarceration is an effective method of crime control is not a concern

22. Film: The House I Live In “The War on drugs has never been about drugs” How have ideas, beliefs, and policies concerning crime and deviance related to drug use and abuse been constructed in ways that benefit individuals in positions of power? – Politicians – The elite – Dominant vs. minority groups – Law enforcement agencies – Upper class vs. lower class – White collar criminals vs. street criminals Reframes the discussion. – The drug war is a social problem itself

23. Treatment Programs Rehabilitation vs. Incarceration – Center for Substance Abuse Average savings of three to one resulted in: – Reduced crime – Increased earnings from productive individuals – Lower health care costs Drug treatment programs not only make neighborhoods safer, but save residents money RAND Corporation study – For every dollar invested into a treatment program, taxpayers save $7.56 in criminal prevention costs