Deviance, Crime and Social Control

Chapter OutlineThe Social Definition and Social Construction

of CrimeExplaining Deviance and CrimeSocial Control

The Social Definition of Deviance and CrimeBecause norms vary widely, deviance is

relative. People commit deviant acts only when they

break a norm and cause others to react negatively.

From a sociological point of view, everyone is a deviant in one social context or another.

The Difference between Deviance and CrimeDeviance involves breaking a norm and

evoking a negative reaction from others. Crime is deviance that breaks a law, which is

a norm stipulated and enforced by government bodies.

SanctionsDisapprovals of deviance.Informal punishment is a mild sanction imposed

during face-to-face interaction, not by the judicial system.

Stigmatized - People who are negatively evaluated because of something that distinguishes them from others.

Formal punishment takes place when the judicial system penalizes someone for breaking a law.

Types of Deviance and CrimeVary in terms of:1. Severity of the social response.2. Perceived harmfulness of the act. 3. Degree of public agreement about whether

an act should be considered deviant.

Measuring CrimeOfficial crime statistics, such as those reported by the FBI, can be misleading for several reasons:1.Assaults and rapes often go unreported.2.Tougher enforcement of select laws can lead to inflated statistics. 3.Victimless crimes—violations of the law in which no victim steps forward—are excluded from the statistics.

Self-Report SurveysSurveys in which respondents are asked to

report their involvement in criminal activities

Nationwide survey of 80,000 people that is regularly conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice

Show approximately the same rate of serious crime as official statistics but two to three times the rate of less serious crime, such as assault

Crime Rates1960 – 1992500 percent increase in rate* of violent crime150 percent increase in rate of major property crimes1991 – 2000 Murder and manslaughter rate fell 49 percentRate of forcible rate fell 32 percent

*Refers to the number of cases per 100,000 people in a year

Why Crime Rates Have Declined1. Governments put more police on the streets

and increased surveillance.2. The proportion of young men, those most

likely to commit street crime, in the population has declined.

3. Legalized abortion has led to a decrease in unwanted children, who are more prone to crime.

4. Improved economic conditions and lower unemployment rates lead to decreases in crime.

Abortions and Crime

Arrests by Sex, 2009

Sex% of

PopulationArrests

Male 49.1 74.7

Female 50.9 25.3

Arrests by Age, 2009Age % of Population % of Arrests

Under 15 21.3 3.8

15-19 7.1 20.1

20-24 6.8 19.6

25-29 6.8 14.5

30-34 7.2 10.3

35-39 8.2 8.6

40-44 8.1 7.8

45-49 7.2 7.0

50-54 6.1 4.4

55-59 4.8 2.2

Arrests by Race, 2009

Racial Group% of

PopulationArrests

White 75.1 69.1

Black 12.3 28.3

American Indian and Alaskan Native

0.9 1.4

Asian and Pacific Islander

3.7 1.2

Criminal Profiles: RaceThe disproportionately high arrest and incarceration rates of African American are a result of three factors:1.Bias in statistical collection2.Low class status of blacks in America3.Discrimination in the criminal justice system

Street vs. White Collar CrimeStreet crimes include arson, burglary and assault.Disproportionate number committed by African AmericansReported in official crime statisticsWhite-collar crimes are illegal acts such as embezzlement Disproportionate number committed by White AmericansNot reported in official crime statistics

Consider This…If you were in charge of the budget for the war on drugs, what proportion of the budget would you invest in:Controlling the drug trade abroad?Stopping drugs at the border?Arresting drug traders and users?Implementing drug prevention programs?Implementing drug treatment programs?

Explaining Crime and DevianceTheories used by sociologists to explain crime and deviance include:Symbolic interactionismFunctionalismConflictFeminist

Symbolic-Interactionist ExplanationsBecoming a habitual deviant is a learning

process that occurs in a social context

Deviants or criminals teach novices “tricks of the trade”

Social environment influences the type of deviant activity in which a person engages

Labeling TheoryA variation of symbolic interactionism, which

holds that deviance results not so much from the actions of the deviant as from the response of others, who label the rule breaker a deviant.

Functionalist ExplanationsFunctionalists direct their attention to the

social dysfunctions that lead to deviant behavior

Often exaggerates the relationship between crime and class

Durkheim’s Functional ApproachAccording to Durkheim, deviance gives

people the opportunity to define what is moral and what is not.

Our reactions to deviance clarify moral boundaries, allowing us to draw the line between right and wrong.

This promotes the unity of society and encourages healthy social change.

Strain Theory: MertonArgued that cultures often teach people to

value material success.However, societies do not provide enough

legitimate opportunities for everyone to succeed.

Therefore, some people experience strain.Most will adhere to social norms.The rest adapt.

Strain Theory

Cultural Goals

Institutionalized means

Accept RejectCreate New

Accept conformity innovation

Reject ritualism retreatism

Create New rebellion

Subcultural TheoryArgues that gangs are a collective adaptation

to social conditions. Distinct norms and values that reject the

legitimate world crystallize in gangs.Members create justifications that make

illegal activities appeal morally acceptable.Norms of the subcultural are strictly adhered

to its members.

Conflict TheoryThe powerful impose deviant and criminal

labels on less powerful members of society.Meanwhile, they are usually able to use their

money and influence to escape punishment for their own misdeeds.

Control TheoryThe rewards of deviance and crime are

many. Nearly everyone would engage in deviance

and crime if they could get away with it. System of social control: Sanctions in

society by means of which conformity to cultural guidelines is ensured.

Feminist TheoryChanges in the distribution of power between

men and women influence the degree to which crimes against women are identified and prosecuted.

Power shift also effects the degree to which women become criminals

Social ControlReactions to deviance and crime include:MedicalizationPrisonMoral PanicCapital PunishmentAlternative Prison Model

Medicalization of DevianceThe process by which medical definitions of

deviant behavior are becoming more prevalent.

Increasing number of recognized mental disorders has led to attempts to medically treat deviance

Example: Medicalization of DevianceAlcoholic drinking sprees are now treated in

detoxification centers.People with frequent violent rages are often

medicatedHeroin addicts seek treatment at methadone

clinics

Origins of ImprisonmentIn preindustrial societies, criminals were

humiliated, tortured, or put to death, depending on the severity of the crime.

As societies industrialized, imprisonment became an important form of punishment for criminal behavior.

In the industrial era, depriving criminals of their freedom by putting them in prison seemed more “civilized”.

Goals of IncarcerationRehabilitation – Prisoners can be taught

how to be productive citizens.Deterrence - People will be less inclined to

commit crimes if they know they are likely to serve long and unpleasant prison terms.

Revenge - Depriving criminals of their freedom is fair retribution for their acts.

Incapacitation - The chief function is to keep criminals out of society to ensure that they can do no more harm.

Polling Question From the following list, what do you feel is

the most important function of prison?a. Punishment for crimes. b. Rehabilitation of people who commit crimes. c. Protect society from criminals.d. Serve as a warning.e. Make criminals pay society backf. Don't know

Goals of IncarcerationIn 1966, 77% of Americans believed that the

main goal of prison was rehabilitation.By 1994 only 16% held that opinion.The American public has demanded that

more criminals be arrested and imprisoned.The nation’s incarceration rate rose

substantially in the 1970s, doubled in the 1980s, and doubled again in the 1990s.

Moral PanicBetween the early 1970s and the present

the U.S. was gripped by moral panic—a widespread fear that crime posed a grave threat to society.

The government declared a war on drugs, imprisoning hundreds of thousands of nonviolent offenders.

Many states passed a law to put three-time violent offenders in prison for life.

Capital PunishmentDue to moral panic, support for capital

punishment grew from 38% to 80% between 1965 and 1994.

A national debate followed an Illinois moratorium on the death penalty and subsequent support for the death penalty fell to 64% in 2010.

Capital Punishment Misgivings1. It is questionable whether the death penalty

serves as a deterrent.2. Capital punishment does not save money.3. Sentencing mistakes are common.4. Sentencing someone to death is often not a

matter of blind justice.

Capital Punishment Around the World

Alternative Prison ModelPrisons should act to rehabilitate, not just

incarcerate criminals.Second Chance Act signed into federal law in

2008.$114 million in 2010 to fund programs aimed

at helping prisoners reenter societyJob training, substance abuse, education, etc.

1. Sociologist John Hagan classifies types of deviance and crime along which of the following dimensions?

a. severity of the social responseb. perceived harmfulness of the actc. degree of public agreement about whether

the act should be considered criminal or deviant

d. all of these choices

Answer: dSociologist John Hagan classifies various

types of deviance and crime along the following dimensions:the severity of the social responsethe perceived harmfulness of the deviant

or criminal actthe degree of public agreement about

whether the act should be considered criminal or deviant.

2. Which of the following behaviors is not considered a white-collar crime?

a. embezzlementb. burglaryc. tax evasiond. insider stock tradinge. copyright infringement

Answer: bBurglary is not considered a white-collar

crime.

3. Crime statistics underestimate the actual incidence of crime because:

a. many criminal acts are not reported to the police

b. self-report surveys target only perpetrators not victims

c. many crimes are not incorporated into major crime indexes

d. many criminal acts are not reported to the police, and many crimes are not incorporated into major crime indexes

Answer: dCrime statistics underestimate the actual

incidence of crime because many criminal acts are not reported to the police, and crimes are not incorporated into major crime indexes.

4. Most sociologists agree that the disproportionately high arrest, conviction, and incarceration rates of African Americans are due to:

a. community policing in ghettoesb. low class position of blacks in societyc. racial discrimination in the criminal justice

systemd. the low class position of blacks in American

society and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system

Answer: dMost sociologists agree that the

disproportionately high arrest, conviction, and incarceration rates of African Americans are due to the low class position of blacks in American society, and racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

5. Strain theory explains crime and deviance in terms of:

a. the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve material success

b. exposure to more deviant than non-deviant values during socialization

c. the responses of others who define some actions as deviant and others as normal

d. the imposition of labels by the rich and powerful on the less powerful

Answer: aStrain theory explains crime and deviance in

terms of the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve material success.

6. Which of the following are regarded as a function of prisons?

a. rehabilitationb. deterrencec. revenged. incapacitatione. all of these choices

Answer: eRehabilitation, deterrence, revenge, and

incapacitation are regarded as a function of prisons.

7. A growing number of people have misgivings about capital punishment because:

a. it is questionable whether the death penalty serves as a deterrent.

b. capital punishment does not save money.c. sentencing mistakes are common.d. sentencing someone to death is often not a

matter of blind justice.e. of all of these choices.

Answer: e There is growing concern that the death

penalty does not serve as a deterrent, costs more money, and is often not a matter of blind justice.