CAPE SOCIOLOGY UNIT 2 Deviance teachernotes

Deviance: The recognized violation of cultural norms

To review, norms are rules and expectations by which a

society guides the behavior of its members

Sociology -Ms. Anderson 2

Conformity in Society Societies teaches us to conform

Social control refers to attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behaviors

Examples include praise, scolding, isolation, and laws

Most people don’t conform to all of a society’s rules Which rules do you break? Does that make you

criminal? Winston Churchill held meetings with advisors in his

bathroom while soaking in the tub – weird, deviant…but he was not a criminal!

Henry David Thoreau built himself a cabin of sticks and mud and lived for two years on what he could get from the woods – odd, deviant…but not criminal!

Grandma is deviant - she can’t help it! But that doesn’t make her a criminal!!!

Deviance is a matter of degree Extent of disapproval Degree of societal outrage


Deviance from the Functionalist Perspective (remember this…?)

According to Emile Durkheim and the functionalist perspective, deviance has some positive social functions, which helps to maintain stability: Deviance affirms cultural values and norms (without

good, there is no evil) Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries

(If cheating is wrong, then plagiarism must be punished)

Responding to deviance promotes social unity (9/11 attacks)



Deviance from the Functionalist Perspective

According to Emile Durkheim and the functionalist perspective, deviance can perform some positive social functions, which helps to maintain stability:

Deviance affirms cultural values and norms (without good, there is no evil)

Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries (If cheating is wrong, then plagiarism must be punished)

Responding to deviance promotes social unity (9/11 attacks) Deviance encourages social change (rock and roll of 1950s) Deviance can relieve tension (open fire hydrants on a hot day)



Deviance from the Functionalist Perspective

According to Emile Durkheim and the functionalist perspective, deviance can perform some positive social functions, which helps to maintain stability:

Deviance affirms cultural values and norms (without good, there is no evil)

Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries (If cheating is wrong, then plagiarism must be punished)

Responding to deviance promotes social unity (9/11 attacks) Deviance encourages social change (rock and roll of 1950s) Deviance can relieve tension (open fire hydrants on a hot day)

And some negative ones…(which disrupt stability) Deviance disrupts norms (burning American

flag during Vietnam War) Deviance makes life unpredictable (school

shootings make everyone think twice about safety)

Deviance can hurt people and property (duh!)


Deviance from the Functionalist Perspective (continued)

Structural strain Develops when people cannot reach the goals that are

admired by a society (the structure of society becomes strained)

Result: people can turn to devianceSociologist Robert Merton believed that if a society

provided the means for all to reach cultural goals, then no deviance would exist


Sociologist Robert K. Merton:“Failure to attain US social goals leads to deviant behavior.”


Deviance from the Functionalist Perspective (continued)

Structural strain develops when people cannot reach the goals that are admired by a society (the structure of society becomes strained) and therefore turn to deviance

Sociologist Robert Merton believed that if a society provided the means for all to reach cultural goals, than no deviance would exist

For him, the primary cultural goal in the US is financial success, and obviously, some fail to attain this Conformists – pursue social goals through accepted

means; not deviant Innovators – find alternate ways to reach society’s

goals (Al Capone; modern drug dealers) Ritualists – go through the accepted motions but feel

that their behavior is pointless (low level bureaucrats and middle managers who know that they will never be promoted)

Retreatists – reject both cultural goals and means of reaching them by dropping out of society (drug addicts, alcoholics, and “bums”)

Rebels – reject both goals and means and develop new ones (idealists, socialists, militarists)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Mertons_social_strain_theory.jpg


Which Deviance Typology is Milton? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSU0RQoyfv8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSU0RQoyfv8


Deviance from Interactionist Perspectives (remember this…?)

Labeling theory states that deviance is based not on the action but on our response to it That “bad kid” in 1st grade…will the

label follow him the rest of his life? Will s/he become a criminal?

Cultural transmission theory states that a person learns deviant behaviors through social interaction


Deviance from Conflict Perspectives:

Norms and laws of a society generally reflect the interests of the rich and powerful

The rich and powerful have the resources to avoid being considered deviant Evidence: white collar crime, corporate

crime, organized crime, and hate crime are rarely punished compared to other crimes

Poor do not Armed robbery, muggings, etc. Any different than the white collar crimes

above?


Crime

Why do societies develop standards of right and wrong?

Crime is the violation of a society’s formally enacted criminal law This form of deviance often requires more

intensive, formal social control Societies differ in the ways they define deviance,

who is branded as a deviant, and how deviance is dealt with

Interestingly, because human behavior was once viewed only as a expression of “nature,” it was once believed that criminals could be identified by physical features (1876), body shape (1949), and personality traits (1967)

Today we understand that both nature and nurture contribute to a person’s tendency toward criminality


Crime (continued)

Crime is deviant behavior that is prohibited by law and punishable by the government

A crime consists of two components1. The act (or failure to act) 2. The criminal intent (can be planned or caused by

negligence) In the U.S., there are approximately 1.6

million violent crimes reported/year A decrease from the 1990s (but on the increase

again) Local and national crime prevention programs Large increase in the prison population Reduction in the youth population

Are actual crime statistics higher or lower?


Types of Indexed Crime

Conventional CrimeAll violent crimeProperty Crime“Morals” crime (prostitution, illegal

gambling)Moral crimes are often referred to as

victimless crimes (is this necessarily true?)Occupational/Corporate Crime

“White Collar Crime”


Types of Crime

Organized CrimeThe Mafia, money laundering, drug

traffickingPolitical Crime

Crimes against or from within the government


7 FBI Index Crimes0.1%

18.0%

9.9%

59.8%

3.5%

0.8%

7.9%

LarcenyTheft

Rape

Assault

Burglary

Robbery

Auto Theft

Murder


Crime Around the World – A Global Perspective

By world standards, the U.S. crime rate is high 1 murder every 34 minutes 1 rape every 6 minutes 1 robbery every minute 1 assault every 34 seconds 1 auto theft every 27 seconds 1 violent crime every 22 seconds 1 burglary every 15 seconds 1 larceny theft every 5 seconds 1 property crime every 3 seconds

U.S.’s violent crime rate is 5x greater than Europe’s, and our property crime rate is 2x greater than Europe’s

India and Japan have some of the lowest crime rates Why is the U.S. crime rate high?

Diversity? Economic inequality? Gun ownership?


Why is punishment practiced?

Retribution (revenge is necessary to keep moral balance of world in check; punishment should fit the crime)

Deterrence (discourage criminality through suffering)

Rehabilitation (reform the offender through individually tailored improvement plan)

Societal protection (make offender incapable of further offenses)


Does incarceration (jail) work?

Criminal recidivism refers to the subsequent offenses by people convicted of crimes½ will return to jail¾ of those in jail have been jailed

beforeWill the stigma associated with being

jailed increase the likelihood of a future arrest?

1/3 of crimes are known to the police, and of those, only 1/5 result in an arrest


The Death Penalty: Is it an effective deterrent?

Lethal injection is the most widely used method of execution, but hangings, firing squad, and gas chamber executions were all performed in the 1990s

TX, CA, and FL use the death penalty most frequently; overall, 5 states account for ½ of the prisoners on death row

Today, the U.S. does not execute juveniles (though it has in the past) nor the mentally disabled

The U.S. and Japan are the only two high-income nations that utilize the death penalty

The world is moving away from legalizing the death penalty



What U.S. States Have the Death Penalty?


Use of the Death Penalty


Does the Death Penalty Work?

Technology

CAPE SOCIOLOGY UNIT 2 Deviance teachernotes