Deviance and Crime - Fundamental and General Sociology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Introduction to Sociology

Download Deviance and Crime - Fundamental and General Sociology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Introduction to Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 6 Deviance and Crime docsity.com Deviance  Any behavior, belief, or condition that violates social norms in the society or group in which it occurs:  drinking too much  robbing a bank  laughing at a funeral docsity.com What Is Social Control?  Practices that social groups develop to encourage conformity to norms, rules, and laws and to discourage deviance. docsity.com What Is Social Control?  Internal social control takes place when individuals internalize norms and values and follow those norms and values in their lives. This can be viewed as self control.  External social control involves negative sanctions that proscribe certain behaviors and punish rule breakers.  Informal  Formal docsity.com When formal controls are not supported by internalization or informal social controls, widespread violation may occur. For example … Speed limits Cell phone use docsity.com Merton’s Strain Theory of Deviance Mode Method Conformity Accepts approved goals, pursues them through approved means. Innovation Accepts approved goals; uses disapproved means. Ritualism Abandons society’s goals; conforms to approved means. docsity.com Merton’s Strain Theory of Deviance Mode Method Retreatism Abandons approved goals and approved means. Rebellion Challenges approved goals and approved means. docsity.com Conflict Theory  Class interests dictate who shall be defined as deviant and how severely they shall be punished.  Evidence? (police discretion, severity of punishment)  Economic conditions of the lower classes lead to behavior defined as criminal docsity.com Social Bond Theory  The probability of deviant behavior increases when a person’s ties to society are weakened or broken.  According to Hirschi, social bonding consists of  attachment to other people  commitment to conformity  involvement in conventional activities  belief in the legitimacy of conventional norms. docsity.com Collective Efficacy  Neighborhood atmosphere affects the rate of crime and deviance  Were neighbors feel a sense of collective responsibility ..  They expect to work together to control crime and deviance  They are likely to intervene when they witness offences  Most common in more advantages neighborhoods (home ownership, low unemployment, reliable police and municipal services) docsity.com Labeling Theory  States that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants, and they, in turn, accept the label and begin to act accordingly.  Focuses on the variety of symbolic labels that people are given in their interactions with others.  The act of fixing a person with a negative identity, such as “criminal” is directly related to the power of those who do the labeling and those being labeled. docsity.com The “Medicalization of Deviant Behavior” Some forms of deviance that were formerly viewed as crimes or just “bad behavior” are now viewed as “sickness”.  Examples (alcoholism, ADD)  Consequences  Has also led to increased use of “insanity” as a defense docsity.com How the Law Classifies Crime  Crimes are divided into felonies and misdemeanors.  A felony is a serious crime such as rape, homicide, or aggravated assault, for which punishment typically ranges from more than a year’s imprisonment to death.  A misdemeanor is a minor crime typically punished by less than one year in jail. docsity.com Victimless Crimes  Do not involve a clearly defined victim.  Involve illegal supply and demand.  Examples: drug abuse, prostitution, and illegal drinking. docsity.com Correlates of Crime  Age. 18 –24. Young adults constitute the great majority of those arrested for street crime, both in this country and around the world.  Sex. Young males are most often arrested for virtually every category of crime. docsity.com Correlates of Crime  Social class. Poverty and weak access to jobs and education are certainly related to crime rates.  Race. African-Americans are disproportionately represented in lineups, in prisons, and on death row. docsity.com Arrest Rates by Sex, 2004 All offenses (excluding traffic charges) Murder and nonnegligent Ein he manslaughter : Robbery Larceny-theft Fraud om b Eve iz Males i Females ©2007 Thomson Higher Education 3 docsity.com Plea Bargaining 90% of criminal cases are never tried in a court of law. Instead, they are resolved by plea bargaining. docsity.com Functions of Punishment  Retribution  The punishment should fit the crime.  Social protection  Restrict offenders so they can’t commit further crimes. docsity.com Functions of Punishment  Rehabilitation  Return offenders to the community as law- abiding citizens.  Deterrence  Reduce criminal activity through a fear of punishment. docsity.com The Death Penalty During 2006, at least 1,591 people were executed in 25 countries and at least 3,861 people were sentenced to death in 55 countries. These were only minimum figures; the true figures were certainly higher. In 2006, 91 per cent of all known executions took place in China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the USA. Based on public reports available, Amnesty International estimated that at least 1,010 people were executed in China during the year, although the true figures were believed to be much higher. Credible sources suggest that between 7,500 to 8,000 people were executed in 2006. The official statistics remain a state secret, making monitoring and analysis problematic. Iran executed 177 people, Pakistan 82 and Iraq and Sudan each at least 65. There were 53 executions in 12 states in the USA. docsity.com Death Row Census, January 2005 Rhode Island Connecticut 8 New Jersey 15 Tomy Delaware 19 Maryland 9 |, Virgin N. Carolina avrg ce Lg eres 5. Carolina, Ey Ere es Mississippi 70 sat! Race of inmates Gender of inmates WEIS) ware Pray No death penalty CI African American , ==” 0 a 11-100 hl 101-300 Hl Native American 0.7% Over 300 Asian American 1.0% Unknown 0.3% Female 1.39% docsity.com © 2007 Thomson Higher Education Strategies for Reducing Crime 1. Reduce social inequality and poverty. 2. Replace low-wage jobs with jobs that pay a living wage. 3. Prevent child abuse and neglect. 4. Increase the social and economic stability of communities. 5. Improve education in all communities. 6. Put more people in prison? docsity.com