Crime and Deviance Chapter Seven

What is Deviance? Central concepts: Social control: systematic practices developed by social groups to encourage conformity and to discourage deviance (p. 198) Deviance: any behaviour, belief, or condition that violates those cultural norms in the society or group in which it occurs (p. 198)

What is Deviance? Crime: is an act that violates criminal law and is punishable with fines, jail terms, and other sanctions (p. 201) Juvenile delinquency: refers to a violation of the law by young people under the age of 18 (in Canada) (p. 201)

Strain Theory Defined: people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals (p. 201 and from R. Merton) Example: a study of Canadian Mohawks’ involvement in the organized crime of smuggling in the early 1990s.

Opportunity Theory Expands on strain theory Defined: for deviance to occur people must have access to illegitimate opportunity structures—circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot get through legitimate channels (p. 202)

Control Theory Theme: deviant behaviour is minimized when people have strong bonds that bind them to families, peers, religious organizations, and other institutions Thesis: that the probability of deviant behavior increases when a person’s ties to society are weakened or broken (p. 204 and after Hirschi)

Differential Association Theory (“Getting in with the wrong crowd”) Defined: That individuals have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently associate with persons who favour deviance over conformity (p. 205 and Sutherland) Variations: Likelihood increases to the level a person has frequent, intense, and long-lasting interactions with others who violate the rules. Example: subcultural groups in schools

Labelling Theory Two elements are involved in defining deviance: 1. Some people act in a manner contrary to the expectations of others 2. Others disapprove of and try to control this contrary behaviour Part of this control process involves labelling people as deviants

Labelling Theory The theory defined: it suggests that deviants are those people who have been successfully labelled as such by others (p. 206) Process: directly related to the power and status of those persons who do the labelling One kind of those with power and status: Moral entrepreneurs: Persons who use their own views of right and wrong to establish rules and label others as deviant (p.208)

Labelling Theory Other terms: Primary deviance: the initial act of rule breaking Secondary deviance: occurs when a person who has been labelled deviant accepts the new identity and continues the deviant behaviour Example: the study of the effects of two different ways of treating blind people

Labelling Theory Moral entrepreneurs often create moral crusades: public and media awareness campaigns that help generate public and political support for their causes (p. 208) Examples: Mothers Against Drunk Driving The Women’s Temperance movement of the early 20th century that resulted in Prohibition Campaigns against abortion, prostitution, and child abuse 2003 example: Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Muslim, and Sikh leaders united against same-sex marriages

How the Law Classifies Crime Indictable Offenses Includes serious crimes such as homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and break and entry Summary Conviction Offenses Relatively minor offences including fraudulently obtaining food from a restaurant, causing a disturbance, or committing an indecent act

How Sociologists Classify Crime Street Crime Occupational and Corporate Crime Organized Crime Political Crime

Street Crime Defined: that which includes all violent crime, certain property crime, and certain moral crimes (p. 213) Examples: robbery, assault, break and enter Several types: Violent Property Moral

Types of Street Crime Violent Force against others Produces most anxiety Victims are physically injured Victimizers: intimate persons Property Break and Entry Theft Arson Vehicle theft Moral Illegal action voluntarily engaged in by individuals Kinds: prostitution, gambling, illegal drugs, illegal pornography

Occupational and Corporate Crime Occupational or white-collar crime consists of illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or in dealing with their financial affairs Key Element: a violation of a position of trust in business or government

Occupational and Corporate Crime Examples: employee theft, soliciting bribes or kickbacks, embezzling The computer has enhanced this possibility even more Corporate Crime: illegal acts committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation and with its support. Example: Enron Corporation in Houston

Occupational and Corporate Crime Costs: Exceeds that of street crime Tax evasion: costs about $30 billion a year in Canada Calgary Bre-X gold mining company lost around $5 billion of share holders investment--a geologist had “salted” core samples with gold

Occupational and Corporate Crime Costs: Occupational accidents and illnesses were the third leading cause of death in Canada: some of the causes are unsafe working environments Problems: More stigma attached to street crime Hard to convict

Organized Crime Defined: is a business operation that supplies illegal goods and services for profit (p. 215) Examples: drug trafficking, prostitution, liquor and cigarette smuggling, loan-sharking, money laundering, and large-scale theft like truck hijacking

Political Crimes Defined: refers to illegal or unethical acts involving the misuse of power by government officials, or illegal or unethical acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders to make a political statement, undermine the government, or overthrow it (p. 215)

Political Crimes State officials may use their position to engage in graft through bribery, kickbacks, or “insider” deals Costly to tax payers Some use these methods to hang onto power

The Criminal Justice System Defined: the criminal justice system includes the police, the courts, and the prisons However, it is not a large, complete, and unified system. Rather, it is a collection of “somewhat interrelated, semi-autonomous bureaucracies”. Each part has significant discretionary jurisdiction apart from the others.

The Criminal Justice System

The Police Function: They are the concrete extension of the State to provide for social order This is extended to maintain peace in the community Broad range: finding lost children, counseling crime victims, notifying next of kin in fatal accidents Why?

The Courts Function: they decide the guilt or innocence of those accused of committing a crime Process: adversarial: Prosecutor: A lawyer who represents the State Defense lawyer: asserts that the accused (the defendant) is innocent Judge (or jury): Final decision as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant

Punishment Defined: any action designed to deprive a person of things of value (including liberty) because of some offence the person is thought to have committed (p. 228)

Functions of Prisons Retribution Imposes a penalty on the offender Social Protection In prison, he or she cannot commit crime anymore Rehabilitation Seeks to return offenders to the community as law abiding citizens Deterrence Seeks to reduce criminal activity by instilling a fear of punishment

Restorative Justice Defined: to seek to return the focus of the justice system to repairing the harm that has been done to the victim and the community (p. 230) Elements: The involvement of the victim and other members of the community as active members in the process To reconcile offenders with those they have harmed Roots in traditional societies

Restorative Justice Elements: Some aboriginal communities use what is called circle sentencing: bringing the offender, the victim, and the community together Some current attempts: Victim-offender reconciliation Family Group Conferencing: for young people linked to the victim and the family members

Community Corrections Defined: shifts responsibility for corrections back to the community and minimizes the separation of the offender from society at a number of different stages in the correctional process

Deviance and Crime in the Future The present system cannon solve the problem of crime More structural solutions like: Better education and jobs Affordable housing More equality Less discrimination Socially productive activities