1. CHAPTER 8 Deviance and Social Control
Sociology
11/15/2018
CHAPTER 8 Deviance and Social Control
Section 1: Deviance
Section 2: Crime
Chapter 8

2. Explain the nature and social functions of deviance.
Section 1: Deviance
Objectives:
Explain the nature and social functions of deviance.
Compare the theories that have been proposed to explain deviance.

3. Section 1: Deviance
Nature of Deviance
Because there are so many norms governing behavior, occasional violations are unavoidable.
deviance – behavior that violates significant social norms
people are considered deviant for repeat behavior, commits an act that has serious negative consequences for society

4. Nature of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Labeling deviance has 2 components:
to be considered deviant by society, an individual must first be detected committing a deviant act, behavior is known to others
the individual must be stigmatized by society
stigma – mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society
What is considered deviant varies from society to society and during different time periods

5. Social Functions of Deviance
Section 1: Deviance
Social Functions of Deviance
Emile Durkheim’s The Rules of Sociological Method observed that deviance has some uses in social life.
Clarifying Norms – defines the boundaries of acceptable behavior, punishment serves as warnings to others
Unifying the Group – serves to draw the line between conforming members of society and “outsiders” – the nonconforming members, reinforces sense of community and belief in shared values

6. Social Functions of Deviance
Section 1: Deviance
Social Functions of Deviance
Diffusing Tension – acts that allow individuals to relieve tension without disrupting the basic fabric of society
unauthorized demonstrations
Promoting Social Change – can help prompt social change by identifying problem areas
Providing Jobs – provides legitimate jobs
judges, lawyers, police officers, prison personnel, parole officers, crime reporters
criminologists – social scientists who study criminal behavior

7. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Functionalists – deviance is a natural part of society
American society places high value on certain goals, not everyone has access to legitimate means to achieve these goals
strain theory - as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structures of society
under the strain of incompatible goals and means, individuals fall victim to anomie
anomie – situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable, leave individuals without guidelines for behavior

8. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Sociologist Robert K. Merton suggest that individuals respond to the culturally approved goals and legitimate means of achieving goals in 5 ways.
conformity: many accept culturally approved goals and means
innovation: accept cultural goals, but do not accept the approved means to reaching these goals, devise new means for achieving goals and then violate accepted norms (become deviants)

9. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Merton’s Functionalist Perspective:
ritualism: find it impossible to achieve cultural goals by acceptable means, they abandon the goals while continuing expected rules of behavior
retreatism: reject both cultural goals and acceptable means of attaining them, may drop out of society
rebellion: want to substitute a new set of goals and means for the approved set

10. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Conflict Theorists – deviance is a result of competition and social inequality, struggle between those who possess power and those who do not
people with power commit deviant act to maintain power
people without power to obtain economic rewards or because of low self-esteem and feelings of powerlessness

11. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Richard Quinney’s Conflict Theory:
ruling class labels threatening behavior as deviant
lower class has limited opportunity, forced into deviant behavior
to protect their power, ruling class establishes ideologies to explain deviance as a problem among lower class
law enforcement are directed toward the types of crimes committed by lower classes (results in higher arrest rates)
people without power do not necessarily commit more crimes than others, but are the types of crimes that are most likely to be detected and punished

12. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Interactionists – as either natural in people with weak ties to the community (control theory), as a learned behavior (cultural transmission theory), or as a label (labeling theory)
control theory – natural occurrence, interest in why people conform rather than the causes of deviance
social ties determine conformity, high integration causes conformity
communities with strong social bonds have lower rates of deviance because strong social control over those who deviate

13. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Travis Hirschi Interactionist Perspective:
control theory:
people form bonds in 4 ways
form attachments with others who accept the norms of society
strong belief in the moral codes of society
show commitment to traditional societal values and goals
fully involved in non-deviant behavior and activities

14. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance
Hirschi and Gottfredson Interactionist Perspective
control theory:
conformity is a result of self-control
people with strong self-control conform
socialization determines a person’s level of self-control
children develop high levels of self-control if parents punish deviant behavior and reward for conformity

15. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance Interactionist Perspective
cultural transmission – based on socialization, deviance is a learned behavior through interaction with others, the norms and values being transmitted are deviant, the individual becomes socialized into deviant behavior rather than socially acceptable behavior
cultural transmission views all individuals as conformists
difference between deviants and rest of society is the norms the individual chooses to conform to

16. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance Interactionist Perspective
differential association – the frequency and closeness of associations a person has with deviant and nondeviant individuals
Edwin Sutherland, learning of deviant behavior occurs in primary groups
Sykes and Matza: some show strong commitment to society’s norms yet still engage in deviance
techniques of neutralization – people suspend their moral beliefs to commit deviant acts, learned through social interaction are a block on the controls that discourage deviant behavior

17. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance Interactionist Perspective
Sykes and Matza 5 techniques of neutralization
deny responsibility
deny injury
denying the victim
condemning the authorities
appealing to higher loyalties

18. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance Interactionist Perspective
labeling theory – focuses on how individuals come to be identified as deviant, rather than why people perform deviant acts
all people commit deviant acts yet not everyone is labeled as deviant
Lemert and Becker
deviance has 2 types: primary and secondary

19. Theories of Deviance Section 1: Deviance Interactionist Perspective
labeling theory:
primary deviance – nonconformity that goes undetected by those in authority, occasional acts and well concealed acts, do not consider themselves deviant and neither does society
secondary deviance – results in the individual being labeled as deviant and accepting the label as true
degradation ceremony – public setting, individual is denounced, found guilty, or given new identity of a deviant, people are judged in light of their new label, becomes master status, restricts options in society, self-fulfilling prophecy

20. Identify the principal types of crime in the United States.
Section 2: Crime
Objectives:
Identify the principal types of crime in the United States.
Explain the characteristics of the American criminal-justice system.

21. Crime Statistics Section 2: Crime
crime – any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law, and is punishable by the government
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) published annually by the FBI
chart page 187
limits on statistics:
not all complaints make it to official stats of formal reports
not all crime reported (family or friends)
only file formal reports on serious crime
officer is influenced to file a formal report based on attitude of individual making the complaint

22. Types of Crime in the U.S. Section 2: Crime charts page 188-189
Violent Crime – includes murder, robbery, rape, aggravated assault; most victims are African Americans; small percent of all crimes committed
Crime Against Property – stealing or damaging other’s property; includes burglary, larceny (theft other than auto), vehicle theft, arson; more common than violent crimes (1 every 3 seconds)
Victimless Crime – includes prostitution, illegal gambling, illegal drug use; offender is the only victim

23. Types of Crime in the U.S. Section 2: Crime
White Collar Crime – committed by high-status individuals in the course of their professions (politicians, corporate employees); includes fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement; estimate costs of $300 billion
Organized Crime – the pursuit of crime as a big business, use legitimate business as a front for criminal activities
crime syndicate – large-scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or business through violence or the threat of violence

24. American Criminal-Justice System
Section 2: Crime
American Criminal-Justice System
Police – have most immediate control over who is arrested for a criminal act
police discretion – police have the power to decide who is actually arrested
size of population, number of criminal offenses, and number of police officers make discretion necessary
factors that influence police discretion: seriousness of offense, wishes of the victim, attitude of suspect, presence of bystanders, race
racial profiling - practice of assuming that nonwhite Americans are more likely to commit crime than white Americans

25. American Criminal-Justice System
Section 2: Crime
American Criminal-Justice System
Courts – determine the guilt or innocence of an accused person by means of a trial and assigns some form of punishment if there is a guilty finding
90% of all case are settled through plea bargaining
plea bargaining – process of legal negotiation that allows an accused person to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentences
allows courts to reduce volume of caseloads with avoiding expensive and time-consuming trials

26. American Criminal-Justice System
Section 2: Crime
American Criminal-Justice System
Corrections – sanctions (prison, parole, probation) used to punish those found guilty of crimes
sanctions serve 4 functions
retribution: act of revenge for victim and society
deterrence: discourage offenders from committing future crimes
rehabilitation: reform criminals so they can return to society as law- abiding citizens
social protection: prevent additional crimes
recidivism – term for repeated criminal behaviors, 62% of released prisoners will be charged with new crimes, 41% will return to prison within 3 years

27. American Criminal-Justice System
Section 2: Crime
American Criminal-Justice System
Juvenile-Justice System – used to punish offenders younger than age 18, developed in the 1960s
courts must now guarantee juveniles same legal rights and privileges as adult defendants
try to provide more services
can be tried as adults for serious offenses