DEVIANCE• THE RECOGNIZED VIOLATION OF

CULTURAL NORMS– BIASED TOWARDS THE POSITIVE

– BIASED TOWARDS THE NEGATIVE

– “DIFFERENT” OR “UNEXPECTED” ARE WORDS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE DEVIANCE FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

• DISTINCT AREAS– CRIME (LAWS)

• VIOLATION OF FORMALLY ENACTED CRIMINAL LAW

– JUVENILE DELINQUENCY• VIOLATION OF THE LAW BY YOUNG PEOPLE

THE ATTEMPTS A SOCIETY MAKES AT CONTROLLING THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR

• PASSIVE SOCIALIZATION– SOCIETY’S RULES EXIST IN OUR MINDS

EXTERNALIZED BY FEELINGS OF SHAME AND GUILT

• RESOCIALIZATION PROCESSES– COERCIVE METHODS USED TO ALTER A PERSON’S

SELF-IMAGE AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON ISSUES

• CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM– THE INSTITUTION THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR

REACTING TO ALLEDGED VIOLATIONS OF SOCIETAL LAWS

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NORM PLAYS A ROLE IN DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF SANCTION IS MOST SUITABLE FOR THE OFFENSE COMMITTED

• DEVIANCE VARIES ACCORDING TO NORMS– NO ACTION IS INHERENTLY DEVIANT

• PEOPLE BECOME DEVIANT– HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE AND LABEL US

• DEVIANCE INVOLVES POWER– RULE-MAKERS, RULE-BREAKERS, AND

RULE-ENFORCERS– NORMS AND APPLYING THEM ARE

LINKED TO SOCIAL POSITION

• DEVIANCE:– AFFIRMS CULTURAL VALUES

– CLARIFIES MORAL BOUNDARIES

– PROMOTES SOCIAL UNITY

– ENCOURAGES SOCIAL CHANGE

– OPENS LINES OF COMMUNICATION

– This is a Functional perspective

Captain Richard Henry Pratt, 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, Founder of the Carlisle School for Indian Students

His Motto, "Kill the Indian, save the man"

                                     

             Captain Richard H. Pratt with Prisoners at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida. Carlisle- www. army.mil.

EXPLAINING DEVIANCE

• MERTON’S STRAIN THEORY– DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS LINKED TO SOCIAL

STRUCTURE– TWO KEY QUESTIONS:

• HOW REALISTIC ARE SOCIAL (PERSONAL) GOALS?• HOW ACCESSIBLE ARE THE LEGITIMATE MEANS FOR

OBTAINING SUCH GOALS?

– THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT “OUGHT TO BE” AND “WHAT IS” LEAVES A PERSON “STRAINED”

• ORIGINS OF STRAIN– BELIEF IN MERITOCRACY– BELIEF IN AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD– BELIEF THAT THE SYSTEM WORKS EQUALLY– BELIEF THAT INDIVIDUALS WILL BE REWARDED IF

THEY FOLLOW SOCIETY’S LEAD

STRAIN THEORY

• PRIMARY DEVIANCE– EPISODES OF NORM VIOLATION THAT MOST PEOPLE TAKE

PART IN WITH LITTLE HARM DONE TO SELF-CONCEPT

• SECONDARY DEVIANCE– WHEN PEOPLE “MAKE SOMETHING” OF ANOTHER’S

DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, THEY MAY… • PUSH THE PERSON INTO REPEATED NORM VIOLATIONS

• AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW DEVIANT IDENTITY

– STIGMA• THE MARK OF SOCIAL DISGRACE THAT OFTEN INVOLVES

PUTTING A PERSON THROUGH DEGRADATION CEREMONIES

• RETROSPECTIVE LABELING– RE-INTERPRETING SOMEONE’S PAST

• MAKING “JOHNNY’S” PAST BEHAVIORS MORE CONSISTENT WITH HIS PRESENT DEVIANT ACTIVITIES

Two Gay Teenagers executed in Iran in 2005

• DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION– DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS LEARNED – FREQUENCY OF ASSOCIATION IS

CENTRAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEVIANCE

– IF ASSOCIATES ARE PRONE TO VIOLATION OF NORMS, THEN ONE IS ALSO MORE LIKELY TO TAKE PART

– CONFORMITY REAPS REWARDS WHILE THE LACK OF IT REAPS PUNISHMENT

• OTHER LEARNING TAKES PLACE– THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF COMMITTING

CRIME IS TAUGHT– PERSONS LEARN HOW TO NEUTRALIZE

ANY FEELINGS OF GUILT AND SHAME

• ATTACHMENT– FAMLY, PEERS, AND SCHOOL HELP US FORM

CONFORMING ATTACHMENTS

• OPPORTUNITY– DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE A PERSON HAS ABOUT

THE FUTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES

• INVOLVEMENT– TIME AND ENERGIES ARE LINKED TO

“LEGITIMATE” ACTIVITIES

• BELIEF– BUYING INTO CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

Biological TheoriesBiological Theories

The Atavistic Criminal; LombrosoThe Atavistic Criminal; Lombroso

Body Types; Sheldon and the Body Types; Sheldon and the GluecksGluecks

Genetic Pre-dispositionsGenetic Pre-dispositions

LombrosoLombroso

Sheldon and GluecksSheldon and Gluecks

Sheldon and GluecksSheldon and Gluecks

Sheldon and GluecksSheldon and Gluecks

PhrenologyPhrenology

PhrenologyPhrenology

TAKING A LOOK AT CRIME• CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON

– DIRECT VIOLENCE, OR THREAT OF IT

• CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY– INVOLVES THEFT OF PROPERTY

• HATE CRIMES– CRIMES MOTIVATED BY RACIAL OR

OTHER BIAS

• WHITE-COLLAR CRIME– THOSE COMMITTED BY PEOPLE OF

HIGH SOCIAL POSITION IN THE COURSE OF THEIR OCCUPATIONS

• CORPORATE CRIME– CRIMES COMMITTED BY

CORPORATIONS AGAINST EMPLOYEES AND CONSUMERS

THE “TYPICAL” CRIMINALTHE “TYPICAL” CRIMINAL• AGE

– PERSONS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 24• 14% OF POPULATION• 39.2% OF ARRESTS FOR VIOLENT CRIME• 45/7% OF PROPERTY CRIMES

• GENDER– 71.1% OF PROPERTY CRIMES AND 83.1% OF ALL VIOLENT

CRIMES ARE COMMITTED BY MALES

• SOCIAL CLASS AND TYPES OF CRIME– LOWER CLASSES COMMIT MORE “STREET CRIME” THAN

THE UPPER CLASSES, BUT THE UPPER CLASSES OFTEN COMMIT MORE SOPHISTICATED CRIMES INVOLVING MORE MONEY

– RACE AND ETHNICITY– MINORITY GROUPS MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY YOUNG BLACK

MALES, ARE DISPORPORTIONATELY INCARCERATED• REASONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

– RACISM, THE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE, POLICE TARGETTING

• AFRICAN-AMERICANS REPRESENT 12.3% OF THE POPULATION, BUT ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF ALL ARRESTS FOR PROPERTY CRIMES AND 38.8% OF ALL ARRESTS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES. WHY?– RACISM DOES EXIST– RACE IS RELATED TO SOCIAL STANDING– SOME CRIMES COMMITTED BY WHITES

ARE “UNREPORTABLE” or “UNREPORTED”– CULTURAL VALUE DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN MINORITY GROUPS

UCR Part 1 Offenses

• Against Persons

Murder

Forcible Rape

Robbery

Aggravated Assault

• Against Property

Burglary

Larceny (felonious)

Motor Vehicle Theft

Arson

The new NIBRS will include 22 categories of crime, and will attempt to measure some of the “dark figure of crime”

THE SYSTEM• POLICE

– PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN POPULATION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

– LOTS OF DISCERNMENT (Discretion)• HOW SERIOUS IS THE CRIME?

• IS THE SUSPECT COOPERATIVE OR NOT?

• HAVE THEY ARRESTED THE SUSPECT BEFORE?

• ARE BYSTANDERS PRESENT?

• THE COURTS– PLEA BARGAINING

• NEGOTIATING A GUILTY PLEA OFTEN RESULTS IN…– REDUCED CHARGE

– REDUCED PUNISHMENT

• RETRIBUTION– MORAL VENGEANCE INFLICTED

• DETERRENCE– DISCOURAGE FUTURE DEVIANCE

• REHABILITATION– REFORM OFFENDERS WHILE IN PRISON

• SOCIETAL PROTECTION– TEMPORARY REMOVAL OF OFFENDER

THROUGH INCARCERATION

– PERMANENT REMOVAL BY DEATH

DOES ANY OF IT REALLY WORKDOES ANY OF IT REALLY WORK??