Chapter 6
Deviance, Crime, and
Social Control
Chapter Outline
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Conformity and Deviance
Sociological Theories About Deviance
Crime
Mental Illness
The Sociology of Law
The Criminal Justice System
Social Control
Takes place at three levels:
1. Self-control, we police ourselves.
2. Informal controls, our friends reward
conformity and punish nonconformity.
3. Formal controls, the state or
authorities discourage nonconformity.
Deviance
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Behavior of which others disapprove to
the extent that they believe something
significant ought to be done about it.
It is not the act that is important but the
audience.
The same act may be deviant in front of
one audience but not another, deviant in
one place but not another.
Structural-functional Theories
Durkheim
 When the parts of a society (institutions)
are not working together as they should,
people experience anomie.
 Anomie is a major cause of suicide and
other social ills.
Differential Association Theory

1.
2.
Deviance is learned through 2
mechanisms:
Interacting with others who hold
deviant norms.
Adopt those norms because we get
approval from people in that deviant
subculture.
Merton’s Types of Deviance
Modes of
Adaptation
Cultural Goals
Institutional
Means
Innovation
Accepted
Rejected
Ritualism
Rejected
Accepted
Retreatism
Rejected
Rejected
Rebellion
Rejected/
replaced
Rejected/
replaced
Three Kinds of Rewards
1.
2.
3.
Instrumental rewards (economic).
Family ties.
Self-esteem.
Labeling Theory
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Concerned with processes by which
labels become attached to people and
behaviors.
Those with power assign labels that
stick.
Labeling various kinds of deviance, with
the “sick” label is called the
medicalization of deviance.
Conflict Theory
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Class interests dictate who shall be
defined as deviant and how severely
they shall be punished.
Economic conditions of the lower
classes lead to behavior defined as
criminal.
Index Crimes
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Murder and manslaughter
Rape
Robbery
Assault
Burglary
Larceny-theft
Auto theft.
Victimless Crimes
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Do not involve a clearly defined victim.
Involve illegal supply and demand.
Examples: drug abuse, prostitution, and
illegal drinking.
Changes in Violent Crime
Rates, 1980–2001
Changes in Property Crime
Rates, 1980–2001
Arrest Rates by Age and Sex,
2001
White Collar Crimes
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Crime committed by respectable people
of high status in the course of their
occupation.
Often unreported and difficult to detect.
Economic, environmental, and social
costs are far greater than all street
crime combined.
Correlates of Crime
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Age. Young adults constitute the great
majority of those arrested for street
crime, both in this country and around
the world.
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Sex. Young males are most often
arrested for virtually every category of
crime.
Correlates of Crime
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Social class. Poverty and weak access
to jobs and education are certainly
related to crime rates.
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Race. African-Americans are
disproportionately represented in
lineups, in prisons, and on death row.
Mental Illness
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Most kinds of mental disorder are more
prevalent among the lower classes.
Women are more often treated for
depression and anxiety disorders while
men seem more likely to fall victim to
substance abuse.
Sociology of Law
Law has three major functions:
 Formal sanctions to encourage
conformity.
 Assistance in settling disputes.
 Sanctioning of social change.
Punishment Rationales
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Retribution
Reformation
Specific deterrence
General deterrence
Prevention
Number of People in Prison
During 2002 (per 100,000
Population)
Strategies for Reducing Crime
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Reduce social inequality and poverty.
Replace low-wage jobs with jobs that
pay a living wage.
Prevent child abuse and neglect.
Increase the social and economic
stability of communities.
Improve education in all communities.