Crime and
Deviance
How do societies determine
what behaviour is acceptable
and unacceptable?
As we have discussed, all societies have norms that govern
acceptable behaviour. If we are to live and work with others,
these rules are necessary.
What is the difference between Crime and Deviance?
Crime and Deviance
• A Crime is any act which breaks the formal, written
laws of a state. Can you think of examples, and what
formal sanctions (or punishments) await those involved in
either committing a crime, or allowing such acts to take
place?
• Deviance is any act that breaks society’s unwritten
rules, or expected ‘norms’ of behaviour. In other words,
non-conformist behaviour. Can you think of examples of
these, and what informal sanctions may await those who
transgress?
• Crime is referred to as Formal Deviance and Deviance’ is
referred to as Informal Deviance
Crime and Deviance
Crime Examples
Deviance Examples
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• Yelling in Public
• Dying your hair purple
• Wearing sweatpants (24-7)
• Teenage Pregnancy
• Tattoos on your FACE
• Teacher telling a dirty joke
• Teacher smoking a cigarette!?
• Refusing to bathe…
• LYING?
(The stronger the reaction (and
more hostile) to the behaviour,
the more deviant the action!)
Murder!
Stealing
Indecent Exposure
Traffic Violations
Sale of Illegal Drugs
Kidnapping
Assault
Rape
Arson
Crime and Deviance
Let’s look at the
Psychology of Lying….
• Think about two really good truths and a lie ! Keep this to
yourself~
Two Truths and Lie
• http://liespotting.com/liespotting-basics/quiz/
Testing Your Lie Spotting
IQ
• FACT: People across the globe express emotions with the same
basic facial expressions. Through his groundbreaking research,
Paul Ekman disproved earlier theories that human expressions
were learned, and instead showed that our facial expressions
are innate and universal.
• FACT: Humans communicate primarily through body
language. It sounds hard to believe at first, but just 7% of how
we communicate with each other is through words.
• FACT: It’s so difficult to keep a false story going that you’d
think it would be easy to catch a liar in the act. We only catch
about 50% of lies. We’re terrible at reading facial expressions
and body language. And we’re not much better at listening to
the words such as word choice, vocal tone and the chronology
of stories.
Lie Spotting Basics
• In a ten minute conversation you are likely to be lied to
two to three times. You might not even realize how often
the people in your life are being deceitful.
• 91% of people lie regularly at home and at work
You are lied to…
• https://hiveofactivities.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/howto-spot-a-liar/
Let’s see what the FBI
looks for …
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_6vDLq64gE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkxz0Tvhbd4 (*)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRv5FQjjWYU
How to Spot a Liar!
• 1.
They change their head position quickly. (The head will be
retracted or jerked back, bowed down, or cocked or tilted to the side)
• 2.
Their breathing changes. (Heavier breathing, shoulders will
rise and their voice may get shallow)
• 3.
They repeat words or phrases.
• 4.
They provide too much information.
• 5.
They touch or cover their mouth.
• 6.
They instinctively cover vulnerable body parts. (Throat, chest,
head, or abdomen)
• 7.
They shuffle their feet
• 8.
It becomes difficult for them to speak
• 9.
They stare at you without blinking much.
• 10. They tend to point a lot
How to Spot a Liar!
• Two Truths and lie!
Let’s Try Again…
• Now that we have looked at it… is lying deviant?
Is lying Deviant?
Is lying a Crime?
• Is it possible for a deviant act to become normal?
• Some acts, previously considered deviant and/or criminal,
may well become routine and typical in the future (and
vice-versa).
Any others you can think
of??
• There are four specific characteristics that sociologists use to
define deviance…
• History changes the definition of deviance, so what is
considered deviant today may not be deviant tomorrow.
• One hundred years ago, it was considered deviant for
women to wear trousers. Today, it’s normal for women to
dress in pants, even yoga pants.
1. Deviance is Linked to
Time.
• How we label an issue determines our moral point of
view.
• Cultural values come from religious, political, economic,
or philosophical principles.
• In the Netherlands, assisted suicide for the terminally ill,
or “mercy killing” is legal within some circumstances. In
the US, euthanasia is considered murder and punished
accordingly.
• Domestic Abuse in some cultures is considered
acceptable !
2. Deviance is Linked to
Cultural Values.
• You can find deviants in every culture on the planet.
• Regardless of what norms a society establishes, you can
always find a small number of nonconformists who will
break the rules.
• Where there is one…there is the other!
3. Deviance is universal.
• Each society views actions differently and reinforces
different behaviours.
• If society tolerates a behavior, it is no longer deviant.
• Prohibition in the 1920s and early 30s made drinking
alcohol illegal in the United States, but today it is legal
(when you are of age).
• Who says you have to be 16 to drive? Why is that the
magical age?
4. Deviance is a Social
Construct.
• Make a list of the typical ‘male and ‘female deviant
behaviours…
• What are women more likely to do….
Deviance and Gender
• Statistics indicate that men are more likely to commit
crime than women.
• For example, in 2012, 80% of known offenders
(481,000+) were men….
• Why do you think so ?
Statistics Show…
• Sex role theory: this theory argues that boys and girls are
socialized differently, therefore resulting in boys becoming
more delinquent. Firstly, girls are more supervised and more
strictly controlled. Secondly, boys are encouraged to take risks
and to be tough and aggressive.
• Girls have a readily available female role model at home,
whereas boys have less access to their male role model as
traditionally the father was out of home. Boys will be
socialized largely by their mother and will tend to reject
behavior that is seen as feminine as they compulsively pursue
masculinity.
Why is this so?
Theories for Crime and Deviance
• Motivational Theories
Subcultural
Social Constructionism
Strain
Differential Association
• Constraint Theory
Labelling
Control Theory
Conflict Theory
*Subcultural Theory: deviance is the result of
individuals conforming to the values and norms
of a social group to which they belong, if you
belong to a social group whose norms differ from
those of the main society then you will become a
deviant.
Examples?
• *Social Constructionism: natural or innate
features of life are often sustained by social
processes. It emphasizes that social problems do
not emerge spontaneously. Instead, social
phenomena are created, institutionalized, and
made into tradition by humans.
• Social Constructionism is associated with POWER
as generally powerful social groups are able to
create norms and laws that suit their interests.
• *Strain: Strain results when a culture teaches people
the value of material success and society fails to
provide enough legitimate opportunities for
everyone to succeed. Therefore social structures
within society may pressure citizens to commit
crime.
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The average person is taught to go to school to achieve success
The average person is taught to wanting the finer things in life
The American dream is not equally distributed
Not everyone has the same means of obtaining success
The American dream creates crime, as people feel strained and may resort to
deviant activities.
• *Differential Association: Those who associate
with delinquents, deviants, or criminals learn
to value deviance. The greater the frequency,
duration, and intensity of their immersion in
deviant environments, the more likely it is that
they will become deviant.
• Criminal behavior is learned through
interactions with other people
Labelling: Assumes that once young people have
been labelled as a criminal they are more likely to
offend. Generally once they have accepted that
role, they seek out others who have also been
labelled as a delinquent. Deviance results not so
much from the actions of the deviant as from the
response of others, who label the rule breaker as
deviant.
Control Theory: the view that people refrain from deviant
behavior because diverse factors control their impulses to
break social norms. Some controls are internal, such as a
person's conscience and motivation to succeed; others are
external, such as one's parents, friends, and legal codes.
Conflict Theory: holds that deviance and crime arise out
of the conflict between the powerful and less powerful.
Conflict theorists maintain that the rich and powerful
impose deviant and criminal labels on the less powerful
members of society, particularly those who challenge the
existing social order.
Meanwhile, they are usually able to use their money and
influences to escape punishment for their own misdeeds.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/the-murderof-reena-virk-and-trials-of-kelly-ellard1.792656
Let’s Look at Stereotypes…
Stereotypes…
• After hearing the story of Reena Virk, it is easy
to see that a way someone looks does not
necessarily determine if they are a deviant…
• With that said! Let’s look at Physiognomy.
(Which does exactly that… looks at faces to
determine if people are deviant)
Physiognomy
Physiognomy
• The terms physiognomy and phrenology refer to the study of
features of the face and head as used to deduce the
characteristics or temperament of an individual.
• These features include the shapes and positions of major
areas and landmarks of the face, such as the forehead,
eyebrows, nose, cheeks, and mouth.
Scholarly Journal Article:
“THE ACCURACY OF INFERENCES ABOUT
CRIMINALITY BASED ON FACIAL APPEARANCE”
• Jeffrey M. Valla
• Stephen J. Ceci
• Wendy M. Williams
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Department of Human Development,
Cornell University
Physiognomy
• Across two different sets of criminal/non-criminal
stimuli, we found that participants presented
with brief exposures to static cropped facial
images of convicted criminals and non-criminals
were able to reliably distinguish between them.
• However, participants were unable to accurately
judge more nuanced distinctions of criminality,
namely the violent/non-violent status, and the
crime committed.
CAN YOU TELL??
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Non-Criminal
Arson
Assault
Drug Dealing
Sexual Assault
CRIMINAL VS NON CRIMINAL
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NON-CRIMINAL: 1, 2, 6
ARSON: 5
ASSAULT: 4
SEXUAL ASSAULT: 3
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NON-CRIMINAL: 7, 9, 12
ARSON: 10
ASSAULT:
DRUG DEALER: 8, 11
SEXUAL ASSAULT:
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NON-CRIMINAL: 13, 14, 15, 17, 18
ARSON: 16
ASSAULT:
DRUG DEALER:
SEXUAL ASSAULT:
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NON-CRIMINAL: 19, 22
ARSON: 20
ASSAULT: 24
DRUG DEALER: 21
SEXUAL ASSAULT: 23
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NON-CRIMINAL:
25, 26, 30
ARSON:
ASSAULT: 27, 28
DRUG DEALER: 29
SEXUAL ASSAULT:
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NON-CRIMINAL:
ARSON:
ASSAULT:
DRUG DEALER:
SEXUAL ASSAULT: 31, 32
• There were problems with the study
• And Physiognomy is not accurate most of the
time…