Deviance 10e
Alex Thio
Chapter Fourteen:
Underprivileged Deviance
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Introduction
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Underprivileged deviance: deviance
among the relatively poor and powerless;
this form of deviance is less profitable and
more disreputable
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Robbery
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Robbery: unlawfully taking a victim's property;
includes use or threat of violence
Targets chosen according to:
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desire for money
risk of arrest
difficulty in planning
Unarmed robbery has an increased risk of
violence than armed robbery but less risk of
death or serious injury
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Robbery – cont.
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Patterns of robbery:
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More frequent in big cities
More common among strangers
More frequent in cold winter months
More frequently occurs indoors (about 60%)
Most robberies are armed
Most robbers who get arrested are relatively young
More interracial than other crimes
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Robbery – cont.
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Amateurs: rob for small amounts of money, with less
planning and more chance of arrest, and tend to be
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opportunists
addicts
alcoholics
Professionals: carefully plan their robberies; execute
them with others; target large sums of money
Relative deprivation: most popular theory behind
robbery – signals an increase in concentrated
resources, unequal access and ownership, and
increased opportunities to steal
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Figure 14.1 Location of Indoor
Robberies
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Auto Theft and Carjacking
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Auto theft: recent increase; most
significant property crime; provides quick
profit
Carjacking: can be violent; half are
successful
Insurance fraud: some car owners arrange
for the theft of their own cars or report
falsified damage claims
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Burglary
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Burglars are characteristically rational and
calculating, and commit their crimes when
homes are empty
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Shoplifting
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Shoplifting: stealing products from a store
Costs businesses about $31 billion a year
Drives up prices for all consumers
Motivation:
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economic need
social-psychological reasons
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A Social Profile of Shoplifters
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Only a small percent are “boosters”
(professional thieves)
Predominantly a juvenile offense
Small items are typically stolen for
personal use
Men shoplift more than women, but
women are more likely to commit this
crime than other property crimes
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Organized Crime
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The media sometimes glamorizes
organizes organized crime
Most organized crime groups form along
racial lines
The largest known organized crime group
is the 6,000-strong Herrera family,
founded by Mexican immigrants who
smuggle drugs from Mexico
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Organized Crime – cont.
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Primary goods and services provided: illicit
gambling, loan sharking, and narcotics
Securities and credit card theft; extortion
Corruption of public officials
Infiltration of legitimate businesses under
the guise of “paid protection”
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Global Perspective: Organized
Crime
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O.C. in foreign countries is similar to the
U.S.: provides a way for lower-class
youths to get rich; it is organized in a
hierarchical way; and loyalty to the
organization is essential
The U.S. has been more successful in
controlling organized crime than the
governments of other countries
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010