Chapter 7
Deviance and Crime
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Inc.
Deviance
• Any action, belief, or human characteristic
that members of a society or a social
group consider a violation of group norms
for which the violator is likely to be
censured or punished
• Sociologically, no act, belief, or
characteristic is inherently deviant
because deviance is socially defined.
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Shifting Definitions of Deviance
• What is thought to be deviant will vary
from one time period to another.
• Some behaviors were once not seen as
deviant but now are (for example, obesity)
while other behaviors were once seen as
deviant but now are not (for example,
premarital sex).
• What is thought to be deviant will also vary
geographically.
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Global Flows of Deviance
• Deviance may flow from one society to
another.
• There are global trends toward
normalizing that which was defined at one
time and place as deviant.
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Deviance and Consumption
• The use of goods and services that are
illegal or considered deviant
• This form of consumption involves
committing deviant or illegal acts in order
to be able to afford to consume.
• Examples include a drug addict stealing to be
able to buy drugs and the “mall girls” of
Poland.
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
Inc.
Definitions of Dangerous
Consumption
• As with all sorts of deviance, definitions of what is
deviant consumer behavior are sometimes in
dispute.
• Napster users did not consider the downloading of
music from the Internet to be illegal or deviant.
• Those who consume the “wrong” drugs (e.g.,
marijuana) are more likely to be seen as deviant
than those who consume the “right” drugs (e.g.,
alcohol).
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Dangerous Consumers
• Before the recession of 2008, those who
did not consume enough were considered
deviant.
• Consumerism was considered to be
patriotic.
• Those who consume illegal goods are
considered to be dangerous.
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
Inc.
Overconsumption
• Recent changes in the economy demonstrate
the relative nature of deviance.
• After the recession of 2008, those who
consumed too much were considered
deviant.
• While savings is considered deviant during
economic booms, not saving is considered
deviant during economic downturns.
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Theories of Deviance
• Explanatory Theories
• Concerned with trying to explain why deviance
occurs
• Assume that deviance is determined by a wide
variety of factors
• Constructionist Theories
• Concerned with the process by which people are
classified as deviant
• Focus on who is in power and how they create
and apply deviant labels
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Structural/Functional Theories
• Strain is cause by a discrepancy between the
approved goals of society and the approved means to
achieve them.
• Adaptations to Strain:
•
•
•
•
•
Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreating
Rebellion
• Social Control Theory focuses on why people conform
to norms (i.e., do not commit deviant acts).
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Conflict/Critical Theories
• Deviance and the Poor
• Deviance is something created by the capitalist
system.
• The definition of deviance serves the interest of
the capitalists while adversely affecting the poor.
• Deviance and the Elite
• Great efforts are made by the capitalists to
legitimize elite acts of deviance.
• The higher-ups in society have greater ability to
commit deviant acts.
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Inter/actionist Theories
• In the realm of deviance a number of symbols
(labels) exist.
• Interaction occurs between a person or a
group doing the labeling and a person or
group to whom the label is applied.
• Those who do the labeling are social control
agents.
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Inc.
Inter/actionist Theories
• Labeling Theory
• Defines a deviant as someone to whom a deviant
label has been successfully applied
• Stigma
• Erving Goffman (1963) defined a stigma as a
characteristic others define and label as deviant.
• Moral Entrepreneurs
• Lead a campaign to have an act defined as
deviant and made illegal
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Crime
• A violation of the criminal law.
• Criminology is the study of all aspects of
crime.
• Many criminologists are sociologists.
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Types of Crime
• Violent Crimes
• Involve the threat or actual use of force
• Property Crimes
• Offenses that involve the taking or destroying of
property
• Felonies
• Punishable by more than one year in prison
• Misdemeanors
• Punishable by a fine or imprisonment of less than
a year
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Types of Crime
• White collar crimes are committed by a person in
the course of their occupation.
• Corporate crime involves legal organizations
that break the law (e.g., antitrust violations and
insider trading).
• Organized crime is associated with crime
syndicates.
• Political crime is an offense against the state or
by the state, domestically or internationally.
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Types of Crimes
• Hate crimes are those whose victims are chosen
because of their race, religion, age, sexual
orientation, national origin, or disability status.
• Cybercrime targets computers or uses
computers to commit traditional crimes (e.g.,
theft from a bank).
• Consumer crimes are crimes related to
consumption (e.g., shoplifting).
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
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Crime Statistics
• Crime statistics are difficult to collect and
often quite inaccurate.
• Sources of crime data:
• The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
• The Department of Justice’s National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS)
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Demographics and Crime
• Age
• In general, most people are likely to commit crime in their
late adolescence.
• Gender
• The vast majority of crimes are committed by men.
• Race
• African Americans account for 13% of the U.S. population
but account for over one third of all violent crimes.
• Social Class
• Those in the upper classes are more likely to commit
crime and avoid detection.
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Inc.
Globalization and Crime
• Criminalization of Global Activities
• In the era of globalization, the nation-states of
Western Europe and the United States have
played a central role in criminalizing certain
activities.
• Global Crime Control
• Has been led by the growth in international
policing and the role of police in international
relations
Copyright 2012, SAGE Publications,
Inc.