Crime and Deviance (4/14)
1.
Two functional approaches
1.
2.
2.
Merton and sources of structural strain
Hirschi, Braithwaite and social control theory
Two Conflict approaches
Chambliss and labeling theory
Uggen, Western and power-control theory
1.
2.
Crime and deviance


Functionalist accounts:
 Crimes are defined to maintain values and order
 Crimes are committed due to anomie.
 Maintaining social order is negative feedback
 E.g. Merton, social control theory, Braithwaite.
Conflict accounts:
 Crimes are defined by the powers that be
 They are largely driven by inequality
 Thus the courts and police function as part of a
system of positive feedback and the Matthew P.
Merton and Structural Strain

Defines structural strain as a discrepancy
between social values of equal opportunity to
achieve material success and the availability
of legitimate opportunities.
 Argues it generates a variety of different kinds
of anomie.
 Suggests that modern societies have to live
up to ideals of equal opportunity; we don’t.
Structural strain and “forced
divison of labor”

The argument that modern values have to be
oriented to equal opportunity was the
argument that was made by Durkheim about
organic solidarity
 The argument that when opportunities and
education are a function of social class, that
creates inherited privilege (undermining
organic solidarity) was the argument about
the “forced Division of labor”
Some questions:
 How
equal are opportunities?
 How equal do people believe they are?
 How could they be made more equal?
 Would that affect the crime rate?
An example of a synthetic Functional
approach: Braithwaite
Residential mobility
Male
Age 15-25
Low
Interdepen
dency
unmarried
Low
Communitaria
nism
unemployed
Criminal subculture
Low aspirations
Shame
Legitimate
opportunities
structurally
blocked
Illegitimate
opportunities
Reintegration or stigma
Low crime rates
Urbanization
Participation in
criminal subculture
High crime rates
The Durkheimain Core of Braithwaite
Low
Interdepen
dency
Egoism: a lack of ties to
families and other
solidary groups
Low
Communitaria
nism
Anome: a lack of
normative regulation
High suicide
High crime rates
The Egoistic Suicide model: Social
Control Theory
Male
Age 15-25
unmarried
Lack of
ties
unemployed
Low aspirations
Hirschi argues that it is the failure of most
people to engage in crime that needs to be
explained, and the explanation is (family) ties
High crime rates
The Anomie theory in Braithwaite
Residential mobility
Anomie: lack of
norms
Criminal subculture
Urbanization
Legitimate
opportunities
structurally
blocked
Illegitimate
opportunities
Participation in
criminal subculture
High crime rates
Labeling theory in Braithwaite
Egoism
Anomie
Criminal subculture
Shame and stigma
Legitimate
opportunities
structurally
blocked
Illegitimate
opportunities
Participation in
criminal subculture
High crime rates
Braithwaite’s distictive ideas
 Reintegrative
shame is the main
characteristic of Japanese criminal
justice system.
 It allows you to get the best of both
worlds.
 Both are probably wrong.
 Both correctly involve balancing
opposed dynamics.
Labeling theory

Creation of secondary deviance as a result of
lables
 E.g. Chambliss: the Saints and the
Roughnecks
 It is hard enough to stay on the rails when
there are rewards;
 When the teachers, judges, cops and
storeowners think you are a jerk, it is harder.
The appearance
 Not
only were there some sources of
deviance from disadvantage,
 But the structures of social control made
it worse
 By acting in a stigmatizing fashion.
 This created a consolidated mind set,
and restricted opportunities for success.
The reality
 Chambliss
argued: In fact the whole
thing was smoke and mirrors.
 Mostly, the “saints” did serious deviance
 but did not get caught;
 When they were, “I did not mean to and
I will never do it again” worked.
 And if it didn’t their parents could protect
them from being labeled.
Labeling theory and power

Where did the labels come from
 Chambliss argued that the saints committed
more and more serious crimes
 The structure of power and their demeanor
allowed them not to get labeled
 Teachers, judges, cops and storeowners are
human, and they are influenced by social
class.
The role of the criminal justice
system in life chances
Power and
resources

Access to power and
resources
A not very important part of Monopoly is the
Get Out of Jail Free card.
 But it can be important if you lack it.
 Does class give a get out of Jail Free card
Examples
B. Western: “Incarceration, Wage Mobility and
Inequality” ASR 67: 526-47 (2002)
 There is an elaborate literature on the effect
of poverty on crime and incarceration;
 There is another literature on ways that not
having a lawyer in the US is a handicap.
 There is also a powerful effect of
incarceration on life chances (i.e. on poverty
and inequality)

The Objectivity of the structure of
enforcement
 Power
is the ability to set the rules
Power and
resources
 It
Ability to make and
enforce the rules
both stems from and leads to access
to other kinds of resources.
Examples
 Uggen
in ASR the high levels of
incarceration of the black population
insures Republican dominance, which
leads to greater incarceration rates for
the black population
 More generally incarceration is always
an aspect of the structure of privilege.