DEVIANCE
• THE RECOGNIZED VIOLATION OF CULTURAL
NORMS
– BIASED TOWARDS THE POSITIVE
– BIASED TOWARDS THE NEGATIVE
– “DIFFERENT” OR “UNEXPECTED” ARE WORDS
OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE DEVIANCE FROM A
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• DISTINCT AREAS
– CRIME (LAWS)
• VIOLATION OF FORMALLY ENACTED CRIMINAL LAW
– JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
• VIOLATION OF THE LAW BY YOUNG PEOPLE
THE ATTEMPTS A SOCIETY MAKES
AT CONTROLLING THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR
• PASSIVE SOCIALIZATION
– SOCIETY’S RULES EXIST IN OUR MINDS
EXTERNALIZED BY FEELINGS OF SHAME AND
GUILT
• RESOCIALIZATION PROCESSES
– COERCIVE METHODS USED TO ALTER A PERSON’S
SELF-IMAGE AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON
ISSUES
• CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
– THE INSTITUTION THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
REACTING TO ALLEDGED VIOLATIONS OF
SOCIETAL LAWS
THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE NORM
PLAYS A ROLE IN
DETERMINING
WHAT TYPE OF
SANCTION IS MOST
SUITABLE FOR THE
OFFENSE
COMMITTED
• DEVIANCE VARIES ACCORDING TO
NORMS
– NO ACTION IS INHERENTLY DEVIANT
• PEOPLE BECOME DEVIANT
– HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE AND LABEL US
• DEVIANCE INVOLVES POWER
– RULE-MAKERS, RULE-BREAKERS, AND
RULE-ENFORCERS
– NORMS AND APPLYING THEM ARE LINKED
TO SOCIAL POSITION
• DEVIANCE:
– AFFIRMS CULTURAL VALUES
– CLARIFIES MORAL BOUNDARIES
– PROMOTES SOCIAL UNITY
– ENCOURAGES SOCIAL CHANGE
– OPENS LINES OF COMMUNICATION
– This is a Functional perspective
Captain Richard Henry Pratt, 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers,
Founder of the Carlisle School for Indian Students
His Motto, "Kill the Indian, save the man"
Captain Richard H. Pratt with
Prisoners at Fort Marion in St.
Augustine, Florida. Carlisle- www.
army.mil.
EXPLAINING DEVIANCE
• MERTON’S STRAIN THEORY
– DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS LINKED TO SOCIAL
STRUCTURE
– TWO KEY QUESTIONS:
• HOW REALISTIC ARE SOCIAL (PERSONAL) GOALS?
• HOW ACCESSIBLE ARE THE LEGITIMATE MEANS FOR
OBTAINING SUCH GOALS?
– THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT “OUGHT TO BE” AND
“WHAT IS” LEAVES A PERSON “STRAINED”
• ORIGINS OF STRAIN
–
–
–
–
BELIEF IN MERITOCRACY
BELIEF IN AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD
BELIEF THAT THE SYSTEM WORKS EQUALLY
BELIEF THAT INDIVIDUALS WILL BE REWARDED IF
THEY FOLLOW SOCIETY’S LEAD
STRAIN
THEORY
• PRIMARY DEVIANCE
– EPISODES OF NORM VIOLATION THAT MOST PEOPLE TAKE
PART IN WITH LITTLE HARM DONE TO SELF-CONCEPT
• SECONDARY DEVIANCE
– WHEN PEOPLE “MAKE SOMETHING” OF ANOTHER’S
DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, THEY MAY…
• PUSH THE PERSON INTO REPEATED NORM VIOLATIONS
• AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW DEVIANT IDENTITY
– STIGMA
• THE MARK OF SOCIAL DISGRACE THAT OFTEN INVOLVES
PUTTING A PERSON THROUGH DEGRADATION CEREMONIES
• RETROSPECTIVE LABELING
– RE-INTERPRETING SOMEONE’S PAST
• MAKING “JOHNNY’S” PAST BEHAVIORS MORE CONSISTENT
WITH HIS PRESENT DEVIANT ACTIVITIES
Two Gay Teenagers executed in Iran in 2005
• DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION
– DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS LEARNED
– FREQUENCY OF ASSOCIATION IS
CENTRAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
DEVIANCE
– IF ASSOCIATES ARE PRONE TO
VIOLATION OF NORMS, THEN ONE IS
ALSO MORE LIKELY TO TAKE PART
– CONFORMITY REAPS REWARDS WHILE
THE LACK OF IT REAPS PUNISHMENT
• OTHER LEARNING TAKES PLACE
– THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF COMMITTING
CRIME IS TAUGHT
– PERSONS LEARN HOW TO NEUTRALIZE
ANY FEELINGS OF GUILT AND SHAME
• ATTACHMENT
– FAMLY, PEERS, AND SCHOOL HELP US FORM
CONFORMING ATTACHMENTS
• OPPORTUNITY
– DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE A PERSON HAS ABOUT
THE FUTURE AND OPPORTUNITIES
• INVOLVEMENT
– TIME AND ENERGIES ARE LINKED TO
“LEGITIMATE” ACTIVITIES
• BELIEF
– BUYING INTO CONVENTIONAL MORALITY
Biological Theories
The Atavistic Criminal; Lombroso
Body Types; Sheldon and the
Gluecks
Genetic Pre-dispositions
Lombroso
Sheldon and Gluecks
Sheldon and Gluecks
Sheldon and Gluecks
Phrenology
Phrenology
TAKING A LOOK AT CRIME
• CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON
– DIRECT VIOLENCE, OR THREAT OF IT
• CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY
– INVOLVES THEFT OF PROPERTY
• HATE CRIMES
– CRIMES MOTIVATED BY RACIAL OR
OTHER BIAS
• WHITE-COLLAR CRIME
– THOSE COMMITTED BY PEOPLE OF
HIGH SOCIAL POSITION IN THE
COURSE OF THEIR OCCUPATIONS
• CORPORATE CRIME
– CRIMES COMMITTED BY
CORPORATIONS AGAINST
EMPLOYEES AND CONSUMERS
THE “TYPICAL” CRIMINAL
• AGE
– PERSONS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 24
• 14% OF POPULATION
• 39.2% OF ARRESTS FOR VIOLENT CRIME
• 45/7% OF PROPERTY CRIMES
• GENDER
– 71.1% OF PROPERTY CRIMES AND 83.1% OF ALL VIOLENT
CRIMES ARE COMMITTED BY MALES
• SOCIAL CLASS AND TYPES OF CRIME
– LOWER CLASSES COMMIT MORE “STREET CRIME” THAN
THE UPPER CLASSES, BUT THE UPPER CLASSES OFTEN
COMMIT MORE SOPHISTICATED CRIMES INVOLVING MORE
MONEY
– RACE AND ETHNICITY
– MINORITY GROUPS MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY YOUNG BLACK
MALES, ARE DISPORPORTIONATELY INCARCERATED
• REASONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
– RACISM, THE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE, POLICE TARGETTING
• AFRICAN-AMERICANS REPRESENT
12.3% OF THE POPULATION, BUT
ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF
ALL ARRESTS FOR PROPERTY CRIMES
AND 38.8% OF ALL ARRESTS FOR
VIOLENT CRIMES. WHY?
– RACISM DOES EXIST
– RACE IS RELATED TO SOCIAL STANDING
– SOME CRIMES COMMITTED BY WHITES
ARE “UNREPORTABLE” or “UNREPORTED”
– CULTURAL VALUE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN MINORITY GROUPS
UCR Part 1 Offenses
• Against Persons
Murder
Forcible Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
• Against Property
Burglary
Larceny (felonious)
Motor Vehicle Theft
Arson
The new NIBRS will include 22 categories of crime, and will
attempt to measure some of the “dark figure of crime”
THE SYSTEM
• POLICE
– PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN
POPULATION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
– LOTS OF DISCERNMENT (Discretion)
•
•
•
•
HOW SERIOUS IS THE CRIME?
IS THE SUSPECT COOPERATIVE OR NOT?
HAVE THEY ARRESTED THE SUSPECT BEFORE?
ARE BYSTANDERS PRESENT?
• THE COURTS
– PLEA BARGAINING
• NEGOTIATING A GUILTY PLEA OFTEN RESULTS IN…
– REDUCED CHARGE
– REDUCED PUNISHMENT
• RETRIBUTION
– MORAL VENGEANCE INFLICTED
• DETERRENCE
– DISCOURAGE FUTURE DEVIANCE
• REHABILITATION
– REFORM OFFENDERS WHILE IN PRISON
• SOCIETAL PROTECTION
– TEMPORARY REMOVAL OF OFFENDER
THROUGH INCARCERATION
– PERMANENT REMOVAL BY DEATH
DOES ANY OF IT REALLY WORK?