Crime and Deviance
Chapter 5
The Nature of Deviance
• Deviance: behavior a considerable number of
people in a society view as reprehensible and
intolerable
• The Relativity of Deviance
– Deviance relative and matter of social definition
• Etoro of New Guinea
• Society establishes social norms
– When norms violated, behavior considered
deviant
• Definitions of deviance are relative to the values and beliefs of society
• Defining deviance is a social and historical construct
• What is an example of a difference in deviant behavior across culture?
Across historical time period?
Crime
• An act, or the omission of an act, that is a
violation of a federal, state, or local criminal
law for which the state can apply sanctions.
– Put simply-Breaking the law and being punished
Crime
• Universality-Crime is Universal-In all societies
• Relativity-There is nothing inherent in an act
that makes an act wrong, criminal, or deviant.
Crimes depend on societal norms
– Conceptions of what constitutes a crime varies
across time and societies. What is this called?
Significance of Relativity of Crime
• Understanding what is considered a social
problem and how certain problems are
constructed as the social structure changes
– Changing attitudes
– The political nature of defining crime and
deviance-Drugs and sexuality• The case of marijuana
– The effect of society on the individual
The Sociological Imagination
Critical Constructionism
– Argues that social problems are constructed,
conceived, and presented to the public in ways
that reflect the interests of those in power, the
elite.
– Social Construction of Drugs-Definitions about
drugs are based on meanings that people in groups
have imputed to certain substances.
Critical Constructionism-Relativity
• Critical constructionists ask the question, why
are some drugs criminalized while others are
not? Is it based on relative harm done?
– Does drug policy and concern about drug use
make sense when looking at objective reality?
• I.e- Statistics regarding the harm done by certain drugs
(Alcohol vs Marijuana)
Subjective vs. Objective View of Drug Abuse
 Objective component is
physical, psychological, or
social evidence of harm
 Subjective component is
people’s perceptions
about the consequences
Example: Marijuana vs. Alcohol
Subjectively our society believes that marijuana is harmful
and should remain illegal, while alcohol is relatively harmless
and should stay legal
Objectively there is little evidence that marijuana is harmful
but much evidence of alcohol and tobacco and associated
dangers.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
The Nature of Deviance
• Dysfunctions of Deviance
– Interferes with institutional life
– Can lower morale of non-deviants
– Erodes societal trust
• Functions of Deviance
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–
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Promotes conformity
Clarifies boundaries
Strengthens the censuring group
Warn non-deviant majority
Social Control and Deviance
• Social control regulates behavior within a society
– Functionalists see it as indispensable
– Conflict theorists see it as tool of powerful groups
The American Punishment Frenzy
• Punitive policies
• Imprisonment of non-violent offenders
• 1980’s-The drug war
– Mandatory minimums
– Three strikes laws
– Plea bargains
– In 2007, the United States had the highest incarceration
rate in the world
• Over 7 million people in prison, jail, or under correctional
supervision