Ch. 5 & 6 Violence, Murder and Rape
Violence, Crime and
Criminal Justice
Michael Itagaki
Sociology 102
Violence in the Sociological
Perspective
Violence
Use of force to injure people or destroy their property
Social context
Sociological question of violence
What is it about a society that increases or decreases the likelihood of violence?
Violence in the Sociological
Perspective
Types of Violence
Individual (personal) violence
Violence in the Sociological
Perspective
Types of Violence
Group (collective) violence
Situational group violence
Violence in the Sociological
Perspective
Types of Violence
Group (collective) violence
Organized group violence
Violence in the Sociological
Perspective
Types of Violence
Group (collective) violence
Institutionalized group violence
The Scope of the Problem
Violence
A personal or social problem?
Must be a widespread subjective concern to be a social problem.
What is a Social Problem?
Review:
Something in society that concerns people to the point they would like to change it.
Social problems are relative
Social problems are dynamic
The Scope of the Problem
Violence
A personal or social problem?
Must be a widespread subjective concern to be a social problem.
Subjective concerns about violence
Amount of violence (objective condition) leads to subjective concerns
Fear of violence
Figure 5.1a (p. 129)
“
Is there any area right around here—that is, within a mile—where you would be afraid to walk alone a night?”
The Scope of the Problem
Subjective concerns about violence
Amount of violence (objective condition) leads to subjective concerns
Fear of violence
Objective conditions about violence
Crimes of violence have decreased
Still a lot of violent crime
Figure 5.2 (p. 131)
The Rate of Violence
Source: Various editions of FBI Uniform Crime Reports, including 1997, 2001, and 2003.
Figure 5.1 (p. 130)
The Clock of Violence
These totals are U.S. national averages. Crimes do not occur with this regularity. As the text indicates, crimes vary by time of day and by seasons. The FBI also counts armed robbery as a violent crime, whether or not anyone is hurt during the crime. Armed robberies, occurring on average every 1.2 minutes, are included in the total.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2002.
The Scope of the Problem
Subjective concerns about violence
Objective conditions about violence
Violence varies with social location
Race: African American males seven times more likely than white males to be murdered
Country you live in
Theories of Violence—
Nonsociological Theories
Frustration-Aggression (Dollard)
Violence built into our nature
Frustration, when strive for a goal but can’t reach it
Relieve frustration by striking out at others
Theories of Violence—
Nonsociological Theories
Learning (Skinner)
If rewarded for violence, person will be violent again
Rewards vary
Modeling (Bandura & Walters)
Copying another’s behavior
Experiment of children hitting dolls
Theories of Violence/Crime—
Differential Association
Differential Association
Edwin Sutherland
Deviate or conform to norms because of different groups we associate with
Deviance/crime is learned
Theories of Violence/Crime—
Differential Association
Differential Association (Sutherland)
Violent behavior is learned
Associations with significant others…
who define some behavior favorably
The frequency of associations
The duration of associations.
Theories of
Violence/Crime:
Functionalism
Functionalism and Durkheim
Crime is normal (normal violence)
Crime is an integral part of healthy societies.
Theories of
Violence/Crime:
Functionalism
Social Control Theory (Reckless,
Hirschi)
Inner controls
Outer controls
Stronger bonds with society, more effective inner controls.
Theories of
Violence/Crime:
Functionalism
Merton’s Strain Theory (anomie)
Cultural goals
Institutionalized means
What happens when goals… through approved means?
Strain between goals and means
Theories of
Violence/Crime: Conflict
Theory
Conflict Theory
Violence is inherent in society
Class opression leads to violence
Capitalist class vs. working class violence
Research Findings: Rape
The social patterns of rape
72,000 U.S. women forcibly raped each year (FBI,
2003)
Actual total is three times higher: 200,000 as only
32% of rapes get reported
More likely an acquaintance vs. a stranger
Research Findings: Rape
The social patterns of rape
More likely to occur during the summer than winter
Victim: Ages 16 to 19
Four of five rapists use no weapon
Research Findings: Rape
The social patterns of rape
Social location
Figure 5.4 (p. 141)
Social Map: How Safe Is Your State? Rape in the United States
Source: By the author, based on Statistical Abstract 2003: Table 307.
Research Findings: Rape
The social patterns of rape
Social location
Rapists almost exclusively male: young males
Race element
Theoretical explanations?
(Conflict? Functionalism/Strain?)
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Table 5.4 (p. 149)
How Are Murder Victims Related to Their Killers?
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Poor, young, and males are more likely to kill
Figure 5.6 (p. 149)
Killers and Their Victims
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports 2003: Table 2.8.
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Poor, young, and males are more likely to kill
Race element
Table 5.5 (p. 150)
Race-Ethnicity of Killers and Their Victims
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Poor, young, and males are more likely to kill
Race element
Weapon of choice: Guns
Figure 5.7 (p. 151)
America's Choice of Murder Weapons
Source: By the author, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reports 2003: Table 2.10.
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Poor, young, and males are more likely to kill
Race element
Weapon of choice: Guns
Nights, summers, weekends most dangerous for murders
Figure 5.8 (p. 151)
The "Where" of Murder
Source: By the author, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reports 2003: Table 5.
Research Findings: Murder
The social patterns of murder
Murder least likely to be committed by a stranger
Poor, young, and males are more likely to kill
Race element
Weapon of choice: Guns
Nights, summers, weekends most dangerous for murders
Cities more dangerous than country
Table 5.6 (p. 152)
Murder: The Ten Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities
Research Findings: Murder
Social bases for social patterns of murder
Why aquaintances?
Why is poverty a factor?
Is there cultural meaning in murder/violence?
Social Policy
Preventing violence
Longer prison terms
Gun control
Culture of violence?
How is violence normalized in our culture?
Future of the Problem
Continuing High Rates of Violence
Theoretical perspectives:
Conflict Theory
Functionalism
Symbolic Interaction
To reduce violence, major structural changes are needed
Reduction of inequalities in society
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Look for social problems discussed in the film
Identify objective conditions
Identify subjective concerns
Think about how Moore views those social problems
What theoretical perspective fits those views?
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Theoretical Perspectives:
Conflict Theory
Functionalism
Symbolic Interaction
Differential Association
Strain Theory
Social Control Theory
