Sociology 105
Chapter 6
Crime and Deviance
Deviance
This
is behavior that departs
from social norms;
–a.
–b.
–c.
Nudist Colony
Obesity
Body Piercing
Depends
on social context
Crime
This
is behavior that violates
local, state or federal statutes:
Examples of Crime
Crime
Key Facts
Robbery
Most occur in the street, are
unplanned, occur within one mile of
the robbers’ home: 91% of arrests
are for males under 25
Burglary
Only about half of all burglaries are
reported, targets are near the
burglars’ home, 90% of arrests are for
males under 25
Homicide
Only 65% of murders result in an
arrest, victims are mostly black males,
killers are most likely to be the same
age, sex, and race as the victim
The Criminal Act
Most involve short range
choices
Most are brief in duration
Most reap small but
immediate rewards
Characteristics
of the
Criminal Act
Most are easy to commit,
simple in design, and
exciting to the criminal
Crime and Deviance: The
Differences
Not
–a.
–b.
Not
–a.
–b.
all crimes are deviant:
Marijuana smoking
Speeding
all deviance is criminal:
Nudist colony
Full body tattooing
Producing Deviance
 How
does something come to be defined
as deviant (not necessarily criminal)?
– Often, something becomes deviant when
people are persuaded to see it as morally or
socially discrediting
– Sociologists call this process the social
construction of deviance
 Smoking
as an example…
– Smoking is not “inherently” deviant, it’s deviance is
“socially constructed”
An Example... Smoking In
The Early 1970’s
Non-Deviant
1. Smoking in an
airplane
2. Smoking outdoors
Deviant
1.Smoking in the presence
of a lady without asking
prior permission
An Example... Smoking In
The Early 1970’s
Non-Deviant
* Smoking outdoors
Deviant
*Smoking in an airplane
*Smoking in the presence
of a lady without asking
The Steps Of Constructing An
Activity As Deviant
1. The idea of a boundary must occur to someone
2. Create public horror stories
3. Create a moral panic
4. Impute responsibility to “outsiders”
5. Recruit opinion leaders
6. Develop practical responses or legislation
7. Enact legislation
Symbolic Interactionist
Perspectives
 Social
Constructionism
 Differential Association-social learning (Edwin
Sutherland)
– Friends and relatives teach us to to deviate by rewarding us
for deviant behavior and not rewarding nondeviance
Lot’s of support from research. About 50% of young defenders
have deviant friends/relatives
 Doesn’t explain why kids have deviant relatives & friends though

 Control
Theory (Walter Reckless, Travis Hirschi)
– People are more likely to become delinquent when social
bonds are weak
– Attachments, investments, involvements, beliefs
 Labeling
Theory (Howard Becker)
Assumptions of Labeling Theory
Rules are
Socially Constructed
Definitions of What Constitutes
Deviant Behavior Varies
Across Time and Place
Arbitrary Enforcement
Some People Who Break Rules
Are Not Detected or Not
Sanctioned If They are
Detected and Some Who Do
Not Break Rules Are Treated
As If They Had
Functionalist Perspectives

Deviance is universal because it serves three
important functions:
1. Deviance clarifies rules
2. Deviance unites a group
3. Deviance promotes social change
Types of Functionalist Theory
 Strain
Theory (Robert Merton)
– The U.S. is a materialistic country and success is often
defined in terms of material wealth
– People who are denied the legitimate opportunities to
achieve goals “innovate” by developing deviant strategies
– 5 modes of adaptation:
– Critiques
Some poor people don’t turn to crime
 Doesn’t explain white collar crime

 Opportunity
Theory (Richard Cloward and Lloyd
Ohlin)
– expansion of Merton
Conflict Perspective
 Conflict
Perspective
– Point out that crime is often defined as activities of the less
fortunate. But what about the fortunate?
– Note that armed robbery is often punished with a heavier
sentence then, say, price fixing, even though the later cost
society more
– Marx points to the capitalist system as inherently faulty
and the cause of crime

The system must convince people to buy goods while
simultaneously keeping wages low to ensure higher profits for
businesses
– This contradiction forces workers to turn to crime to get the things
they cannot afford
– Similar to anomie theory, yet differs in that it suggests that full
employment won’t solve the problem. Why?
• Because it’s the system that causes the problem in the 1st place.
Postmodern Perspectives
 Power,
knowledge and social control are
intertwined
– The Panopticon