Are the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters deviant? Are the students protesting about CUNY tuition

increases deviant?

Do Now:

Deviance Challenge

• If you would like extra credit….are you willing to take the deviance challenge?

• Pick a card out of the box and before Thanksgiving, try the suggested activity and write down what you did and what happened afterward and hand in for extra credit and report back to the class what happened.

What is Deviance?

• Deviance is any behavior that violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to warrant disapproval from the majority of society.

• Deviance can be criminal or non-criminal.

What is Deviance?

• Deviance: deviating from the norm• Deviance is relative to time and place because

what is considered deviant in one social context may be non-deviant in another (e.g., fighting during a hockey game vs. fighting in a nursing home).

• Killing another human is considered wrong except when governments permit it during warfare or self-defense.

Deviance is relative to place

Asian United States Canada United States United States

Avoiding eye contact is considered polite

The O.K. signal expresses approval

Thumbs up-used for hitch hiking, or approving of something

Someone may whistle when happy.

Whistling can express approval, as in cheering at a public event.

United States Japan United States Nigeria Europe

When saying hello or talking to someone it is impolite to not look directly at the person.

The O.K. signal means that you are asking for money.

Using your middle finger is very offensive. Used in place of inappropriate language.

This is a rude gesture in Nigeria.

Whistling may be a sign of disapproval at public events.

Criminal and Non-Criminal Deviance• The sociological discipline that

deals with crime (behavior that violates laws) is criminology (also known as criminal justice).

• Americans consider such activities as alcoholism, excessive gambling, being nude in public places, playing with fire, stealing, lying, refusing to bathe, purchasing the services of prostitutes, and cross-dressing—to name only a few—as deviant.

Differential Association Theory

• How people learn deviance. • According to this theory, the environment plays

a major role in deciding which norms people learn to violate.

• People also learn their norms from various socializing agents—parents, teachers, ministers, family, friends, co-workers, and the media.

• Example: Gangs glorify violence, retaliation, and crime as means to achieving social status.

Anomie Theory

• Anomie refers to the confusion that arises when social norms conflict or don't even exist

• Example: The differences between socially accepted goals and the availability of means to achieve those goals.

• Attaining wealth is a major goal of Americans, but not all Americans possess the means to do this.

• Those who find the “road to riches” closed to them experience anomie, because an obstacle has stopped their pursuit of a socially approved goal.

• When this happens, these individuals may employ deviant behaviors to attain their goals, retaliate against society, or merely “make a point.”

Control Theory• People have various

restraints: internal controls, such as conscience, values, integrity, morality, and the desire to be a “good person”.

• They have outer controls, such as police, family, friends, and religious authorities.

• These inner and outer restraints form a person's self-control, which prevents acting against social norms

Labeling Theory

• Concerns the meanings people derive from one another's labels

• Conforming members of society, who interpret certain behaviors as deviant and then attach this label to individuals

• Labeled persons may include drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, delinquents, prostitutes, sex offenders, disabled people, and psychiatric patients, to mention a few.

What did we learn?

• Deviance isDeviating from the norm, breaking social rules• Differential Association Theory:-states that people learn deviance from others• Anomie Theory is-there are no norms…or powerless to adhere to them• Control Theory is:People listen to external rules and internal rules to be a “good person”.• Labeling Theory isGiving groups that we think are deviant; categories.

Do Now

Murder and Violent Crime ReadingMystery statistics?

Friday: Dec.9th EXAM: Sociology Culture, Deviance and Crime

What is Crime?

• Any discussion of deviance remains incomplete without a discussion of crime, which is any act that violates written criminal law.

• Society sees most crimes, such as robbery, assault, battery, rape, murder, burglary, as deviant.

• But some crimes, such as those committed in violation of laws against selling merchandise on Sundays, are not deviant at all.

Types of Crimes

• The types of crimes committed are as varied as the types of criminals who commit them. Most crimes fall into one of two categories— crimes against people or crimes against property.

Crimes against People

• The category of crimes against people includes such crimes as murder, rape, assault, child abuse, and sexual harassment.

• Violent crimes reported to the police take place on average once every 20 to 30 seconds in the United States.

• Thus, the chances of being the victim of some form of violent crime in this country are disturbingly high.

What is White Collar Crime?

• White-collar crime, committed by high-status individuals during the course of business,

• Typical white-collar crimes include embezzlement, bribery, insurance fraud, Medicare theft, etc.

• Bernie Madoff: financial advisor that committed what is considered to be the largest financial fraud in U.S. history

In your group you will come up with possible causes for:• The reasons for the crime statistics in each region using

the 8 theories on your sheet.• You should also consider the other variables for crime

in your “Handbook of Crime Coordinates.”

VCHS

New York County Crime Trends 2010

• Choose five (5) counties in New York• What sociological causes are likely for these

rates according to your sociological theories or your assumptions?

Longitudinal Crime Trends - Local

• Look at any trends, changes during time periods?

• What are some possible correlations looking at time period?

• Use your theories and handbook to come up with some possibilities.

• Of the almost 1.5 million Americans under some form of correctional supervision, most are there for offenses against someone else's property.

• In other words, property crimes are much more common than those against persons are.

• Property crimes reported to the police take place on average once every 2 to 3 seconds in the United States.

• Every year about one in 20 Americans falls victim to a property crime.

Crimes Against Property

Computer Crime and Victimless Crimes

• An emerging type of crime involves using computers to “hack” (break into) military, educational, medical, and business computers.

• In victimless crime, all parties consent to the exchange of illegal goods and/or services. In some cases, victims may exist, but not usually.

• The list of victimless crimes includes illicit drug use, gambling in most areas of the country, the use of illegal sexual materials, public nudity, public drunkenness, vagrancy, loansharking, and prostitution.

Organized Crime• Organized crime refers to groups and

organizations dedicated solely to criminal activity. Historically, leaders of organized crime, or “crime families” Organized crime activities are of three basic types:

• Legal activities and businesses, such as restaurants.

• Illegal activities, such as importing and selling narcotics, gambling, and running prostitution rings.

• Extortion of funds for purposes of “protection.”

What did we learn?

• What is crime• An act that violates a written law• What is a non-deviant crime?• Example: laws about not selling alcohol on Sundays,

etc.• What two categories of crimes are there?• Crimes against people, against property• What are victimless crimes?• Crimes where there is no real person having their rights

violated.