crime and deviance

CRIME & DÉVIANCE

Norms and Crime/Deviance

The cultures that societies create are built out of norms.

These norms represent the values of the group.

When individuals and groups deviate from norms, society responds.

Deviance can range from chewing gum in the wrong place to capital murder and beyond.

Introduction

Crime is behaviour that breaks the formal written laws of a society. If someone commits a crime they can be arrested, charged and prosecuted. Actions can be illegal but not deviant.

IntroductionDeviance is behaviour which does not comply with the dominant norms of a specific society. If people are seen as deviant it can lead to negative sanctions such as being told off or ridiculed.

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Legally Deviant BehaviorGary, walked through his local library whilst talking

loudly on his mobile phone.

This is legally deviant as he is not breaking any

law, he is just acting socially unacceptable.

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Illegally Deviant BehaviorRobert, punched a old

lady in the face.This is illegally deviant

as he committed an assault, the fact that he punched an old lady also makes the matter worse.

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Criminal BehaviorSam, illegally

downloads thousands of songs for her mp3

player.Sam is a criminal as she

is breaking the copyright act. She is not a deviant as what

she is doing is not hurting anyone.

Reasons People Commit Crimes and deviance

INFLUENCES [Drugs | Alcohol]

PEER PRESSURE

DESPERATION

GREED

HATE

BOREDOM OR LONLINESS

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YOUR PHOTO

HERE

YOUR PHOTO HERE

Deviance and crime

Not all deviance is crime, and not all crime is deviant.

Deviance is in the “eye of the beholder.”

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Group deviance• Deviance occurs, not only at the individual

level, but also among groups.• Corporations, governments, organizations,

and social groups can all take part in deviance.

• There are deviant subcultures, ranging from the homeless to religious cults to punks.

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Three views of deviance• Biological• Psychological• Sociological

The biological and psychological perspectives locate deviance in the person, while sociological perspectives locate deviance in the act.

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Biological PerspectivesCesar Lombroso theory:-• Criminal man:“criminal man” was

atavistic, or less evolved and closer to apes or Neanderthals, than were non criminals.

• Criminal female: Female “born criminals” were, however, fewer in number and more difficult to detect.

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Biological Perspectives• Charles Goring (1972) demonstrated that both criminals and non criminals shared the physical features (stigmata) identified by Lombroso.

• Earnest Hooton conclude that criminals were “organically inferior” and that genetic “criminal stock” surfaced occasionally.

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Biological Perspectives• William Sheldon concluded that muscular bodies (which

he associated with aggression) indicated a criminal type.

• Psychophysiology The science that deals with the

interplay between psychological and physiological processes.

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Sociological Perspectives–Functionalist–Reinforcement–Conflict–Symbolic integrationists–Chicago School

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Structural-Functionalist PerspectivesDurkheim Influence:-Moral boundaries• a shared sense of acceptable behavior that

establishes right and wrong as well as sanctions for behaviors that fall outside permissible bounds

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Structural-Functionalist PerspectivesSocial BondsDurkheim argued that social bonds were stronger in preindustrial societies than in industrial societies

Anomie Uncomfortable and unfamiliar state of normalessness that results when shared norms or guidelines break down.

structural-strain theory Anomie results from inconsistencies between the culturally approved means to achieve goals and those actual goals.

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Structural-Functionalist PerspectivesInnovationPeople accept culturally approved goals

RejectionRejection of the culturally approved goals

RitualismIt occurs when someone is unsuccessful at achieving the goals

RetreatismIt occurs when both culturally approved goals and means are rejected.

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Structural-Functionalist PerspectivesOpportunity StructuresRichard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin explained deviance as :to achieve legitimate goals, a person also has to have access to

illegitimate opportunities.

Albert Cohen theory Blocked opportunities lead to subcultures that value other

attributes (e.g., stealing rather than buying).

Social-control theories This theory ask not why people deviate, but rather why they

conform.

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Reinforcement theories• Deviance is seen as learned, even normalized,

behavior.

• We act based on perceived rewards and costs, which may be economic, social, and so on.

• Differential association is one of the better known reinforcement theories.

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Differential association theory Differential association theory states that individuals have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently associated with those who are more favorably inclined towards deviance and conformity

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Social conflict perspectives• It is based on early observations of crime in capitalist society made by Friedrich Engels.

• It became major criminological perspective during the 1970s and 1980s,

• Laws are written to target the lower classes.

• Cost of corporate crimes outstrips the cost of street crimes

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Social conflict perspectives Crime control is in reality class control!

It also focuses on the influence of inequality beyond class.

Hate crimes: Crimes that are committed based on the victims’ characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.

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Symbolic integrationists perspectives• It contains three theories:Labeling theoryMedicalization of devianceCultural transmission theory• These theories focus on our definitions of

situations and the argument that our self-concepts are based on other’s perceptions.

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Labeling theory It is the response of others that defines (labels) the

behavior as deviant and impacts further deviance. Primary deviance: It is violations of social

norms that go undiscovered or are considered excusable by others.

Secondary deviance: Deviance committed as a result of the reactions of others to previous deviant behavior.

Self-fulfilling prophecy: The person develops a self-concept based on the label and acts based upon that self-concept.

Labeling theory

An art student told that she had excellent talent

An art student told that she had no talent

Labeling theoryNegative labels can become a stigma that is a powerful negative label that changes a person’s social identity and how they see themselves.

William Chambliss Experiment

EXPERIMENT BY WILLIAM CHAMBLISS

• One from upper middle class- the saints

• They were indulged in crimes i.e. Drinking, theft etc

• Saints were never arrested.• Saints have cars to get away from

the situation• Saints were labeled as good

college boys playing pranks when caught

• Their labels impacted their future lives.

• One is poor –the roughnecks• They were indulged in crimes

i.e. Drinking, theft etc• Roughnecks were arrested more

than once.• Roughnecks have few

automobiles• Roughnecks were labeled as

troublemakers.• Their labels impacted their

future lives.

SAINTS ROUGHNECKS

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The Medicalization of Deviance This means that, issues that were formerly defined in moral or legal terms have become redefined as medical issues. Mental illness is a highly debated and

highly stigmatized disorder . Social psychologist D. L. Rosenhan

demonstrated how powerfully these labels of mental illness stick.

Experiment by D.L Rosenhan

He sent eight volunteer pseudo patients to a mental hospital

Each complained only of hearing voices that mentioned the emptiness of life

Each pseudo-student was diagnosed as schizophrenia No staff ever recognized any of these pseudo patients as

frauds. Other patients, however, did suspect them of being “not

crazy” When cured they were labeled as schizophrenia “in

remission”

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Cultural-transmission theories • Says that deviance is learned and shared

through interaction with others.• A widely tested theory drawing from this

perspective is the theory of differential association.

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Differential association theory• It says that deviance results from interacting

with deviant associates. • Critics of differential association note that

children having weak bonds to their parents are those most likely to engage in deviance .

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CrimeCrimeCrimes are acts defined as so unacceptable they are prohibited by a code of laws.Criminologists "The sociologist or other social scientists who study the criminal justice system , criminal law, and order "

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Crime Classificationcrimes are divided into felonies and misdemeanors

based on a seriousness of the crime

sociologists categorize crimes based on how they are committed and how society views the offense

conventional or street crime is all violent crime.

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Types of CrimeFollowing are types of crime:Occupational or white collar crimeCorporate crimeOrganized crimePolitical crime

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Types of CrimeOccupational or white-collar "These crimes are illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs“White collar crimes generally generates less concern in the public mind than other types of crime.

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Types of CrimeCorporate crime "It is an illegal act committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation and with its support“• It deals with the company as a whole.

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Types of CrimeOrganized crime "It is a business operation that supplies illegal goods and services for profit“Such as:• Drug trade• Illegal gambling• Weapons smuggling• Money laundering

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Types of CrimePolitical crime "It refers to illegal or unethical acts involving the usurpation of power by government officials“

• illegal unethical acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders seeking to make a political statement.

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How is crime reported?• UCR—Uniform Crime Reports

• NCVS—National Crime Victimization Survey

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How is crime reported?Uniform Crime Report: The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), as its name suggests, is a record of all officially reported criminal activity. It does not represent prosecutions, but rather represents actual crime reported to law enforcement. Additionally, the UCR focuses on serious, often violent, crime.

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How is crime reported?National Crime Victimization Survey

(NCVS) This survey compiles data based on self-report by victims, as collected by workers from the Bureau of the Census. As estimates of unreported crime go as high as 50 percent, it seems especially critical to include unreported crime to some degree.

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Recording CrimeOfficial Statistics A set of statistics generated from data

gathered by the government or other official organizations. Often used as secondary data in social research.

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Recording Crime If a crime is observed and identified as a

crime, the police may be informed. However, if the crime has not been detected it cannot be reported to the police neither can it be included in official statistics. This is the reason many crimes occur but go undetected

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Recording CrimeReasons why not all crimes are included in the official crime statistics:• Victim of crime is a criminal themselves• Victim feels crime is too personal.• Institutional crime may be swept under carpet.• Due to fear of bad press.• Lack of confidence.• Blackmailing.• Embarrassment.

Measures of crime

• Victim Surveys:Surveys the public asking

them to report any crimes committed against them and whether or not they reported

these crimes.Advantages Disadvantages

May uncover hidden figure of crime Not all crimes reported

Local geo-graphic data generatedParticipants may lie

In some cases victims can not be questioned

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Measures of crimeSelf Report Surveys Self report surveys of the population which ask them to confess to crime they have committed but for which they were not caught

CRIME AND GENDER

More crimes appear to be committed by males

• Females more likely to be involved in property offences or shoplifting

• Males involve in violence and sexual offences

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than Females Men have more social pressure to provide for a

family, and less social support when they need it...which is why men represent between 70% and 90% of the homeless, and men also successfully commit suicide between 3 and 4 times more often than women.

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than Females Different Socialisation Processes:

socialisation play its part encouraging males from a young age to take risks, to be tough and aggressive. Whereas girls adopt qualities and expectations which see them abide by the law.

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than

Females Social Control: Men may constrain

women into ‘home’ lives limiting their freedom due to the care of the family being imposed on them.

The media creates expectations of women too.

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than Females Chivalry thesis: it means treating others

especially women with courtesy, sympathy and respect. It states that women are treated more leniently than men by criminal justice system. A man may be arrested, police may let women off with a warning.

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than Females• Chivalry thesis:It is also a fact that men on

average receive much longer and harsher sentences for the exact same crimes as women do. In many cases a woman gets a slap on the wrist for committing a crime while a man will get jail time for it. Our society is effete up and the justice system shows a lot of favoritism toward females.

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CRIME AND GENDERWhy Males Commit More Crimes Than Females• Inaccurate Statistics: Statistics which show

men commit more crime than women could be representative of the labelling of men as criminals and police going out to look for male offenders ignoring female criminals.

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CRIME AND AGE

• Arrest rates for crimes are highest for people between the ages of 13 and 25, with the most between 16 and 17.

• Rates of arrest are higher for males than females at every age and for nearly all offences.

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ETHNIC GROUP/ETHNICITY • An ethnic group or ethnicity is a socially-defined

category of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural or national experience.

Example:many American citizens share certain cultural characteristics, such as celebrating Thanksgiving and valuing democracy, despite varying racial origins

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INSTITUTIONAL RACISMInstitutional racism

“is a pattern of social institutions — such as governmental organizations, schools, banks,

and courts of law — giving negative treatment to a group of people based on

their race”

EXAMPLE

• One example of institutional racism is the barring of African-American students from attending certain public schools, which limited the students' educational opportunities and helped prevent them from achieving a status equal to that of others

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Reasons why some ethnic groups seem to

commit more crime

Institutional Racism; Police officials belonging to certain ethnic groups may set out to punish members of other ethnic groups whilst protecting their own.

Crime And Ethnicity

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Reasons why some ethnic groups seem to commit more crime

Relative Deprivation; Foreign workers are usually left with low paying manual jobs, thus meaning they may not be able to afford material goods and so obtain these desirables illegally.

Crime And Ethnicity

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Labelling; If a police officer labels a particular ethnic group as criminals he will go out and arrest more criminals belonging to that ethnic group, whilst ignoring other crimes.

Crime And Ethnicity

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Racism; White police officers may purposely prosecute or dig deeper into crimes involving different ethnic groups due to a racial hatred for such a group. This may also mean they ignore cases where a certain ethnic minority has fallen victim .

Racism; White police officers may even frame Black or Asian criminals with crimes they did not commit.

Crime And Ethnicity

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INSTITUTIONAL RACISMReasons why the poor commit more crime. Poor Socialisation Relative Deprivation Anomie; Society does not provide enough

opportunities for people to succeed, therefore some turn their back on society and cause trouble

Education; More likely to be in low sets, get low paying job, struggle for money, so turn to illegal ways of obtaining it.

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Reasons why the poor commit more crime. Poor Socialisation Relative Deprivation Anomie; Society does not provide enough

opportunities for people to succeed, therefore some turn their back on society and cause trouble

Education; More likely to be in low sets, get low paying job, struggle for money, so turn to illegal ways of obtaining it.

Crime And Social Class

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White Colour Crime; Involves middle class people, who commit crimes during work hours.

4 Main Types: Occupational Crime Professional Crime Corporate Crime Computer Crime


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WHITE COLLAR CRIME• White Colour Crime is difficult to deal with as;• Judges Are Often From Similar Social

Backgrounds To White Collar Criminals• Compared to Burglary and Assault it is not

dangerous to the public.• There are usually no victims and no one person

is impaired• The media does not show WCC as serious


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• the criminal justice system includes the police, the courts, and prisons

• the system is a collection of bureaucracies– The system possesses considerable discretion

• the use of personal judgment regarding whether to take action on a situation and so what kind of action to take

• the police are responsible for crime control and maintenance of order

• the courts determine the guilt or innocence of those accused to committing a crime

The criminal justice system

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• punishment is any action designed to deprive a person of the things of value including Liberty because of something that the person is thought to have done

• Disparate treatment of the poor, people of color, and women is evident in the prison system

• the medicalization of deviance is the transformation of deviance into a medical problem that requires treatment by physician


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• for many years capital punishment or the death penalty has been used in the United States– about 4000 executions have occurred in the

U.S. since 1930, and scholars document race and class biases in the imposition of the death penalty in this country


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• Although many people in the United States agree that crime is one of the most important problems facing the country, they are divided about what to do about it

• the best approach for reducing delinquency and crime is prevention– work with people before they become juvenile

offenders so as to help them establish family relationships, of self-esteem, choose a career, and get an education which will help them pursue the Career

What to do about crime

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• as long as racism, sexism, the class system, and ageism exist in our society people will see deviant and criminal behavior through selective lenses


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• global crime– networking of powerful criminal organizations and

their associates and shared activities around the world is relatively new phenomenon

• networking and strategic alliances between criminal networks have been key factors in successive criminal organizations that have sought to expand the criminal activities over the past two decades

The global criminal economy

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• recent studies have concluded that reducing global crime will require a global response including the cooperation of law-enforcement agencies prosecutors and intelligence services across geopolitical boundaries.

The global criminal economy

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Social Control INFORMAL AGENTS FORMAL AGENTS

Parents SchoolSchool Teachers Employer

MediaLegal SystemCharity Groups

Sub-cultures / peers

ReligionPolice OfficersCelebrity Role

Models

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The system is a collection of bureaucracies– The system possesses considerable discretion

• the use of personal judgment regarding whether to take action on a situation and so what kind of action to take

• The criminal justice system includes the police, the courts, and system of punishment.

1. Police is responsible for crime control and maintenance of order


Police Duties

I. The more serious situation, more likely to make an arrest

II. Take account the victim’s wishesIII. The odds of arrest go up, the more

uncooperative the suspect isIV. More likely to arrest someone, they

have arrested before

Police Duties

V. Presence of observers may increase the chances to arrest.

VI. Police officers are more likely to arrest people of different ethnic groups.

2. Courts determine the guilt or innocence of those accused to committing a crime.

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Guilty plea is a legal negotiation in which a prosecutor reduces a charge in exchange for a defendant’s guilty appeal.

3. Punishment is any action designed to deprive a person of the things of value including Liberty because of something that the person is thought to have done.


Justifications of punishment.There are four justifications of punishments given as:• Retribution.• Deterrence.• Rehabilitation.• Societal protection.

Retributive justice.

• An act of moral vengeance by which society makes the offender suffer as much as the suffering caused by the crime.

• It is the oldest justification to satisfy people’s need for Retribution.

Deterrence

• Deterrence is the attempt to discourage criminality through the use of punishment.– Specific deterrence is used to convince an

individual offender that crime doesn’t pay– General Deterrence says that the

punishment of one person serves as an example to others.

Rehabilitation

• A program for reforming the offender to prevent later offenses.

• It is the third justification of punishment and it arose in nineteenth century.

Societal protection.

• Societal protection is rendering an offender incapable of further offenses temporarily through

imprisonment or permanently by execution.

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• For many years capital punishment or the death penalty has been used in the United States– about 4000 executions have occurred in the

U.S. since 1930, and scholars document race and class biases in the imposition of the death penalty in this country

Capital Punishment

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• Although many people in the world agree that crime is one of the most important problems facing the country, they are divided about what to do about it, the best approach for reducing delinquency and crime is prevention– work with people before they become juvenile

offenders so as to help them establish family relationships, of self-esteem, choose a career, and get an education which will help them pursue the Career


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• As long as racism, sexism, the class system, and ageism exist in our society people will see deviant and criminal behavior through selective lenses


Social control

• Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior in an attempt to gain conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group.

crime and deviance

Presentations & Public Speaking