Ch. 4 - Basic Concepts of Crime and Deviance

These flashcards cover key concepts related to crime and deviance, including definitions of norms, types of crime, sociological theories, and relevant terminology.

Norms

Rules of conduct that specify appropriate behavior in a given range of social situations.

Sanctions

A mode of reward or punishment that reinforces socially expected forms of behavior.

Laws

Rules of behavior established by a political authority and backed by state power.

Crime

Any action that contravenes the laws established by a political authority.

Deviance

Modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values held by most members of a group or society.

Deviant Subculture

A subculture whose members hold values that differ substantially from those of the majority.

Anomie

A situation where social norms lose their hold over individual behavior.

Adaptive functions

New ideas and behaviors that can create change in society.

Boundary maintenance functions

Crime strengthens group solidarity and clarifies norms when people collectively react negatively to the deviance.

Conformist

A typology in which individuals value success and accept what society offers as a means for achieving it.

Innovator

An individual who accepts socially approved values but uses illegitimate means to follow them.

Ritualist

Someone who conforms to socially accepted standards but has lost sight of the underlying values of these standards.

Retreatist

An individual who does not value success and does not engage in behaviors that lead to success.

Rebel

Someone who rejects conventional notions of success and means in favor of new avenues.

Social Control Theory

The theory that people are socially controlled by certain types of bonds such as attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

Broken Windows Theory

The theory that any disorder, even the appearance of a broken window, encourages more serious crime.

Differential Association Theory

The idea that criminal behavior is learned through association with others who regularly engage in crime.

Labeling Theory

The theory that people become deviant because certain labels are attached to their behavior by political authorities.

Primary deviation

Actions that cause others to label one as a deviant.

Secondary deviation

Occurs when an individual accepts the label of deviant and acts accordingly.

Marx and Gramsci

Theorists who suggest that deviance is deliberately chosen and often political in nature.

Chivalry thesis

The theory that women are considered less dangerous than males and are therefore less likely to be arrested.

White-Collar Crime

Type of crime committed by people in professional occupations.

Corporate Crime

Offenses committed by large corporations in society.

Cybercrime

Criminal activities by means of electronic networks or involving the use of information technologies.