Studied by 33 people
The organizations that respond to alleged violations of the law
Police, courts, prison officials
Criminals stand out physically
Low foreheads, prominent jaws + cheekbones, hariness, long arms
General body structure might predict criminality
Boys with muscular and athletic builds
Muscular build doesn't cause/predict criminality
Parents are distant from large sons -> sons may become emotionally insensitive
Genes + environmental factors = strong predictors of adult crime or violence
These factors TOGETHER, rather than alone
Deviance varies according to cultural norms
Thoughts and actions become deviant in response to particular norms
People become deviant as others define them that way
If behaviour is perceived as deviant, it depends on how others perceive, define, and respond to it
How societies set norms and define rule breaking both involve social power
Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries
Deviance affirms cultural values and norms
Responding to deviance brings people together
Deviance encourages social change
Society can be set up in a way that encourages deviance
The extent and type of deviance people engage in depends on if a society provides the means to achieve cultural goals
Pursuing cultural goals through approved means
The strain b/w emphasis on wealth and lack of opportunities to do so can lead to street crime, especially among the poor
Rejecting both cultural goals and conventional means
"dropping out"
Deviance or conformity arises from the relative opportunity structure that frames a person's life
When the structure of opportunity favours criminal activity, the development of criminal subcultures is likely to occur
Form when there is no opportunity
Deviants drop out and abuse alcohol and other drugs
Trouble
Toughness
Smartness
Need for excitement
Belief in fate
Desire for freedom
In poor urban neighbourhoods, people conform to "decent" values
When faced with violence + crime -> live by street-code
The idea that deviance and conformity result mostly from how others respond to those actions
People may define the same behaviour in many ways
People have a tendency to treat behaviour that irritates or threaten them as deviance or mental illness
A powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person's self-concept and social identity
Can operate as a master status
Who responds to deviance
How people respond deviance
Personal competence of the deviant person
Attachment
Opportunity
Involvement
Belief in conventional morality
All norms generally reflect the interests of the rich and powerful
The powerful have resources to resist deviant labels
The widespread belief that norms and laws are natural and good masks political behaviour
Capitalism is based on private control of property, so people who threaten property of others are labelled deviant
Capitalism depends on productive labour, so people who can't/won't work are deviant
Capitalism depends on respect for authority figures
People who challenge capitalist status quo are deivant
Crime committed by people of high social positions in the course of their occupations
bank embezzlement, business fraud, bribery, antitrust violations
Usually escape punishment
The illegal actions of a corportation or people acting on its behalf
Can be financial, safety, or environmental
A business supplying illegal goods or services
Ex. selling illegal drugs, sex trafficking, credit card fraud, selling false ID papers
A criminal act against a person or person's property by an offender motivated by racial or ethnic bias
Can also be religiously motivated or motivated by sexual orientation
Men often escape responsibility for actions that victimize women
Cultural goals tend to have more to do with the lives of men
Crimes against the person (violent crimes)
Crimes against property (property crimes)
Victimless crimes (crimes without complaint)
Crimes that direct violence or the threat of violence against others
Ex. murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, sexual assault, robbery
Crimes that involve theft of property belonging to others
Ex. Burglary, larceny-theft, auto theft, arson
Violations of the law with no obvious victims
Usually not completely victimless
Ex. illegal drug use, prostitution, gambling
Criminal offences peak at 17
specific rates higher on young adults (18-24)
Police charge more males than females
Law enforcement is hesitant to define women as criminals
Street crime is more widespread among people of lower social position
White-collar crime is more widespread among the wealthy
Offenders from higher class backgrounds spend less time in prison
Police are more likely to arrest/charge Indigenous and Black people
Crimes committed by visible minorities are over-emphasized
Use of encoded terms ("illegal immigrants" "terrorists")
Criminal justice system must guarantee procedural fairness and operate according to the law
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Fair notice of legal proceedings
Opportunity to present a defence during a hearing of the charges
An impartial judge and jury
Primary point of contact b/w a society's population and criminal justice system
Use considerable personal judgement
The more serious the situation, the more likely to make an arrest
Police take victim's wishes into account
Odds of arrest increase if a suspect isn't cooperative
Presence of observers increases chance of arrest
police are more likely to arrest someone they've arrested before
Police are more likely to arrest Black and Indigenous people
A legal negotiation in which a prosecutor reduces a charge in exchange for a defendant's guilty plea
Spares the system time and expenses
Can pressure defendants
Research suggests it has limited value as a deterrent
As public concern increases, usage decreases
Judges and prosecutors less likely to call for it because it is often applied unjustly, offenders can be sentenced to life with no parole, and capital cases are costly
Reduce costs
Reduce prison overcrowding
Allows for supervision of convicts wile eliminating hardship of prison life
A convicted offender remains in the community under conditions imposed by court
Regular supervision
Releasing inmates to serve the rest of their sentence in the local community under supervision of a parole officer
If conditions are not obeyed, offender is sent back to prison
Available for Indigenous offenders
Offender, victim, elders, and community members work through a process of remedying harm done and preventing it from happening again
