CRIME AND DEVIANCE

Informal social control

Non-official type of control excessive for violating norms, laws, folkways, or anything someone else deems inappropriate

Eg. Class complaining to their instructor that best was too hard

Formal social control

Official type of control excessive for violating the policy, rules, or regulation of formal body

Eg. Student fails for plagiarizing the paper

3 parts of criminal justice system

1. Law enforcement officials

2. Criminal courts

3. Prisons

4 crime facts

1. Every place has formal rules (laws) and people who break those. There is great variation between countries

2. Most countries have the same component in their criminal justice system

3. Adult males are disproportionately crime suspects and perpetrators in all countries

4. In all countries, theft is the most common type of crime and violent crime is rare

Durkheim’s view of crime

Laws and crime are importantly fro reaffirming beliefs and reinforcing social norms and solidarity

Merton’s Strain theory (5 adaptations)

Conformity ++

Innovation -+

Ritualisim +-

Retreatism - -

Rebellion (new)

Culturally defined goals of society (2)

To be happy, healthy, safe, needs met. But specially be wealthy/rich.

Legitimate means in our society (1)

Safety way to reach the goal such as university education and then full-time job

Code of the street

Social code governs interactions in marginalized urban neighbours, where respect and toughness are critical for survival int he face of systemic poverty, racial inequality and institutional disinvestment

Institutional divestment

Society doesn’t care. Lack of good social services, economic opportunity, education as a realistic option, sense of relative privation and a sense that society has abandoned the residents

Oppositional culture

Culture that arises in response to systemic marginalization and exclusion, where traditional norms and values are rejected in favour of alternative ones that emphasize autonomy and toughness

Police as outsiders

Police represents oppression. View of police as ineffective, biased, hostile and leads to the reliance on the street code for self-regulation

Violence as means of social regulation

Due to police no longer maintaining social order, violence becomes a way to resolve disputes and enforce the code

Respect/juice

Central element of the street code, respect is a form of social capital that individuals must earn and protect.

Hyper masculinity

Heightened form of masculinity that emphasizes dominance, aggression, and control as necessary traits to navigate the street environment

Manhood

Ability it protect oneself and ones loved ones

Cycles of violence

One act of violence is responded to with more acts of violence

Quid-pro-quo

“This for that” exchanges

Hustles

Schemes to make money such as theft or drug sales

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being to others