3rd quiz social prob (crime drugs edu)

What is the correlation between people in prison and crime rates?

The # of people in prison has increase while crime rates have decreased

What are norms?

rule and expectations by which society guides the behavior of its member

Define crime?

the violation of a criminal law enacted by the federal, state, or local gov

Whats a felony

more than 1 year in prison

What limits the things people do and the places they go?

Fear of crime its self (this in itself is a social problem)

Why is there a recent drop in violent crimes?

• strong economy

• drop in use of crack cocaine

• hiring of more police

• tougher sentencing

Are patterns of criminality different than the causes of crime?

Yes, we cannot confuse the pattern of criminality with the causes of crime.

What gender is more likely to commit crimes?

Males; however only time women are more likely to be involved is in prostitution and being runaways.

How does social class effect crime?

Crime increase in low income neighborhoods but crime in commited by small # of repeat offenders

Whats the effect of race on street crimes?

street crimes involve white suspects but blacks are more likely to get arrested

Whats the broken window theory?

Stopping crime will just move it to a different area (no data supports this theory lowkey)

What is redlining?

Deny/limit financial services to certain neighborhoods based about race

What are other dimension of crime?

• juvenile delinquency: try to protect them

• Hate crime: target ethnicity race, cops (worse punishment)

• White collar crime: crime done by higher ups (rarely go to jail)

• Corp and Org crime: Act on behalf of company illegally

• Victimless crime: Drug gamble prostitution

• Violence: incr gun violence in poor countries

How does violence become a social problem

the extent that people define it that way

Correlates of violence:

Mass media

gangs

drug and poverty

guns

What is the functionalist perspective on crime?

Crime arises in part from the weakened bonds to family church and community

What is the biological explanation for crime:

Crime arises in part to persons physical or biological make up

Whats the psychological explanation for crime?

attribute criminal behavior to personality disorders often developed during childhood

Whats the social conditions explaintion for crime?

role of culture, social structure, and social interaction in bringing about criminal behavior

What is the Social control theory?

Social control theory posits that strong social bonds and societal norms discourage individuals from engaging in criminal behavior. It emphasizes the importance of community and relationships in preventing delinquency.

What is the anomie theory?

Anomie theory suggests that crime occurs when there is a disconnection between societal goals and the means available to achieve them, leading to normlessness and deviant behavior.

What is the deviance model?

How cultural goals and institutionalized means affects crime. This goes with the social strain theory: five types of deviance (conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion. Rebellion is in its or sector creating new means and goals like terrorist or white supremacy.

What is the opportunity structure (Cloward and ohlin)

Crimes depend on presence of illegitimate opportunities: depends on peoples relative opportunity structure

Whats Control theory (Hirschi)

1. who we surround ourselves with

2. access to conventional opportunity

3. involvement in conventional activities

4. belief in cultural norms and values

The conflict perspective on crime?

Powerful groups in society decide which crime is considered a serious problem and who will be arrested

Interactionist view on crime?

views are incomplete because they don’t explain how or why a person commits crime and others don’t

• differential association theory: crime is learned in interaction wit others

• labeling theory: labeling is critical in development of deviant behavior

• Primary vs 2nd deviance: reaction to primary deviance can provoke secondary

Solutions to crime:

• personal responsibility: importance of social structures teaching moral values to young

• Social responsibility: crime is caused by harmful environment (Poverty, lack of opportunity, poor health)

• social change: restructuring eco and poli system

Drug abuse?

excessive use of a drug in a way that’s inconsistent with medical and continued use of a substance at a level that biolates approved societal practices

Drug addiction?

physical dependence on a drug

Cross-dependence?

withdrawal symptons of one druge is alleviated by another drug in the same class

Cross tolerance:

tolerance to one drudge leads to a reduce response to another in same class

whats is the 1811 eastlake house

Supportive housing to homeless alcoholics with no requirements of abstinence

Epidemic:

harm that spreads rapidly across a larger segment of people- particularly in states where a significant percentage of people live in rural areas

What is the Ashley vs Beverly black?

Beverly story: drug abuse seen as a criminal act

Ashley: drug abuse needs medicalization solution

What is social constructionism?

a theory of knowledge in socio that examines the development of jointly constructed understanding of the world that form the basis for shared assumptions about reality

Biological explanation of drug abuse?

no impressive evidence to suggest that heredity influence the likelihood of some people becoming alcoholics

Psychological explanations of drug abuse?

abuse arises from some psychological process or is the result of some emotional or personality disorder

Psychodynamic theories claim that drug abuse is a consequence of flaws or weaknesses in peoples personalities

The functionalist perspective on drug abuse?

the strains, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the social sys that contribute to drug problem

• anomie theory (Merton): wanting to go to college but can’t afford it

The conflict perspective on drug abuse?

drug abuse problem is shaped in part by the exercise of social political and eco power

• powerful/respectable people use alcohol and its not till recently its been considered a “drug” linked with substances such as cocaine

The interactionist perspective on drug abuse:

drug use and abuse arise from social influences and pressures that can be found in particular context

• some cultures, alcohol is consumed within family traditions which teach youth the value moderate use= low rates of alcoholism

Future prospects towards drug abuse

• Fully banning it (Prohibtion)

• Legalization (alternative drug vs the illegal ones they take)

• Primary prevention: education, border protection, and reduction of production

• Rehabilitation (Counseling)

• Behavior modification

• Social Reform (got other preventable social problems)

Concentration of Economic Power

The increase of economic power in fewer hands, which can lead to issues in equality and democracy.

What is Marx ideology of Society’s superstructure?

Explains how privileged minorities maintain their dominance in society and contain the potential resistance of exploited majorities

What determines the position within the superstructure?

One’s relationship to the means of production

The class that controls the mean of production (bourgeois) also often control…

The means of compulsion and persuasion (domination of institutions and domination of ideas)

What did Marx say was a critical tool used by the dominating class?

Media; its used to confuse, distract, or divide the lower class (produces a false consciousness in the working class)

The application of Marx Ideology focuses on

Class oppression alone doesn’t lead directly to political revolt; revolution happens when the oppressed class develop a class consciousness

When does social revolution actually occur versus what Marx anticipated.

Typically occurs in peasant societies during early stages of industrialization under foreign influences rather than in advanced industrial countries where Marx anticipated them

What are the factors in class consciousness?

• Simplification of class order

• The geographic concentration of large masses of the proletariat or oppressed

• Living conditions, exacerbated by the inherent instability of the capitalist economy

• Increase participation in political organization such as unions, political parties, special interest groups dedicated to the interest of the oppressed

What are the types of economic systems?

• Capitalism

• Socialism

• Mixed Economies

• Communism

Class Consciousness

The awareness of one's social class and its interests, crucial for political mobilization and revolution.

Capitalism

Means of production and distribution are privately held

Profit motive is guiding people economic behavior

There is free competition among both producers and consumers of good

How does capitalism affect ownership, equality, prices, efficiency, taxes, healthcare.

Ownership: assets owned by private firms

Equality: income determine by market

Prices: determine by supply and demand

Efficiency: market incentives encourage firms to cut costs

Taxes: limited gov spending/ taxes

Healthcare: left to free market

Pros and Cons with capitalism?

Problems: inequality, market failure, monopoly

Advantages: dynamic economy, incentive for innovation and eco growth

Socialism

An economic system where the means of production are collectively owned, aimed at equitable distribution of goods and services.

How is socialist economic system characterized?

It is characterized by greater gov interventions to reallocate resources in a more egalitarian way (it is pure)

How is socialism viewed in terms of ownership, equality, prices, efficiency, taxes and healthcare.

Ownership: assets owned by gov/ co op

Equality: redistribute of income

Prices: Price control

Efficiency: gov owned firms have fewer incentive to be efficient

Taxes: high progressive taxes/ higher spending public services

Pros and Cons of Socialism

Problems: inefficiency of state industry, les incentive

Advantages: promotion of equality, attempt to overcome market failure

Mixed Economies

Economic systems that blend elements of capitalism and socialism, allowing both private ownership and government intervention.

What are the industries like in mixed economies.

Most industry is privately owned and oriented toward profit making; however many important industries may be state owned.

What are the concerns associated with mixed economies.

The concerns is not with the use of power but rather the abuse of power (exercise of power that works against the interests of the people)

Communism

communal ownership of all goods and services, characterized by the absence of classes and the state.

How does services and goods work in a communist society.

People would not work for wages but would live according to their abilities

THEORETICALLY there would be no scarcity of goods and service

How do we get to communism?

Class consciousness→ class conflict→ revolution

Factors that’s distinguish corporation from individually owned businesses

• Corporations have access to much broader source of capital than do individuals

• Stockholders, who own the corp, have only limited liability should the corporation be sued or go bankrupt

• The ownership of corp is separate from the controls of its policies and daily affairs

Oligopoly

A market structure where a few large firms dominate, limiting competition and controlling market prices.

Monopoly

A market situation where a single company or group owns all or nearly all of the market for a given product or service.

How does distribution of income/wealth threaten democracy?

• widening inequality and the undermining of democracy

• Political power follows

• Can’t protect the democratic process

• Polarization that accompanies high levels of inequality

• Partisanship (Strong alliance) almost directly tracks with the level of inequality

How does the distribution of wealth/income threaten the economy?

If consumers don’t have adequate purchasing power, businesses have no incentive to expand or hire additional workers

Power Elite Model

A term used by sociologist C. Wright Mills to describe a small group of powerful individuals who make important decisions in society.

How does Mills describe the power elite?

They are a cohesive group and the interests of its various members in the government, military, and corp sectors tend to coindcide

What helps the power elite maintain a consensus’s about their interests and to develop strategies for success

The social network that links the members of the elite to one another

The social problem: gov for sale?

Campaign contributions are made in expectation that specific political objectives will be advanced

Political decisions are made with fundraising implications in mind

Pluralist Model

A view asserting that power is spread out among many groups with different goals/ interests, allowing for a form of democratic control for public to exercise some constraints over the behavior of those in power

False Consciousness

A term used to describe a situation where the lower classes do not recognize their exploitation and are misled by ideologies favorable to the ruling classes.

Unionization

The process through which workers organize to form a union to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.

Campaign Financing

The funding of political campaigns, often raising concerns about the influence of money on politics and policies.

Inequality

The unequal distribution of resources and opportunities, which can threaten both economic stability and democratic processes.

Social Problems

Issues that adversely affect a person, community, or society, often related to inequality, poverty, and lack of resources.

Big Government

The idea that government intervention is necessary to regulate complex economies and provide social services.

World-System Theory

A theory that suggests global economic systems stratify countries into core, semi-periphery, and periphery based on levels of development and power.

Economic System

The structure by which a society allocates resources and distributes goods and services.

Labor Consultants

Professionals hired by businesses to discourage unionization and influence labor relations.

Consumer Power

The influence and role of consumers in driving market demand and economic policy.

Elitism

A belief in or an attitude favoring the elite over the masses, often seen in political and economic contexts.

How has gender rates in college change and how does it negatively effect society?

More women are in college now versus men which causes “mating inequality”

What is the global perspective on problems within education?

Low income= too little schooling

High income countries= unequal schooling

What are focuses on low income countries for problems in education?

-many children don’t go to school

-secondary education less common (agrarian and rural)

-family responsible for education

-children work at early age

Gov is trying to increase literacy by expanding enrollment (important for eco develop)

High income countries problems with education

-high rates of schooling

-edu needed for jobs

-postsecondary education

-available to most population compare to low income countries

How does our local income effect the quality of schooling?

If its a rich neighborhood then quality is high for schooling and vice versa

What was the “Nation at risk” commissioned by Reagan?

He looked at school qualities and realizes the schools/teachers were trash. This realization led to No Child Life Behind (STAAR testing/ teaching for the test). Schools got merit pay: good scores means more funding.

What is functional literacy?

Only know enough basic elementary schools (reading, writing, basic math all at 3rd grade level) to carry out basic tasks.

Can be seen as a generational issue

Problems with U.S Education

• school segregation and busing

• School funding

• tracking and gender inequality

• finding teachers and school violence

What was the Coleman report in terms of segregation?

• found that the “quality” (salaries, teacher quality, number of books, age of building, curriculum, and other features) varied less than expected

• School characteristics not strongly linked to student learning

• Most important characteristic were teach quality, racial composition of students, and family background (Most critical determinant)

Capital and Social reproduction?

Primarily focus on the dynamics of power in society; particularly the way power is transferred and social order is maintained across generations

(Not an objective state- capital is the core factor defining positions and possibilities of the various actors in any field)

Pierre Bourdieu: Cultural capital

Norms, values, and specific cultural tastes (lifestyles) that are characteristics of various class factions

Dominant class is the one who determines the “correct” lifestyle

IT IS EMBODIED OBJECTIFIED AND INSTIt

Pierre Bourdieu: Interwoven and Connected:

the 3 forms are interwoven

(Education is a contributing force in shaping, communicating, thereby controlling culture)

Social Capital

Who you know

Eco Capital

money

Cultural capital

norms