Key Theories in Sociology of Crime and Deviance

Robert Merton

Major proponent of structural functionalism in sociology.

Social Structure & Anomie

Merton's key work on crime and social structure.

Adaptations to Anomie

Responses to anomie: conformity, innovation, ritualism, rebellion.

Innovation

Lower class accepts goals but rejects norms.

Anomie Theory

Explains crime as a breakdown of norms and values.

Cultural Malintegration

Overemphasis on goals or norms causing dysfunction.

Conformity

Upper class accepts societal norms and values.

Ritualism

Middle class follows norms but rejects goals.

Rebellion

Working class rejects norms but accepts new ones.

Edwin Lemert

Creator of labeling theory in sociology.

Labeling Theory

Society's reaction shapes deviant identity.

Criminal Differentiation

Three forms: individual, situational, systematic criminality.

Societal Reaction

Responses to crime influence criminal identity formation.

Primary Deviance

Sporadic crime with minimal identity impact.

Secondary Deviance

Persistent crime significantly affects identity.

Stages of Becoming a Criminal

Nine stages leading to secondary criminal identity.

Howard Becker

Popularized labeling theory; wrote 'Outsiders'.

Formal Societal Reaction

Responses by official authorities to deviance.

Informal Societal Reaction

Public responses to deviance, can be disproportionate.

Edwin Sutherland Award

Prestigious award in criminology received by Merton and Lemert.

Critique of Merton

Overestimates lower class crime, underestimates upper class.

Critique of Lemert

Underplays primary deviance's role in criminality.

Causal Direction of Retreatism

Substance abuse may cause anomie in some cases.

Deviance

Created by social groups that make the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance and apply those rules to people, labeling them as outsiders.

Deviant labeling

Deviant is someone who is labeled as such; whether an act is deviant depends partly on the rule it breaks and society's reaction to it.

Falsely accused

Labeled as deviant despite not breaking any rules.

True Conformist

Not labeled as deviant and has not broken any rules.

True deviant

Labeled as deviant and has broken the rules.

Secret deviant

Has broken rules but not labeled as deviant, as their actions are undiscovered.

Stages of Becoming a Marijuana User

Stage 1 - learning to smoke correctly to achieve an effect; Stage 2 - recognizing the effects as 'being high', often guided by experienced users; Stage 3 - finding enjoyment in these sensations, which is socially learned.

Social Control & Obstacles in Marijuana Use

Supply - users must develop access to the drug, moving from casual access to personal sources as usage increases; Secrecy - users need strategies to conceal use from non-users, increasing in complexity as use becomes more regular; Morality - users rationalize their behavior by questioning societal norms, especially at more committed stages.

Becker's Notion of a Deviant Career

Process of becoming deviant - deviant career unfolds in stages, reflecting an evolving relationship between the individual and society.

Moral restraints

People have deviant impulses but often don't act on them due to moral constraints.

Neutralization techniques

Rationalize deviant acts if they occur under justifiable conditions, such as lack of choice or absence of a real victim.

Impact of labeling

Being publicly labeled as deviant changes one's social status and self-identity.

Identity transformation

Person branded with a deviant label adopts a new public identity.

Group solidarity

Membership in a deviant group reinforces one's identity as an 'outsider'.

Deviant ideology

Provides justifications for deviance, often involving rejection of conventional moral values.

Repackaging of Lemert's Ideas

Criticized as a repackaging of Lemert's societal reaction theory; reclassifying primary deviants as people with conventional identities and secondary deviants as those who adopt an outsider status.

Focus on secondary deviance

Emphasizes secondary deviance over primary deviance, leaving the origin of initial deviant impulses largely unexplained.

Explaining secret deviants

Struggles to account for 'closet deviants' who keep their deviant activities secret and thus avoid public labeling.

Richard Quinney

Had a Marxist approach within criminology, highlighting the intersection of crime with class struggle & capitalism.

Crimes of domination

Committed by ruling class to protect & enhance power.

Crimes of control

By law enforcement, often involving excessive force or surveillance.

Crimes of government

Political crimes for maintaining power (e.g. Watergate).

Crimes of economic domination

Corporate crimes (environmental pollution).

Crimes of discrimination

Socially harmful acts not legally classified as crimes (racism & sexism).

Elijah Anderson

Renowned urban ethnographer focusing on inner-city crime among Black communities in America.

Code of the street

Behaviors for survival in inner cities where self-reliance and an aptitude for violence are prized.

Decent vs. Street Families

Categorized inner-city residents into 'decent' & 'street' families; decent families strive to instill mainstream values & encourage resilience, while street families adopt street code as a survival mechanism.

Economic Deprivation

NW (civil community) suffers the most; Turbulent community - suffers a middle ground; S.E. (malignant community) - suffers the least.