6 - Deviance and Crime

Deviance

any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs

Crime

behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable with fines, jail terms, and/or other negative sanctions

Juvenile delinquency

a violation of the laws or the commission of a status offense by young people

Social control

the systematic practices that social groups develop in order to encourage conformity to norms, rules, and laws and to discourage deviance

Criminology

systematic study of crime and the criminal justice system, including the police, courts, and prisons

Strain theory - Merton

people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals

Illegitimate opportunity structures

circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot achieve through legitimate channels

Differential association theory

states that people have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently associate with individuals who are more favorable toward deviance than conformity

Rational Choice theory of deviance

states that deviant behavior occurs when a person weighs the costs and benefits of nonconventional or criminal behavior and determines that the benefits will outweigh the risks involved in such an action

Social bond theory

holds that the probability of deviant behavior increases when a persons ties to society are weakened or broken

Labeling theory

states that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants and they, in turn, come to accept the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly

Labeling Stages

Primary deviance - refers to the initial act of rule breaking

Secondary deviance - the process that occurs when a person who has been labeled as deviant accepts the new identity and continues the deviant behavior

Tertiary deviance - deviance that occurs when a person who has been labeled as deviant seeks to normalize the behavior by relabeling it as non deviant

Violent crime

actions - murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault - involving force or the threat of force against others

Property crime

include burglary, motor-vehicle theft, larceny-theft, and arson

Victimless crime

crimes involving a willing exchange of illegal goods or services among adults

Occupational (White collar) crimes

comprises illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs

Corporate crime

illegal acts committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation and with its support ex. financial fraud

Internet crime

consists of FBI related scams such as nonpayment/nondelivery of merchandise, extortion etc.

Organized crime

a business operation that supplies illegal goods and services for profit. ex. prostitution

Political crime

illegal or unethical acts involving the usurpation of power by government officials or illegal/unethical acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders seeking to make a political statement, undermine the government, or overthrow it

Terrorism

calculated, unlawful use of physical force or threats of violence against persons or property in order to intimidate or coerce a government, organization, or individual for the purpose of gaining some political, religious, economic, or social objective

Criminal justice system

the local, state, and federal agencies that enforce laws, adjudicate crimes, and trade and rehabilitate criminals

Punishment

any actions designed to deprive a person of things of value (including liberty) because of some offense the person is thought to have committed