█ When does conformity verge on deviance?

A Look Ahead

█ How does a society manage to control its members and convince them to conform to its rules and laws?

█ What are the consequences of deviance?

Conformity and Obedience

█ Conformity: Going along with peers who have no special right to direct behavior

█ Obedience: Compliance with higher authorities in an hierarchical structure

DevianceWhat is Deviance? Deviance is behavior that violates the standards

of conduct or expectations of a group or society Sociologically, we are all deviant from time to

time. Each of us violates common social norms in

certain situations Deviance involves the violation of group norms

which may or may not be formalized into law

DevianceExamples of deviants:

alcoholics gamblers mentally ill

Standards of deviance vary from one group (subculture) to another

Deviance can only be understood within its social context.

Deviance is subjective - subject to social definitions - it varies with time, culture and place

Informal and Formal Social Control

Informal Social Control

Informal social control is used casually to enforce norms

Usually carried out by primary groups

Informal social control includes: smiles laughter ridicule raising an eyebrow

Formal Social Control Formal social control: carried out by authorized

agentsLaw and Society Some norms are so important to a society that

they are formalized into laws controlling people’s behaviors.

Laws are governmental social control and are created in response to perceived social needs for formal social control

Deviance (Functionalist Perspective) Deviance is a part of human existence and has

positive and negative consequences for society Deviance promotes social unity for it reaffirms the

groups’ norms Durkheim introduced the term anomie, defined

as a state of normlessness that occurs during periods of profound social change

Explaining Deviance Early explanations centered on

supernatural or genetic factors.

Biological Context Cesare Lombrosso

Italian physician wrote that most criminals were biologically different from normal people

Lombroso observed that criminals had easily identifiable physical traits such as sloping foreheads, small brains, overdeveloped jaws, and other apelike characteristics

In general, sociologists reject any emphasis on the genetic roots of crime and deviance

Robert Merton - Theory of Deviance Functionalist Perspective (continued)

Merton examined how people adapted to the acceptance or rejection of a society’s goals.

Merton’s Anomie Theory of Deviance examines how people conform to or deviate from cultural expectations

Functionalist Perspective█ Merton’s Theory of Deviance

• Conformist• Innovator• Ritualist• Retreatist• Rebel

– Anomie Theory of Deviance: How people adapt in certain ways by conforming to or by deviating from cultural expectations

Table 7-1: Modes of Individual Adaptation

Interactionist Perspective

Cultural Transmission Theory Focuses on everyday behavior and why or how a

person comes to commit a deviant act.

Edwin Sutherland introduced the cultural transmission theory which holds that one learns criminal behavior through interactions with others.

Differential association: the process through which exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts leads to the violation of rules

Not only techniques of lawbreaking but also the motives, drives, and the rationalizations of criminals

Whether a person engages in an activity deemed proper or improper depends on frequency, duration, and intensity of relationship.

Interactionist

Labeling Theory/Societal-Reaction Approach Labeling Theory Emphasizes that deviance and

conformity result, not so much from what people do, as from how others respond to those actions

Labeling theory attempts to explain 1. why certain people are viewed as deviants while

others are not and 2. emphasizes how a person comes to be labeled

as deviant and to accept this label.

Labeling theory focuses on regulatory agents (police, probation officers, psychiatrists, judges, teachers, etc.), who play a significant role in creating the deviant identity by designating certain people as deviant.

Conflict Theory█ People with power protect their own

interests and define deviance to suit their needs– Differential justice:

Differences in way social control is exercised over different groups

Conflict Theory Conflict theory contends the criminal justice

system of the U.S. treats people differently on the basis of their racial, ethnic, or social class background

Table 7-2: Sociological Perspectives on Deviance

Types of Crime█ Sociologists classify crimes in terms

of how they are committed and how society views the offenses– Victimless crimes– Professional crime– Organized crime– White-collar and technology-based crime– Transnational crime

Crime Crime: violation of criminal law, for which

some governmental authority applies formal penalties

Index crimes Murder Rape Robbery Assault

Burglary Theft Motor vehicle theft Arson

Types of Crime

Laws divide crimes into categories: Severity of offense Age of offender Potential punishment Jurisdiction

Types of Crime

Victimless crimes: willing exchange among adults of widely desired, but illegal, goods and services

Professional Crime Professional criminal: person who pursues

crime as a day-to-day occupation Organized Crime: group that regulates

relations between various criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities

Types of Crime Transnational crime

Crime that occurs across multiple national borders

International crime spans the globe

Table 7-3: Types of Transnational Crime

Source: Compiled by the author based on Mueller 2001 and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2005.

Crime Types of Crime

Crime is defined as a violation of criminal law for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties.

Laws divide crimes into categories based on: severity age of offender potential punishment jurisdiction

CrimeTypes of Crime

White Collar and Technology-Based Crime: Illegal acts committed in the course of business activities, often by affluent people.

Victimless Crimes: The willing exchange among adults of widely desired, but illegal, goods and services.

Crime Crime Statistics

Crime statistics are not as accurate as social scientists would like.

Reported crime is very high in the United States and is regarded as a major social problem.

Violent crimes have declined significantly nationwide following many years of increases.

Crime

Source: Adapted from Department of Justice, 1988:59.

█ Discretion within the Criminal Justice System

Understanding Crime Statistics

Reported crime is very high in the U.S., so public regards crime as major social problem

Only track crimes that are reported to law enforcement agencies

Victimization surveys: surveys of ordinary people, not police officers, to determine whether they have been victims of crime

Understanding Crime Statistics

International Crime Rates Violent crimes much more common in U.S.

than Western Europe in 1980s and 1990s Disturbing increases in violent crime are

evident in other Western societies

Figure 7-2: Victimization Rates, 1973-2004

Source: Catalano 2005:1.

Table 7-4: National Crime Ratesand Percentage Change

Source: Department of Justice 2005:Table 1.

The Death Penalty in theUnited States and Worldwide

The Issue Historically, execution has been significant

form of punishment for deviance from social norms and criminal behavior

Can the government prevent the execution of innocent people?

Is life in prison enough of a punishment for truly heinous crimes

The Death Penalty in theUnited States and Worldwide

The Setting Fewer than half of all nations allow the death

penalty Within the U.S., 38 states, the military, and

the federal government continue to sentence convicted felons to death for selected crimes

The Death Penalty in theUnited States and Worldwide

Sociological Insights Traditionally focused on the death penalty’s

appropriateness as a form of punishment and its value in deterring crime

The conflict perspective emphasizes the persistence of social inequality

The Death Penalty in theUnited States and Worldwide

Policy Initiatives Most people, when confronted with a

horrendous crime, feel the death penalty should be available

In U.S., fairly rare that death penalty is assessed

International attention focuses on nations where executions are relatively common, such as China and Iran

Figure 7-3: Executions by State since 1976