Deviance and Crime

Chapter Outline What Is Deviance? Functionalist Perspectives on Deviance Conflict Perspectives on Deviance Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives on

Deviance Postmodernist Perspectives on Deviance

Chapter Outline Crime Classifications and Statistics The Criminal Justice System Deviance and Crime in the U.S. in the

Future The Global Criminal Economy

Deviance Any behavior, belief, or condition that

violates social norms in the society or group in which it occurs: drinking too much robbing a bank laughing at a funeral

Criminal Justice System More than 55,000 local, state, and federal

agencies that enforce laws, adjudicate crimes, and treat and rehabilitate criminals.

Employs more than 2 million people in 17,000 police agencies, nearly 17,000 courts, more than 8,000 prosecutorial agencies, about 6,000 correctional institutions, and more than 3,500 probation and parole departments.

Crime and Delinquency A crime is a behavior that violates

criminal law and is punishable with fines, jail terms, and/or other negative sanctions.

Juvenile delinquency, refers to a violation of law or the commission of a status offense by young people.

Deviance is RelativeAn act becomes deviant when it is socially defined as such.

Definitions of deviance vary widely from place to place, from time to time, and from group to group.

Deviant behavior ranges from mild transgressions of folkways, to serious infringements of mores, to very violations of the law.

II. The Nature of DevianceA. Every society has countless

norms governing behavior; occasional violations are unavoidable

B. Changes from society to society and in different situations (divorce; killing; Sundays; prostitution)

QuestionWhat theories have been proposed to explain deviance?

Functionalist How do individuals respond to culturally approved goals and the legitimate means of achieving them? (conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion)

Strain

Conflict What is the result of competition and social inequality? (deviance) Who decides what is deviant? (ruling classes)

Conflict

Interactionist Why do people conform to norms? (strength of social ties determines conformity)

Control

How do people learn conformity or deviance? (through socialization, or interaction with others) Where does this learning mainly occur? (primary groups)

Cultural Transmission

How do people become identified as deviant? (through secondary deviance, or being detected as deviant)

Labeling

Perspective Theory Questions

1. Modes of Adaptation (Merton)- culturally accepted goals and means of achieving them

• Conformity- accept goals and means of achieving them

• Innovation- accept goals NOT means of achieving them

• Ritualism- reject the goals accept means of achieving them

• Retreatism- reject both (withdraw from society)• Rebellion- reject and replace both goals and means of

achieving them

Section 1: Deviance

Merton’s Strain Theory The Scary Guy (now

his legal name) is covered from head to foot with tattoos. Which of Merton’s modes of adaptation might best explain The Scary Guy’s views on social life?

Postmodern Perspective

Theory Key Element

Knowledge is power

Power, knowledge, and social control are intertwined. Example: In prisons, methods of surveillance make prisoners think they are being watched all the time, giving officials a form of power over the inmates.

Criminology The study of crime and the criminal

justice system, including police, courts, and prisons.

How the Law Classifies Crime Crimes are divided into felonies and

misdemeanors. A felony is a serious crime such as rape,

homicide, or aggravated assault, for which punishment ranges from more than a year’s imprisonment to death.

A misdemeanor is a minor crime that is typically punished by less than one year in jail.

How Sociologists Classify Crime1. Conventional (street) crime2. Occupational (white-collar) and

corporate crime3. Organized crime4. Political crime

QUESTION Which of the behaviors below is referred

to as a morals (AKA Victimless) crime?A. illegal gamblingB. illegal drugsC. prostitutionD. all of these choices

Answer D The following behaviors are referred to as

a morals crime: illegal gambling, illegal drugs and prostitution.

Issue: Are there victims associated with these crimes?

Violent Crime—includes murder, robbery; most victims are African Americans

Crime Against Property—includes burglary, larceny, vehicle theft; more common than violent crimes

Victimless Crime—includes prostitution, gambling, illegal drug use;

offender is the only victim

White Collar Crime—committed by high-status individuals in the course of their professions; includes fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement

Organized Crime—the pursuit of crime by a large-scale organization as a big business

Victimless Crimes as defined by Edwin Schur [ are crimes which do not have any evident victim. They consist of actions whichare outlawed because they violate moral standards

1]Schur, Edwin M.Crimes Without Victims. © 1995, Prentice Hall, Inc.

Perceptions of Tax Evasion as a CrimeStewart Karlinsky[ ]∗ , Hughlene Burton[†], Cindy Blanthorne[‡]

eJournal of Tax Research

2005] eJTR 12

Crime Overall rating Ranking

Murder 5.0 1Rape 4.9 2Child Molestation 4.8 3Robbery 4.0 4DWI 3.9 5Carjacking 3.8 6Child Labour 3.8 7Accounting Fraud 3.7 8Insider Trading 3.3 9Welfare Fraud 3.3 10Tax Evasion 3.3 11Minimum Wage 3.3 12Shoplifting 2.8 13Prostitution 2.8 14Running a Red Light 2.6 15

Bike Theft 2.3 16Smoking Marijuana 2.3 17

Speeding 2.1 18Ticket Scalping 1.8 19Illegal Parking 1.5 20

Jaywalking 1.3 21

TABLE 1: AVERAGE SCORES OF CRIMES SURVEYED

Crime/Victim Crime/VictimlessMurder 5.0 DWI 3.9Rape 4.9 Welfare Fraud 3.3Child Molestation 4.8 Tax Evasion 3.3

Robbery 4.0 Prostitution 2.8Carjacking 3.8 Smoking Marijuana 2.3Accounting Fraud 3.7

Shoplifting 2.8Bike Theft 2.3Violation/Victim Violation/Victimless

Child Labour Law 3.8 Running a Red Light 2.6

Minimum Wage 3.3 Speeding 2.1Insider Trading 3.3 Ticket Scalping 1.8

Illegal Parking 1.5Jay Walking 1.3

TABLE 4: RELATIVE SEVERITY OF VICTIM/VICTIMLESS OFFENCES

CONCLUSIONIt is important to understand why people do not report taxable income and/or pay their income taxes. Prior research indicates that one reason may be that they do not perceive tax evasion to be a serious crime. This study surveyed 364 peopleto see how serious they perceived tax evasion to be. They found that in a list of twenty-one crimes, tax evasion was ranked 11th and rated only as somewhat serious. They also found that tax evasion was considered to be less serious than the white collar crimes of accounting fraud and violation of child labour laws.

They also confirmed that offences involving victims are perceived as more serious than victimless crimes. This would lead to the tax policy concept that if the tax evasion crime could be personalized more, then the perception of its severity might be increased with a concomitant higher tax compliance rate.

FBI Crime Clock

 

BJS Home Page Data for Analysis Data Online Crime Trends State Level State-by-State

Results from State-level crime trends database in Data Online Query date: March 23, 2009

http://bjsdata.ojp.usdoj.gov/dataonline/Search/Crime/State/statebystaterun.cfm?stateid=52

YearPopulatio

n

Number of offenses reported Violent crime Property crime

Violent crime total

Murder and

nonnegligent

manslaughter

Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated

assault

Property crime total

Burglary

Larceny-

theft

Motor vehicle

theft

 

1960179,323,1

75 288,460 9,110 17,190 107,840 154,3203,095,70

0 912,1001,855,4

00 328,200

1961182,992,0

00 289,390 8,740 17,220 106,670 156,7603,198,60

0 949,6001,913,0

00 336,000

1962185,771,0

00 301,510 8,530 17,550 110,860 164,5703,450,70

0 994,3002,089,6

00 366,800

1963188,483,0

00 316,970 8,640 17,650 116,470 174,2103,792,50

01,086,4

002,297,8

00 408,300

1964191,141,0

00 364,220 9,360 21,420 130,390 203,0504,200,40

01,213,2

002,514,4

00 472,800

1965193,526,0

00 387,390 9,960 23,410 138,690 215,3304,352,00

01,282,5

002,572,6

00 496,900

1966195,576,0

00 430,180 11,040 25,820 157,990 235,3304,793,30

01,410,1

002,822,0

00 561,200

1967197,457,0

00 499,930 12,240 27,620 202,910 257,1605,403,50

01,632,1

003,111,6

00 659,800

Year Population

Number of offenses reported

Violent crime Property crime

Violent crime total

Murder and nonneglige

nt manslaught

erForcible rape Robbery

Aggravated

assault

Property crime total

Burglary

Larceny-theft

Motor vehicle theft

2000281,421,90

6 1,425,486 15,586 90,178 408,016 911,70610,182,5

842,050,9

92 6,971,590 1,160,002

2001284,796,88

7 1,436,611 15,980 90,491 422,921 907,21910,412,3

952,109,7

67 7,076,171 1,226,457

2002287,973,92

4 1,423,677 16,229 95,235 420,806 891,40710,455,2

772,151,2

52 7,057,379 1,246,646

2003290,788,97

6 1,383,676 16,528 93,883 414,235 859,03010,442,8

622,154,8

34 7,026,802 1,261,226

2004293,656,84

2 1,360,088 16,148 95,089 401,470 847,38110,319,3

862,144,4

46 6,937,089 1,237,851

2005296,507,06

1 1,390,745 16,740 94,347 417,438 862,22010,174,7

542,155,4

48 6,783,447 1,235,859

2006299,398,48

4 1,418,043 17,030 92,757 447,403 860,8539,983,56

82,183,7

46 6,607,013 1,192,809

2007301,621,15

7 1,408,337 16,929 90,427 445,125 855,8569,843,48

12,179,1

40 6,568,572 1,095,769

Crime rate per 100,000 population

Violent crime Property crime

Violent

Crime rate

Murder and nonneglige

nt manslaught

er rate

Forcible rape

rateRobbery rate

Aggravated

assault rate

Property crime

rateBurglary rate

Larceny-

theft rate

Motor vehicle

theft rate

YEAR

160.9 5.1 9.6 60.1 86.1 1,726.3 508.6 1,034.7 183.01960

158.1 4.8 9.4 58.3 85.7 1,747.9 518.9 1,045.4 183.61961

162.3 4.6 9.4 59.7 88.6 1,857.5 535.2 1,124.8 197.41962

168.2 4.6 9.4 61.8 92.4 2,012.1 576.4 1,219.1 216.61963

190.6 4.9 11.2 68.2 106.2 2,197.5 634.7 1,315.5 247.41964

200.2 5.1 12.1 71.7 111.3 2,248.8 662.7 1,329.3 256.81965

220.0 5.6 13.2 80.8 120.3 2,450.9 721.0 1,442.9 286.91966

253.2 6.2 14.0 102.8 130.2 2,736.5 826.6 1,575.8 334.11967

506.5 5.5 32.0 145.0 324.0 3,618.3 728.8 2,477.3 412.2

504.4 5.6 31.8 148.5 318.5 3,656.1 740.8 2,484.6 430.6

494.4 5.6 33.1 146.1 309.5 3,630.6 747.0 2,450.7 432.9

475.8 5.7 32.3 142.5 295.4 3,591.2 741.0 2,416.5 433.7

463.2 5.5 32.4 136.7 288.6 3,514.1 730.3 2,362.3 421.5

469.0 5.6 31.8 140.8 290.8 3,432.0 726.9 2,288.0 417.0

473.6 5.7 31.0 149.4 287.5 3,334.5 729.4 2,206.8 398.4

466.9 5.6 30.0 147.6 283.8 3,263.5 722.5 2,177.8 363.3

Crime rate per 100,000 population Violent crime Property crime

Violent Crime rate

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

rate

Forcible rape rate

Robbery rate

Aggravated assault rate

Property crime rate

Burglary rate

Larceny-theft rate

Motor vehicle

theft rate

year

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

The Coming Crime WaveBy INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, January 12, 2009 4:20 PM PT Law And Order: It was the one issue left undebated during a campaign full of debates. But crime, along with the economy,may be one of the biggest issues this new administration faces.

In fact, the two issues may be connected. The FBI is already blaming the bad economy for a rash of armed bank robberies around the country. And bandits, quiet for years, have become more brazen.In the Los Angeles area, which has seen a spike in robberies, they've pistol-whipped tellers. In North Carolina, Maryland and \Kentucky, armed robbers have even kidnapped bank workers and their kids and forced the employees to help in heists.The FBI is also seeing a trend of entire ATMs being swiped.

Solving bank robberies is what the FBI does best. But it's preoccupied with a politically motivated witch hunt against "predatory" bankers — not robbers — right now.That has to change.In another sign of the times, shoplifting is on the rise, with some major retailers reporting a record 20% surge in store theft.Violence is also escalating, breaking out even at Chuck E. Cheese's, a popular restaurant for celebrating kids' birthdays. Adult brawls have been reported at sites in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,Kansas, Ohio and Michigan.In New York, in the first such killing in more than 25 years, a bus driver was stabbed to death by a passenger who refused to pay his fare.

In fact, President-elect Obama's hometown is the new murder capital of the U.S., surpassing New York with close to 500 homicides last year.Many of the murders are taking place on the city's South Side, mirroring a trend across the nation's inner cities. Black teen murders have exploded at twice the rate of increase among white teens. Crime experts cite a spreading gangster prison culture.

Most crime is a state and local issue, but federal policies have an impact. Take public housing for the poor. In Antioch, Calif., poor families receivingfederal rental assistance have been moving in, partly because of the housing crisis. As a result, violent crime has shot up 20% in the San Francisco suburb. The new arrivals, most of whom don't work, brought pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of school kids with them, the Associated Press reports. Antioch, like many cities across the country, was hit hard by foreclosures, and landlords sought a guaranteed source of income. So they began offering their homes to low-income tenants in the HUD Section 8 housing program, which pays most of their rent via vouchers.Unfortunately, the incoming HUD secretary is a big fan of such rent subsidies. Shaun Donovan, a former Clinton housing official, wants to dramatically expand funding for the Section 8 program — while easing eligibility rules. His goal is to de-concentrate inner-city poverty. He may just end up shifting crime to the suburbs. According to AP, Antioch police "discovered that a large number of the troublemakers were receiving federal subsidies."Obama may have to deal with a crime wave the likes of which we haven't seen in decades.

Discretionary Powers in Law Enforcement

AMERICAN CRIMINAL-JUSTICE SYSTEM

PoliceHave the most control

over who is arrested for crimes

CourtsDetermine the accused’s

guilt or innocence in a court trial and then assign a punishment

CorrectionsSanctions used to punish

those found guilty of crimes

Juvenile-Justice System

Applies to offenders younger than 18

Section 2: Crime

Age-Specific Arrest Rates andRace-Specific Arrest RatesforSelected Offenses, 1993-2001

Uniform Crime Reporting ProgramFederal Bureau of InvestigationNovember 2003

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STUDY http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/adducr/age_race_specific.pdf

How Much Do You Know About Peer Cliques, Youth Gangs,and Deviance?

True or False? Persons aged 15 to 24 account for

more than half of all arrests for property crimes such as burglary, larceny, arson, and vandalism.

True This age group accounts for about 54% of

all arrests for property crimes, the most common crimes committed in the United States.

Arrest Rates by Race, 2005

Homicide Victimization by RaceIn 2005, homicide victimization rates for blacks were 6 times higher than the rates for whites

Homicide offending by raceFor the years 1976-2005 combined -Black victims are over represented in homicides involving drugs. Compared with the overall involvement of blacks as victims, blacks are less often the victims of sex-related homicides, workplace killings, and homicide by poison.

Race patterns among offenders are similar to those among victims.

Report February 18, 2009

The Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization that seeks to improve public understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the nation. It does not take positions on policy issues. The center is part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" based in Washington, D.C., and it is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based public charity. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewhispanic.org. The staff of the Center is: Paul Taylor, Director Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director Richard Fry, Senior Research Associate Jeffrey S. Passel, Senior Demographer Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, Senior Analyst Daniel Dockterman, Research Assistant Mary Seaborn, Administrative Manager

Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have dramatically altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts. In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders—more than triple their share (13%) of the total U.S. adult population. The share of all sentenced offenders who were Latino in 2007 was up from 24% in 1991, according to an analysis of data from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

In 1991, three times as many Hispanics were sentenced in federal courts for drug crimes (60%) as for immigration crimes (20%). By 2007, that pattern had reversed; among Hispanic offenders sentenced in federal courts, 48% were sentenced for an immigration offense and 37% for a drug offense.

The use of personal judgment by police officers, prosecutors, judges, and other criminal justice system officials regarding how to proceed in a given situation. Example: The police have the power to

selectively enforce the law and have been accused of being too harsh or too lenient on alleged offenders.

Race-related crime statistics released11 July 2006The government released figures today on race and criminal justice, and vowed to continue working to tackle race crime and racism in the justice system. Figures for 2005 released by the government today showed that members of black and minority ethnic (BME) groups were more likely to be arrested, or stopped and searched, than white people. The total number of stop and searches conducted by police increased by 14% in 2005, with terrorism-related searches increasing by 9%. Black people were six times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people and there were nearly twice as many searches of Asian people than white people.The statistics also showed that racist incidents recorded by the police had increased by 7% in 2005.Black and minority ethnic groups are, however, becoming better represented as employees in the criminal justice agencies, but the police service remains the agency with the poorest representation of BME groups – 3.5% of police officers were from BME groups (as at March 2005), compared with 4.4% for prison officers and 10.9% for probation staff.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/race-related-crime-stats

Social Control Practices that social groups develop to

encourage conformity to norms, rules, and laws and to discourage deviance.

Internal social control - when individuals internalize and follow norms and values.

External social control - negative sanctions that proscribe certain behaviors and punish rule breakers.

External Social Control

Negative sanctions by police and other law enforcement officials encourage conformity to laws and discourage deviant behavior. How does this differ from internal social control?

Punishment and Corrections Punishment is any action designed to

deprive a person of things of value because of some offense the person is thought to have committed.

Functions of Punishment1. Retribution - the punishment should fit

the crime.2. Social protection - restrict offenders so

they can’t commit further crimes.

Functions of Punishment3. Rehabilitation - return offenders to the

community as law-abiding citizens.4. Deterrence - reduce criminal activity

through a fear of punishment.

Boot Camps

Military-style boot camps are an alternative to prison for nonviolent offenders under age 30. Critics argue that structural solutions—not measures such as these camps—are needed to reduce crime.

The Death Penalty The death penalty has been used in the United

States as a response to very serious crimes. In 2006, 53 inmates were executed and

more than 3,300 people awaited execution.

The largest percentage of those on death row are in southern states, including Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Death Row Census January 1, 2007

Four Types of Political Deviance1. Secrecy and deception designed to

manipulate public opinion.2. Abuse of power.3. Prosecution of individuals due to their political

activities.4. Official violence, such as police brutality

against people of color or the use of citizens as unwilling guinea pigs in scientific research.

Global crime The 1994 United Nations Conference on

Global Organized Crime estimated that about $500 billion per year is accrued in the global trade in drugs alone.

Today, profits from all kinds of global criminal activities are estimated to range from $750 billion to more than $1.5 trillion a year.

Global Crime Reducing global crime will require a global

response, including: Cooperation of law enforcement agencies,

prosecutors, and intelligence services across geopolitical boundaries.

Regulation by the international community to control international money laundering and trafficking in people and controlled substances such as drugs and weapons.