soc101 - lecture 13 - winter 2015 - deviance and crime.pdf

8/10/2019 SOC101 - Lecture 13 - Winter 2015 - Deviance and Crime.pdf

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lecture 1 WT (winter term)deviance and crime

Introduction to Sociologysoc101Y

@_ChristianCaron

Copyright 2015 Christian Caron

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Jaime

Contact info:[email protected]

Office Hours: Monday 3-4pm rm335

1. Difference between my and Jenna's role

2. Not posting on multiple TA Corners

3. Importance of gaining significant contributions

via online posts now versus later in the term4. Significant contribution requirements

5. iClicker and # remaining Optional Homeworks

6. Test 1 Review slots

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Tutorial Schedule

Jan 5th - Operationalization/Coding Scheme

Jan 12th- Operationalization/Coding Scheme

Jan 19th- Data Gathering

Jan 26th- Data Gathering Feb 4th- Test #2 (no tutorials)

Feb 9th Data Gathering

Feb 16th- Reading Week (no tutorials)

Feb 23rd- Data Analysis

March 2nd- Data Analysis

March 9th -Write-up

March 16th- Write-up

March 23rd- Write-up and Goodbyes (last tutorial)

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TA Corners

Opportunity to connect with your TA for individualfeedback

Have you received feedback on your ResearchQuestion via the TA corner or meeting?

Operationalization?

* these first steps are they key to building asuccessful content analysis project dont waituntil the last minute! Stay on track with yourtutorials.

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Resources

Tutorials! dedicated solely to the content analysis project andTAs will take you through each section step by step

POST ON YOUR TA CORNERS this will give you direct feedbackfrom your TA or me. We can work on tightening your RQ andoperationalization together!

Jennas Office Hours: Mondays 12-2, Rm. 333A of the SociologyDepartment [Also note Professor Carons Office Hours: Tuesday,

12-2, Sociology Department]

Meeting with your TA TAs will release blocks of office hourssporadically throughout the semester through your TA Corner

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Studying Normalcy

Studying crime and deviance is studyingnorms, studying societys expectations

Taking the boundaries of acceptability asan object of inquiry instead of taken-for-granted

Studying crime and deviance meansstudying normalcy

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Crime

Three big questions organizing the studyof crime

Two questions have dominated the field of criminology for a long time

Why do people commit crimes? What to do about crime?

And more recently, a third one has emerged and is gaining in importance

What is crime?

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What is crime?

Breaking social norms Moral/ethical crimes

Homicide Rape/sexual assault

Assault/battery Theft

Harassment Negligence Victimless crimes (fraud) Vandalism/property damage

Breaking and entering Prostitution

Drugs and trafficking Speeding

Arson Identity theft

Counterfeit Aiding and abetting Workplace discrimination Weapon offences (illegal guns)

Terrorism Espionage

State crimes War crimes

Child pornography Pedophilia

Animal cruelty

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Crime and criminal code

The Criminal Code defines crime as: The intentional violation of criminal lawwithout defense and without excuse.

There are 4 components of the Criminal Code: Politicality: Laws are enacted by the legislature, that is, people who are

elected. Looking at what is legal/illegal is part of the political process. (Socialmovements, lobbyists, and political groups will attempt to change laws, takethem away, or come up with new ones.

Specificity: Sets out, to the point, exactly what is a crime and what isnt acrime. Its the idea of due process, to balance your rights, and o make sure

that there are many procedures that the system needs to go through to proveguilt.

Uniformity: Making sure that the Criminal Code applies to everyone equally,regardless of gender, ethnic background, religion, class, etc. (does not alwayswork this way)

Penal Sanctions: punishments that are set in advance. These specific sanctionsset guidelines for judges to decide on a sentence. (Links to uniformity).

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To be found guilty

To be found guilty, 2 things must be in place:

Actus reus and mens rea must always be togetherfor something to be considered a crime.

Actus reus: An act that had been committed

Mens rea: The intent knowing what youre doing(though different from motive)

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Two types of crime

Mala in se: Crimes that are bad/evil inthemselves. Theyre always considered deviant,

regardless of time and place. (Some examples:murder, child abuse, etc.) much consensus

Mala prohibita: Illegal crimes because of thelaw, theyre considered bad because they areprohibited. (Some examples: speeding, illegaldownloading, etc.) less consensus

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Assumptions: social order

Social Order top ------------ bottom

crime needs to be regulated top heavy centralized powerful state

bottom - minimal state

no consensus because of different beliefs

as long as the population doesnt do thingsthat harm others, then its none of thestates business

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Canadians Attitudes Towards

Crime Canadian national surveys reveal crime has been among

top three issues since the 1970s

Canadians believe that crime in general, and violentcrime in particular, is on the rise

TV viewing habits for Canadians between ages of 18 and49:

Are more likely to choose crime or medicaldramas than any other type of program(medical dramas sometime weavecriminal matters into their story lines)

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Crime in the media

Most crimes depicted in the media are representedby certain stereotypes (youths, minorities, etc.)

Crimes which are considered criminal and deviantare portrayed in the media much more

The media also hears more about crimes that entaila prison punishment

Crimes that are punished with probation, fines andtickets are rarely heard of

Violent crimes are over-represented

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Deviance

Deviance any behavior, belief, or condition that violatescultural norms in the society or group in which it occurs

According to sociologists, deviance is relative that is, anact becomes deviant when it is socially defined as such.Definitions of deviance vary widely from place to place, fromtime to time, and from group to group

Sociologists study:a) What type of behaviors are defined as deviantb) Who does this defining

c) How and why people become deviants

d) How society deals with deviants

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Deviance and Crime

People who are observed committing more serious actsof deviance are typically punished, either informally or

formally

Informal punishment: Involves a mild sanction that isimposed during face-to-face interaction, not by thejudicial system (e.g., raised eyebrows, gossip,

ostracism, shaming, or stigmatization)

Formal punishment: Is what takes place when judicialsystem penalizes someone for breaking a law

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Variability of Deviance and

Crime Types of deviance and crime vary in terms of:

i. Severity of the social response

Can range from mild disapproval to capital punishment

ii. Perceived harmfulness of the deviant act or criminal act

iii. Degree of public agreement about whether an act shouldbe considered deviant (mala in se vs mala prohibita)

Even the social definition of murder varies over time andacross cultures and societies

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Power and the Social Construction

of Crime and DevianceSocial constructionism: Argues that apparently natural

or innate features of life are often sustained by socialprocesses that vary historically and culturally

Emphasizes how some people are in a position to createnorms and pass laws that define others as deviant orcriminal

Power is crucial element in the social construction ofdeviance and crime ie criminalization

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in-class participation

What type of crime involves illegal acts committed by anorganizations employees on behalf of the organizationand with its support?

a. Corporate crime

b. Occupational crime

c. Political crimed. Organized crime

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Classifying crime

Street Crime

Occupational CrimeCorporate Crime

Organized CrimePolitical Crime

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Crime Rates

2. Self-report surveys Respondents asked to reporttheir involvement in criminal activities, either as

perpetrators or as victims Surveys typically indicate that:

i. Majority of Canadians have engaged in some type ofcriminal activity (but most perpetrators of crime not

officially identified as criminal given complex processinvolved in criminal labelling)

ii. About quarter of population have been victim of crime

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Crime Rates

3.Victimization surveys People asked whetherthey have been victims of crime

Provide detailed information about crimevictims, but less reliable data about offenders

Was no national victimization survey done inCanada until 1988

In latest Canadian survey (2010) only 31% ofvictimization incidents reported to police

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Canadian Crime Funnel (2006) 24


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What Official Crime Rates Show

In 2010, nearly 2.2 million offences were reported toCanadian police agencies

Overall crime has been steadily declining since early1990s

Homicide rate has been falling since the mid-1970s

Rates of robbery, sexual assault, drug arrests, andproperty crime are also falling

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Why do people commit crime?

Necessity (financial reasons)

Image/presentation (they want to look cool)

Thrill ride/to feel a rush (emotions)

Its in their nature (environmental/educational factors)

To create change for themselves or for others (political acts) Out of passion (losing control/revenge)

Self-defense

Mental illness

Ignorance (not knowing somethings illegal)

Rebellion/boredom

Addiction (drugs/alcohol)

Beliefs (religion may conflict with law)

Group membership (initiation/organized crime)

Hate crimes (discrimination/prejudice)

Vigilante crimes (taking the law in your own hands)

Coercion (power relations)

Because they can and they do it well

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Structural Theories Functionalism Strain Theory Conflict Theory Feminist Theory

Cultural Theories Interactionist Theories

Differential Association Labeling Theory Control Theory

Explanations of Crime andDeviance


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Social Control And Punishment

While all societies impose sanctions on rule breakers, degreeof social control and forms of punishment vary across cultures

and across time Police plays an important role. They have several functions

1) enforce the laws, 2) maintain order, and 3) providevarious social service

Ability to exercise more effective social control is linked toelectronic technology

Claim for surveillance society because of proliferation ofcameras in public settings and increasing use of social media

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What to do about crime?

Rehabilitation

Deterrence Imprisonment

Restorative justice

Crime prevention

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The Prison

Prisons are agents of socialization New inmates often become more serious offenders

as they adapt to culture of most hardened, long-term prisoners

As societies industrialized, imprisonment becameone of most important forms of punishment forcriminal behavior

In preindustrial societies, criminals were publicly

humiliated, tortured, or put to death, depending onseverity of their transgressions In industrial era, depriving criminals of their

freedom by putting them in prison seemed lessharsh, more civilized

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Rationales for Incarceration

1. Opportunity for rehabilitation (by providingpsychological counselling, drug therapy, skills training,education, etc.)

2. Deterrence (by making people less inclined to commitcrimes if they know consequence could be long andunpleasant prison term)

3. Revenge for illegal acts

4. Incapacitation (by keeping criminals out of society aslong as possible to prevent further harm)

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Number of Prisoners per 100 000Population, Selected Countries, c.

2005

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What can we conclude about official crimestatistics?

a. They underestimate the actual amount ofcrime.

b. They overestimate the actual amount ofcrime.

c. They are an accurate reflection of crime.

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Which of these key questions to the study ofcrime has emerged more recently?

A) Why people commit crimes

B) What is crime

C) What do to about crimeD) Why should we study crime

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Optional homework: Globalization

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.html

1. What is the UNDP?2. What are Millenium Development Goals?3. Pick one of the goals and summarize its

Facts and Figures

This optional homework is due on Tuesday, Jan 13th at11:59pm. The write-up must be no less than 300 words toget credited

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http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.htmlhttp://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.htmlhttp://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.html

soc101 - lecture 13 - winter 2015 - deviance and crime.pdf

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