DEVIANCE AND CRIME Week 10 – 26th & 28th March,

2019
DEVIANCE
Deviance is a violation of norms or rules of behavior that are typically outside of the norms.
A typical dictionary definition of deviance sounds something like this: “one that does not
conform to the norm;” “one who behaves in sharply different ways from customs;” or
“one who ignores the common and behaves in unique ways.”
A dictionary might also list it as: “abnormal, anomaly, weird, irregular, and even
unnatural” as similarly related words.
Most references attest to the nature of deviance as being something that violates normal
behaviors, thoughts, or actions. But, is deviance weird/cool, positive/negative,
desirable/undesirable, or good/bad?
Many sociologists have argued that it is normal to have deviance in a healthy society. Not all
members of society agree on the same issue in the same way.
DEVIANCE
As a sociologist you can step into a more objective role and understand the larger
social level of consideration. It allows you to become more of an analyst and less of
an advocate when understanding deviance.
To build upon this idea, let’s consider how sociologists strive for objectivity when
considering cross-cultural issues of deviance.
Remember that ethnocentrism tends to burn cross-cultural bridges while cultural
relativism tends to build them. Can we study deviance without becoming
ethnocentric? Absolutely!
Deviance tends to vary on three major levels: across time; across cultures, and from
group to group. When considering deviance we must realize that collectively people
experience social levels of shifting values.
 DEVIANCE
“What is deviant behavior?” cannot be answered in a straightforward manner. Whether an
act is labeled deviant or not depends on many factors, including location, audience, and the
individual committing the act .
Listening to your iPod on the way to class is considered acceptable behavior. Listening to
your iPod during your 2 o’clock sociology lecture is considered rude. Listening to your
iPod when on the witness stand before a judge may cause you to be held in contempt of
court, and consequently fined or jailed.
As norms vary across culture and time, it makes sense that notions of deviance change
also. Fifty years ago, public schools in the United States had strict dress codes that, among
other stipulations, often banned women from wearing pants to class.
Today, it’s socially acceptable for women to wear pants, but less so for men to wear skirts.
In a time of war, acts usually considered morally disgraceful, such as taking the life of
another. Whether an act is deviant or not depends on society’s response to that act.
STUDY FINDINGS: “MOST
PEOPLE IN SOCIETY ARE
TRUSTWORTHY”
PERSPECTIVES ON DEVIANCE
The Absolutist Perspective claims that deviance resides in the very nature of an act
and is wrong at all times and in all places.
The Normative Perspective claims that deviance is only a violation of a specific
group's or society's rules at a specific point in time.
The Reactive Perspective claims that behavior does not become deviant unless it is
disapproved of by those in authority (laws).
PERSPECTIVES ON DEVIANCE
In every society when deviance is considered it is most often controlled. Social
Control is formal and informal attempts at enforcing norms. There are a few basic
concepts that help to understand social control.
The Pluralistic Theory of Social Control claims that society is made up of many
competing groups whose diverse interests are continuously balanced.
Social Order is the customary and typical social arrangements which society's
members use to base their daily lives on. Control is easier if attachments,
commitment, involvement, and beliefs are stronger.
PERSPECTIVES ON DEVIANCE
Attachments: strong social mutual bonds that encourage society's members to conform
Commitment: the stronger our loyalty to legitimate opportunity, the greater the advantages of
conforming.
Involvement: the more a person participates in legitimate activities, the greater the inhibition towards
deviance.
Belief: strong understanding in values of conventional morality promote conformity
Society’s members use informal and formal sanctions to reinforce control efforts.
Negative Sanctions are punishments or negative reactions toward deviance.
Positive Sanctions are rewards for conforming behavior.
Deviance is a violation of a norm, simply not behaving in expected ways given the social circumstances.
But what is the difference in conformity, crime, deviance, and both deviance and crime combined?
PERSPECTIVES ON DEVIANCE
 ROBERT MERTON ON
DEVIANCE
When an actor complies with group norms and the law it’s called Conformity, or an
adherence to the normative and legal standards of a group in society. An example might be
the clothes you wore to class today—legal and normal. When an actor violates group norms
but complies with the law, it is deviance. An example might be if you wore your Halloween
costume to class…in July.
If an actor complies with group norms yet breaks the law, it’s called crime. Crime is
behavior which violates laws and to which governments can apply negative sanctions.
Like deviance, crime is often found in every society. Why? Functionalist point out that:
crime exist because members of society find it very difficult to reach total agreement
on rules of behavior; no society can force total conformity to its rules or laws; people
are normative, we continuously categorize behaviors into "right" or "wrong";
crime/deviance function as a warning light indicating an area that needs attention or
consideration; crime/ deviance often brings about solidarity or togetherness in
society ; and there is a vital relationship between crime/deviance and societal progress.
Deviants and criminals make us reassess our values and make new rules and laws.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIME:
VIOLENT & NON VIOLENT
The Federal Bureau of Investigations classifies two types of crimes: Violent and
Property. Violent crimes include: forcible rape, murder, robbery, aggravated assault, and
simple assault
Property crimes include: burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, and
vandalism. The trend is increasing violent crimes in comparison to property crimes.
Violent crimes (also known as “crimes against a person”) are based on the use of force or the
threat of force.
Rape, murder, and armed robbery fall under this category. Nonviolent crimes involve the
destruction or theft of property, but do not use force or the threat of force. Because of this,
they are also sometimes called “property crimes.” Larceny, car theft, and vandalism are all
types of nonviolent crimes. If you use a crowbar to break into a car, you are committing a
nonviolent crime; if you mug someone with the crowbar, you are committing a violent crime.
SIMPLE ASSAULT AND
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES
White-Collar Crimes are crimes committed by persons of respectable and high social status
committed in the course of their occupations. These types of crime are extensive and increasing,
and they are the underlying cause of the economic crises of the years 1998-present.
In white collar crime, crimes are committed in the elite suites of corporate offices. These could
include insider trading, safety violations where employees are injured or killed, environmental
destruction, deception and fraud, and inappropriate use of corporate funds.
To commit a white-collar offense one would have to be very well educated, wealthy, and
somewhat powerful—a position most in society cannot claim for themselves. When caught, laws
(which were created by society’s elite) rarely punish the elite criminal with the same type of
justice street criminals face.
An often-debated third type of crime is victimless crime. These are called victimless because the
perpetrator is not explicitly harming another person. While some claim acts like these are
victimless, others argue that they actually do harm society.
 CLASSIFICATION OF CRIME:
STREET & HATE CRIMES
Street Crimes are crimes committed by average persons against members, groups, and
organizations. Hate Crimes are acts of racial, religious, anti-immigration, sexual orientation,
gender, and disability motivated violence. Street crimes typically fall into a few sub-
categories—misdemeanors: a minor wrong doing tend to be less severe and have less-
severe punishments associated with them Traffic violation
felonies( offensive crime) tend to be very serious and often change the standing of a citizen,
permanently denying rights such as voting, owning a gun, and having social interactions
with other felons. (kidnapping murder fraud and tax evasion)
Hate crimes have become much more concerning over the last decade.
Not all hate crimes are reported to police agencies.
Race, religion, and sexual orientation continue to dominate the reported hate crime
categories.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIME:
ORGANIZED CRIME
Organized Crime, or crime committed by covert organizations which are extremely
secretive and organized, devoted to criminal activity. The core principle behind
organized crime venture is the pursuit of wealth using socially approved and
disapproved of means, that allow murder, rape, assault, street crime, White collar,
and even hate crime activities if profitable. Organized crime includes:
1) a complex hierarchy;
2) territorial division of authority and practice;
3) tendency towards violence at any degree;
4) capacity to corrupt public officials at any level of government;
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIME:
ORGANIZED CRIME
The reason organized crime works so well is that it typically:
1) is highly organized;
2) deals with services in high demand;
3) involves lots of political corruption;
4) very little organized opposition; and
5) uses lots of violence and intimidation.
Organized crime has become rooted on every continent and in almost every country of the world. It
undermined the former USSR; it brought the world super power to its knees and left only a skeleton of a
powerful nation in the current Russian Federation.
Organized crime-type of economic pillaging is developing dramatically with the mainstream economy.
Unlike formally organized crime types such as Mafia, national Biker gangs, yakuza, Dugan Hands Bank,
Triads, etc.