Deviance and Crime

Question 1

What is a deviant?

Answer 1

• • anything that deviates from the norm

- - stigmatized behavior that DEVIATES from the norm

Question 2

Why is deviance considered socially constructed?

Answer 2

– because values and norms are constructed

Question 3

T or F, what counts as deviance changes over time

Answer 3

True

Question 4

T or F, not all forms of deviance are criminal

Answer 4

True

Question 5

How do we obtain crime rates?

Answer 5

• • uniform crime report

- - survey data: allows estimate for rate at which different crimes occur

Question 6

Who are the people that are most likely to commit crimes and most likely to be victims?

Answer 6

• • men
• • young
• • lower socioeconomic status

– these people are more likely to be perpetrators and victims

Question 7

T or F, when women commit crimes, it’s more local

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What is anomie and what theorist is this related to?

Answer 8

– State of normlessness

– not being anchored

– lack of interdependence

– crime can be disrupted

– crime has function

– Durkheim

Question 9

What are the four major functions for crime

Answer 9

• • Reaffirms our norms –> builds social cohesion
• —-> reminds us that that’s one of rules
• —-> symbolic interactions
• —-> if no one breals a law, we’ll forget those rules and rules define which group we belong to
• • give us a stronger sense of group identity “weness”
• —–> cohesion
• —–> differentiate criminal from group
• • social change
• —–> as a reaction to crime or seeing it in a diff way

– committing crimes in small fractions it allows ppl to blow off steam

Question 10

What is the connection between anomie and deviance?

Answer 10

– less connected to a group/community –> makes one more likely to go to deviance

————-> you need resources too! If you can’t get that from your community –> gonna go to deviance

Question 11

What is structural strain?

Answer 11

• • if you can’t reach the package (goals + means) there is a strain between the structure and you
• ——> there is a disconnect
• ——-> some form of anomie bc you can’t connect tot the norm

– anomie adjacent

Question 12

What is a response to structural strain?

Answer 12

• • crime

- - deviance

Question 13

What causes structural strain?

Answer 13

– when one can’t connect a goal to a legitimate mean there is strain

Question 14

True or False, there needs to be a response such as crime and deviance in order to have strain

Answer 14

True

Question 15

T or F, structural strain points towards some systematic unevenness

Answer 15

True

Question 16

T or F, goals align w/ dominant culture’s or society’s goals

Answer 16

True

Question 17

What are the 4 different responses to structural strain?

Answer 17

• • Yes to both goals and means = conformist
• • Yes to goal, no to means = Deviant
• • No goal, Yeas to means = Ritualist
• • No goal, No mean = Retreatist or Rebel

Question 18

What is a conformist?

Answer 18

– saying yes to goals and to means

– by far the most common pattern

Question 19

What is the deviant response to structural strain?

Answer 19

– yes to goal, no to means

– Merton sees deviance/crime as innovators

Question 20

What is a ritualist?

Answer 20

• • Kind of like Eyore

- - just going through the motions

Question 21

What is a rebel?

Answer 21

• • no goals, no means
• • different response from retreatist
• • counterculture aspect

Question 22

T or F, structural strain occurs when you cannot access legitimate goals and means

Answer 22

True; when you can access legitimate goal + means, you are not experiencing strain

Question 23

T or F, functionalism tends to defend status quoe

Answer 23

True

Question 24

What do conflict theorists argue about structural strain?

Answer 24

– argues that nuances are lost w/ structural strain

– wants us to pay attention to how rules are being created –> power differentials

Ex: Who can make the rules? What rules are even created? (are there specific ones ommitted); How are certain laws written? –> laws towards specific drugs that are associated w/ specific demographic groups

– C.Wright Mills

Question 25

Where do you deviants come from?

Answer 25

• • comes from deviation from the norm

- - the second there is a norm you open up floodgates for deviance

Question 26

What are symbolic interactionist approaches to deviance?

Answer 26

• • labeling theories

- - differential association theory

Question 27

What are labelling theories?

Answer 27

• • deviance is in the eye of the beholder –> Becker

- - primary vs. secondary deviance –> Leimert

Question 28

What did Becker say about labelling?

Answer 28

• • until you have rules can’t have deviance; it’s not deviance w/o label
• • not deviant until someone says it aka deviance in the eye of the beholder

Question 29

What is the difference between Primary vs. Second Deviance?

Answer 29

• • Primary: automatically called deviant
• • Secondary: any deviance that occurs once label has been made (in sequence to when label is applied

– only real difference is sequence of when events happen

Question 30

Who were the main theorists for Differential Association?

Answer 30

– Sutherland, Cessie

Question 31

What is the differential association theory?

Answer 31

• • focus is more on actions
• • who you know is more likely to have their association w/ us affect probability of engaging in deviance
• • group conformity (peer pressure)

Question 32

Describe the criminal justice system.

Answer 32

• • not actually just
• • main things behind punishment system

#1.) deterrance
#2.) rehabilitation
#3.) retribution --> U.S. justice system really, really enjoys this