Deviance

Deviance and Social Control

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Definition of Deviance:

Nonconformity to a given set of norms that are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society, culture of subculture.

Important information: Whose norms?

Different Norms about speed http://www.speedtrap.com/new-traps.html

Indiana's Most Wanted

now in Texas:

Crime as Conformity

Theory I: Theory of Differential Association (Southerland)

Different subcultures have different norms.
Deviant subcultures, like gangs, have norms that are very different from mainstream society.
Delinquent people associate with people that have criminal norms.
Criminal behavior is learned.

Give examples: Using differential association theory, what can we can do about crime.

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Theory 2: Functionalism

Functionalist question: How does a social phenomenon contribute to the survival of the society as a whole. (Darwinism)

Functions are observed consequences of a social phenomenon that contribute to the adaptation of a given social system.

Dysfunctions are those consequences that lessen the adaptation.

Functionalism (A) Durkheim

Since deviance exists in every society it must be functional.

Question: What are the Functions of Crime?

1. Distort from real criminals: white collar crime

2. Cohesion for society, e.g. by engaging in Moral Panics (Erich Goode)

Question: What are Moral Entrepreneurs?

What about Nancy Reagan, Larry Flint, and Howard Stern?

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Functionalism (B): Merton’s Strain Theory

Why can't we simply follow the norms?

Culture: determines norms about goals and means

determines expectations or aspiration levels

Structure: restricts goal achievement and

access to means for goal achievement

This conflict results in strain or anomie

Merton modified Durkheim's concept of anomie

Durkheim: Anomie: state of normlessness caused by social control being weak or nonexistent.

Merton: Anomie: strain put on people's behavior when accepted norms conflict with social reality.

Question: what is the difference between Durkheim's and Merton's concept of anomie?

Merton Develops a Typology on Means and Goals

Merton’s Typology of Modes of Individual Adaptation

What is adaptation? => relevant to Functionalism

How does an individual adapt to a society

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Modes of Adaptation	Cultural Goals	Institutionalized Means
Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion

Find examples for each mode of adaptation.

adapted from Sykes & Cullen (1992) table 9.1

Theory 3. Symbolic Interactionism

Labeling: assign a (different) identity to a person

Example: A child that shows deviant behavior might be labeled a brat.

The principles of the SI framework that builds the background of labeling theory:

1. Meaning: People act on the basis of their meaning.

2. Interaction: Meaning emerges in the interaction with others.

3. Interpretation: Meaning is not fixed and stable, but is modified by interpretation.

What is labeling?

We assign a different identity to someone.

Figurative: if we stamp someone as deviant, we put a warning label on her.

How does labeling start?

1. Accidentally, e.g. out of ignorance:

2. Instrumentally examples: Instrumental labeling today?

Importance of the power dimension in making the label stick

Who do you think was more likely to make the label stick?

What happens when the label is attached?

Primary and Secondary Deviation

Primary deviation: receiving the label

Secondary deviation: accepting the label and see oneself as deviant

Self fulfilling prophecy

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Crime Statistics

National Crime Survey (Bureau of the Census)

Uniform Crime Report s (UCR) (FBI)

Uniform Crime Reports UCR	National Crime Survey NCS
FBI	Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
since 1940s	since 1970s
crimes reported to the police crimes cleared by arrest age, gender race of offender	crimes reported by victims sociodemographics of victims
police files	household surveys
Rape Robbery Assault Burglary Larceny Vehicle theft + murder + arson	Rape Robbery Assault Burglary Larceny Vehicle theft
Bonus: crimes reported crimes cleared	Bonus: demographic description of the victim

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Uniform Crime Reports only include crimes reported to the police

How can over reporting happen?

How does under reporting happen?

How do we estimate over and under reporting?

National Crime Survey NCS

Crimes under study parallel crimes in Uniform Crime Reports. This allows statistics of both agencies (FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics) to be compared.

What allows statistics of the National Crime Survey (NCS) to be compared to the statistics in Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).

a) the exact measurement of crime in the UCR

b) the exact measurement of crime in the NCS

c) the fact that the crimes sampled in both studies are largely identical

d) the fact that UCR reflects crime reported to the police

e) the fact that NCS reflects crime reported by victims

Potential Remedies

More Prisons?

Stop gender discrimination?

Only 7 % of inmates are female.*

Are approx. 93% of all crimes committed by males?*

Are we more likely to label males as criminal offenders?

Only 2 females as compared to 356 males were executed in TX

Do we need quotas?

* National Crime Report (or: National Crime Victimization Survey) 1995. Calculated from table 6.12. Number of adults held in State or Federal Prisons or local jails.

Decriminalization (remove labels)

Economic equality and social homogeneity

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Disclaimer: The documents linked to other sources on the WWW, others than http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/Schneider/ and its subdirectories, do not necessarily express the views of Texas Tech University or Dr. Andreas Schneider. @Copyright 2008 Andreas Schneider