UNIT II:MODULE II

Introduction to Sociology

Deviance & Crime



 GOOD DAY

IT’SA PLEASURE TO
BE HERE WITH YOU

 THANK YOU FOR
COMING
 Max D. Andrew
(Dip. Ed, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.A, M.Ed.)

Presents

INTRODUCTION TO CRIME & DEVIANCE:

CONCEPTS & THEORIES
 WHY ARE WE HERE?
OBJECTIVES:
 1.To define and explain ‘deviance’ and ‘crime’;
 2.To describe the characteristics of theories of
crime and their major strengths and limitations;
 3.To critically analyse contemporary theories of

crime;
 4.To analyse the relevance of criminological theories
to the Caribbean; and
 5.To discuss the need for a Caribbean criminology.
 What is deviance?
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An action that goes against a social
norm.
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Is deviance “relative”? How? Why?
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Example: nudity
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When a sociologist says something is
“deviant,” does that mean he/she is
judging the behavior? Or do we use the
terms “deviance” and “deviant in a
nonjudgmental way?
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“It is not the act itself, but the reactions
to the act, that make something
deviant.”
●
Howard Becker, 1966 Which of these can be shown on 
TV?
Why?
 Deviance
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Are all deviant acts “crimes”? Are all “crimes”
deviant acts?
What is a stigma?
●

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Blemish on “normal” identity
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How is a stigma “deviant”?
 Deviance and Norms
Norms provide predictability
●

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Why is predictability important?
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Is it a good thing? Bad thing?
●
In your breaching exercise, are you breaching
“predictability”?
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In order to prevent chaos in social life, we develop systems of
social control:
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Formal and informal means of enforcing norms
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Positive sanctions – rewards for behaving in accordance
with social norms
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Negative sanctions – punishments for not behaving in
accordance with social norms
●
Examples?
 Explanations of Deviance
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Sociobiology - Sociobiologists look for reasons
for aggression and wonder why we and other
animals experience aggression:
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Frustration
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Competition over resources
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Also argue that the reason our aggression is so
violent is because our “signaling” has not kept up
with our technology to cause harm
●
e.g., human signaling vs. other animal
signaling
 Explanations of Deviance
Psychology - there are, in fact, some deviant personalities:
●

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Antisocial personality disorder (a.k.a. sociopath or
psychopath)
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Failure to conform to social norms, particularly laws
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Deceitfulness, repeated lying, conning
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Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
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Irritability and aggressiveness, physical fighting
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Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
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Consistent irresponsibility – no steady work
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Lack of remorse – indifferent to pain caused
Ted Bundy
 Explanations of Deviance
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In Sociology we look for answers outside
individuals, in things like socialization, group
affiliation, conformity, and social class
 Differential Association Theory
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If we associate with deviant individuals, we will become
deviant.
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Families – almost half of jail inmates in the U.S. have a
family member who has served time
●
Why might this be the case?
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Friends, Neighbors, and Subcultures – some
neighborhoods are rough, encouraging a culture of
violence
●
The Code of the Street (Elijah Anderson); you have
to put on a tough façade or you won’t receive
respect
Are any of these guarantees of deviant behavior?
●

●
Ecological fallacy
 Labeling Theory
Do labels have power?
●

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Remember what a status is – a position in a group
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Labels don’t necessarily have to indicate group
membership, but they have a similar form of
power
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Labels become a part of one’s self-concept
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If relevant, labels can propel one towards or away
from deviance
The Saints and the Roughnecks
●

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Recognize this? Anyone done anything similar?
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Do labels really have this much power?
 Rejecting Labels
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Even when engaging in deviant behaviors, people try to
avoid deviant labels.
Some ways of rejecting labels:
●

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Denial of Responsibility – I’m not responsible
because
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Denial of Injury – no one was injured
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Denial of a Victim – they had it coming
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Condemnation of Condemners – hypocrite
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Appeal to Higher Loyalties – had to help friends
Others embrace their labels – e.g., bikers
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 Functionalist Perspective
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Can deviance be functional?
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Clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms
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Promotes social unity
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Promotes social change
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Is this true?
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A good way to think about this – all social groups have deviance:
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Mormon missionaries
– They have very strict rules:
– No TV, dating, swimming
– Some were punished for posing with their shirts off for a
calendar
 Strain Theory
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Sometimes just striving for success can lead to
deviance:
 The Conflict Perspective
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How might the criminal justice system encourage
inequality?
How might it favor those who have wealth and
●

money?
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The basis of our legal system is the right to
own property
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Laws are designed around that right
In a sense, then, the legal system favors those
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who have property

And can function as an instrument of oppression
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 Conflict Perspective
Example of inequality in the law:
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Punishment for dealing drugs – 5 to 10 years
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Punishment for first degree murder – life in prison
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Punishment for stealing billions of dollars,
bankrupting thousands of people and dozens of
businesses, and ruining the lives of hundreds
(including leading to an unknown number of
suicides) – 24 years, 4 months (Jeffrey Skilling of
Enron)
●
Violent crime – more likely to be committed by people in
lower classes – is punished more harshly than white collar
crime
 Crime Statistics
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We’ve talked about what might lead people to
engage in deviant behaviors
●
Now let’s look at a subset of deviance – crime –
via crime statistics…
Violent Crimes per 100,000 in 2007
Forcible Rapes per 100,000 in 2007
Burglary Rates per 100,000 in 2007.
 Populations of Major Cities
Which do you think has 
the highest crime rates?

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
Violent Crime Rates (per 100,000)

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
 Murder Rates (per 100,000)

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
 Rape Rates (per 100,000)

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
Property Crime Rates (per 100,000)

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
 Motor Vehicle Theft Rate (per
100,000)

Source: FBI Crime Data: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html; 2006 data; top two cities, along with
5 large Florida cities and NYC and LA
 Prisons
we lock a lot of people up
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close to 2 million
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1 in 100 citizens
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Most are men

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Disproportionate percentage of minorities

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Prison Population per 100,000 in 2007
Disproportionate Punishments
 Recidivism
68%
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What does this say about our prison system?

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 Capital Punishment
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Is capital punishment an effective deterrent
against crime?
Violent crime rates

Contrast the map of states with the death penalty to the states with 
the highest crime rates.  Does it look effective?
Capital Punishment - Internationally

What other developed countries still have capital punishment?
Why do you think most have abolished it?