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SC1101E

Lect 10/ Wk 11

Deviance, Crime, and


Social Control

Road Map
SA returned from Wk 10
All 4 sets of MTT questions
posted on IVLE
MTT to be returned from Wk 12
Wk 13/ Review Lecture:
Response to your questions, if
any.
Wk 14: Reading Week. Email for
appointment.
Wk 15: Final Exam (50%)

Quick Comments on MTT


Choose a question that you can
tackle confidently.
Deal with the question in front of
you; plan and select relevant
material.
Build up your arguments.
Present them clearly.
It is also helpful if the essay
looks visually appealing.

Final Exam

Closed book
6 Choose 2
No sections
Covers all 11 lecture topics
Questions may straddle topics
2 to 3-pp answers for each
question
Write with passion and
conviction

Key Questions
When is an act or behavior
considered deviant?
What is the difference between
deviance and crime? How is the
difference related to social
control?
What have power and social
conditions got to do with
deviance/crime?
How do we explain

Deviance defined (I)


Straying away from what is deemed to
be acceptable behavior based on the
norms and values (rules, moral
standards) prevailing in a social
context.
Note that moral standards change and
vary through time and space.
Deviance could range from just being
different to serious violation.

Deviance defined (II)


Deviance is not inherent in the act
itself, e.g., killing a person
murder or national service?
Deviance is a matter of social
definition.
Peoplepowerful ones in
particular--decide what constitutes
deviance/crime.

Social Control
Social Control: regulate behavior,
ensure conformity, social order and
stability.
Sanctions:
approved/disapproved
(positive/negative)
Formal/ informal

Deviance and Crime defined


Whats the difference?
Which one is the subset of the other?

CRIME
breaks the
law;
Violation

DEVIANCE
behaviors
which differ
from the
normal

Question:
Is crime deviance?
Is deviance
necessarily a crime?

Deviance and Crime defined: a range


Hagan (1977)

Social
diversions
MINOR
(cf.
folkwa
ys)

Social
deviations
Conflict
crimes

SERIOU
S (cf.
taboos)

Consensus
crimes

A word about power


Powerful people/groups are in a better
position to label others, and ensure that
the labels stick.
They can impose norms and enact laws.
But note that power can be challenged.
An alternative power structure could
emerge.

What we want theories to


do?
motivational theories constraint theories
Explain why people
deviate or commit
crimes within social
contexts

Explain the connection


between social factors
(e.g., power relations) and
patterns of deviance/crime

Durkheims Functionalist Theory


Strain Theory
Labeling Theory
Subcultural Theory
Conflict Theory
Learning Theory
(e.g., Differential
Association Theory)

Durkheims Functionalist Theory


Deviance is functional.
Society creates deviants to affirm
cultural norms and values, and clarify
moral boundaries.
Promotes social cohesion.
Encourages social change: Todays
deviance is tomorrows morality.

Mertons Strain Theory (1938,


1968)
Opportunity structure characterized
by unequal access to cultural goals.
Strain between cultural goals and
lack of legitimate means.
Produces 5 possible responses, 4 of
which are deviant.

Strain Theory:
Possible responses
Legitimate Means
accept

reject

Cultura acce
l
pt
Goals

Conformity

Innovation
(turning to
crime)

rejec
t

Ritualism
(follow the
rule)

Retreatism
(drop-out,
unconventiona
l)

New Goals

New Means

Rebellion
(support
alternatives)

Subcultural Theory
Cohen (1955), Cloward and Ohlin (1960)
Access to Illegitimate opportunity structure-deviant/criminal subcultures.
Conflict subcultures: engage in violence out
of frustration and a desire for respect (to be
somebody; to display nerve)
Retreatist subcultures: drug, alcohol abuse.
Techniques of neutralization: justification.
A paradox: conformity to subculture.

Learning Theory
Becoming a marijuana users (Becker,
1962); Differential Association
Theory (Sutherland, 1939)
Contact with deviant groups, which
could be class-based.
Deviance is learned through face-toface interaction and socialization.

Labeling Theory
What constitutes deviance depends on how
others (powerful people, authority figures)
respond to the action.
Lemert (1951, 1972):
Primary deviance: passing episodes of
violation with no effect on the persons selfconcept.
Secondary deviance: labeling may lead a
person to take on a deviant identity. Selffulfilling prophecy.
Label comes with a stigma (negative), which
operates as a master status, an overriding

Process: From primary to secondary


deviance
Behavior

Not
Noticed

Noticed

Labeled as a
Violation
Norms
Apply
Sanction

Not
Sanctioned

Not
Labeled

Control Theory
Hirschi and Gottfredson (1969)
Control is necessary to ensure
conformity to norms/laws.
Differential degree/effectiveness of
socialization and/or self-control
explains gender, age, marital status
differences in criminal behavior.

Conflict Theory
All norms and laws generally reflect
the interests of the rich and powerful.
Powerful people have the resources
to resist deviant labels.
Widespread belief that norms and
laws are natural and good masks
their political character.

Deviance and Capitalism


Capitalism is based on private property.
Theft=crime.
Capitalism depends on productive labor.
Unemployed=deviant. Welfare
recipient=free-loaders.
Capitalism depends on respect for
authority figures.
Insubordination=deviant/crime.
People who challenge the capitalist
order=radicals.

Moral Panic (I)


First used in 1972 by Stanley Cohen.
Mary DeYoung (1998) on The Case
of Satanic Day Care Centers.
How did moral panic arise? Social
Strain.
Moral entrepreneurs went through
the process of constructing deviance:
generate awareness, make claims,
testifies as experts, disseminate
information through media.

Moral Panic (II)


Who benefits? Media, crime
prevention and punishment industry,
criminal justice system, politicians.
Who suffers? Day-care providers
labeled as folk devils. Demonization.
What have we learned? Fearful
response; Unfounded allegations;
Distortion and exaggeration.

Parting Shots
Depends on social context, can differ across
time and space.
Not the act itself, but how it is viewed.
Power is a key dimension: enacting laws,
labeling violators.
Where is the Social? opportunity structure,
social environment, learning process,
socialization, power relations, type of society.
A puzzle: How can we explain rising prison
population (moral panic) in the face of declining
crime rates (aging population, abortion)?

Thank you.

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