Chapter 8: Deviance and Social Control

These next couple things are an example of what? a) continuously talking to oneself in public, b) drag racing on public streets or highways, c) regularly using illegal drugs, d) a man wearing woman's clothing, and e) attacking another person with a weapon. All of these are things that people don't expect to see in public. It is not considered “normal” to do any of the above five things.

Behavior that violates significant social norms is called deviance. The above five things are forms of deviance. A stigma is a mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society. The social functions of deviance are the classifying of norms, unifying a group, diffusing tension, promoting social change, and providing jobs. Criminologists are the social scientists who study criminal behavior. Strain theory views deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structure of society. Anomie is the situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable. Strain theory and anomie are part of the functionalist perspective. Conflict theorists believe that competition and social inequality lead to deviance. Control theory explains deviance as a natural occurrence. Cultural transmission theory explains deviance as a learned behavior. The concept of differential association refers to the frequency and closeness of associations a person has with deviant and non-deviant individuals. Techniques of neutralization act as a block on the controls that discourage deviant behavior. Labeling theory focuses on how individuals come to be identified as deviant. Primary deviance is nonconformity that goes undetected by those in authority. Secondary deviance results in the individual being labeled as deviant is usually accompanied by what Harold Garfinkel called a degradation ceremony. Control theory, cultural transmission theory, and the ones below them are all part of the interactionist perspective.

A crime is any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law, and punishable by the government. There are five main categories of crime. Violent crimes consist of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Crimes against property consists of burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Victimless crimes consist of prostitution, illegal gambling, illegal drug use, and vagrancy. White-collar crimes are those of individuals of high social status in the course of their professional lives and commit crimes like misrepresentation, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, price fixing, toxic pollution, insider trading, and political corruption. Lastly is organized crimes like drug trafficking, illegal gambling, unfair labor practices, hijacking of merchandise, and loan-sharking. A crime syndicate is a large-scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or business through violence or the threat of violence. Once a crime has been committed and reported, it falls under the jurisdiction of the criminal-justice system. The power to decide who is actually arrested by the police is referred to as police discretion. Many people charge that the high rate of arrests among African Americans is a result of police use of racial profiling. After the police, and a person is arrested, they go to court. Plea bargaining is the process of legal negotiation that allows an accused person to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentence. The sanctions used to punish criminals are called corrections. There are four major functions of the corrections: retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and social protection. Recidivism is the term for repeated criminal behavior. The juvenile-justice system is for juveniles, or offenders under 18. this system is like the criminal-justice system but less harsh for the people are not adults yet.

So as we can see deviance can have consequences. Deviance can cause people to do things that are unacceptable and cause them to go to jail for small amounts of time or for life. It is wise to think about what you do before you do it in order to not cause trouble in the future.