Deviance and Crime

Deviance and Crime

• Deviance differs from crime, with crime being a serious form of deviance
• Deviance characteristics depend on location, time, society, society's response, subcultures, or audience, with some acts not always bad
• Social control maintains order for society to function
• Sanctions can be positive, negative, formal, and informal
• Functionalist approach to deviance focuses on how it helps society function, giving deviance a purpose by showing functional norms
• Strain theory suggests deviance arises from a gap between goals and means, leading some to innovation
• Power elite theory explains deviance arises when the elite determines what behavior is deviant, ignoring actions not affecting them
• Conflict theory explains mass incarceration of Blacks and Hispanics as a result of lower class individuals not making the rules, oppressed by the system
• Strain theorists attribute mass incarceration to a lack of means to accomplish goals
• Labeling theory suggests deviance arises when individuals are labeled as such, according to Edwin Lemert
• Primary deviance is not as severe as secondary deviance, which involves internalizing the label
• Differential association theory posits that deviance arises from interactions and learned behaviors

Types of Crime

• Violent offenses vs nonviolent offenses
• Street crime vs corporate crime
• Victimless crimes
• Crime rates may be perceived to be worsening, in reality they are on the decline
• Homicide rates are comparatively higher in the U.S.
• The U.S. criminal justice system includes police, courts, and a correction system (jail)
• Characteristics of the system include:
  • Incarceration rates
  • Racial makeup of prisons
  • Specifically mass incarceration, which peaked in the 2010s and has since decreased, with a decline in the Black prison population

Social Stratification

• Social stratification categorizes people based on ranks
• Factors determining someone's place within stratification includes:
• Wealth
• Income
• Education
• Occupation
• Social Networking
• Lifestyle
• The two stratification systems differ by whether they are closed, with little change in social position, or open, based on achievement
• The caste system in India is a closed system
• Examples of open systems of stratification include class systems and meritocracies

Class and Society

• The upper class in the U.S. is characterized by old and new money
• The middle class in the U.S. is shrinking
• Social mobility types relates to moving up or down in the class system, influenced by structural and individual factors
• About 11.6% of the U.S. population is living in poverty
• Global stratification systems can be compared by GDP
• Davis-Moore thesis explains stratification through the lens of functionalism, suggesting functional roles in society deserve better treatment
• Functionalists see inequality as inevitable
• Conflict theorists believe those at the top create inequality
• Symbolic interactionists study topics related to stratification, such as how social class influences interactions and perceptions

Race and Ethnicity

• Conspicuous consumption involves purchasing expensive items to display status
• Elizabeth Warren is white because she does not have the social qualities to identify as another race
• Race is a social construct
• Race is externally assigned, while ethnicity stems from cultural groupings
• Racial minority groups are defined by power, not numerical size
• Stereotypes are not always negative, but prejudice is always bad, and racism is prejudice plus action
• Racism constitutes prejudice plus power or action
• Colorism is discrimination based on skin color, favoring lighter skin tones
• Color-blind racism involves ignoring or denying the effects of racial inequality
• Institutional/systematic/structural racism is embedded within societal structures and institutions

Intergroup Relations

• There are six different types of intergroup relations between a dominant group and minority groups in society
• Pluralism is represented by the metaphor of a salad bowl, suggesting that cultural differences are celebrated and maintained
• Amalgamation is represented by the metaphor of a melting pot, suggesting different cultures are merged into one
• Assimilation occurs when a minority group adopts the culture of the dominant group
• De jure segregation is segregation enforced by law, while de facto segregation occurs through social and economic factors
• Expulsion is forced removal of a group from a territory
• Genocide is the systematic killing of a group

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

• Sex is biological/physical, while gender is social
• Sex categories are male and female
• Gender categories are men, women, masculine, feminine
• Sexuality includes different types of sexual orientation and expression
• Intersex people are those born with variations in sex characteristics, like Nonbinary (Georgiann)
• Transgender people have a gender identity that does not match their assigned sex at birth
• Gender identity exists on a spectrum and is not a binary system
• LGBTQAI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, intersex
• Sociological study of sexuality covers sexual orientation and behaviors
• Heteronormativity assumes heterosexuality is normal
• LGBTQ people experience discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia, despite progress towards rights and acceptance
• Gender-based socialization occurs through parents, teachers, media, and religion

Sexism and Feminism

• Sexism involves prejudice, stereotypes, or discrimination based on sex, justified by the belief that one sex is superior
• Women are paid less than men, earning only 80% of what men make
• The gender pay gap is caused by:
  • Occupation sorting, where women are expected to become nurses and men mathematicians
  • Motherhood penalty vs fatherhood premium
  • Discrimination in hiring
  • Discrimination in promotion
• Gender-based socialization leads to occupational sorting; women should be nurses, men mathematicians
• Women at childbearing age are less likely to be hired and do not have the same national paternity leave/maternity leave
• A glass ceiling is an invisible barrier preventing women from advancing in their careers, while men have an easier ride to the top via a glass escalator
• The first wave of feminism focused on voting rights
• The second wave focused on the liberation movement, equal pay, and reproductive rights
• The third wave encompassed diverse feminism (Indigenous women) and cultural movements
• A fourth digital wave involved the Me Too movement
• Sex role theory relates to functionalism
• Feminist theory focuses on conflict theory
• Doing gender theory encompasses symbolic interactionalism
• Feminist theory calls for breaking down the patriarchal system
• Doing gender theory suggests that gender is a product of our everyday reactions, shaping definitions of femineity and masculinity