Deviance and Crime Sociology

Deviance and Crime

• Deviance differs from crime, with crime being a serious form of deviance
• Deviance characteristics depend on location, time, society, response, subcultures and audience
• Acts of deviance aren't always negative
• Social control maintains order in society
• Sanctions can be positive, negative, formal, and informal
• Functionalists see deviance as serving a purpose by showing how society should function

Deviance Theories

• Strain theory suggests deviance arises from the gap between goals and means, leading to innovation in criminals
• Power elite theory posits the elite determine what is deviant
• Actions not affecting the elite are considered less deviant
• Conflict theory links mass incarceration of minorities to their disadvantaged position
• Strain theorists attribute minority incarceration to a lack of means
• Labeling theory suggests deviance increases when individuals are labeled as such
• Primary deviance is less severe
• Secondary deviance occurs when primary deviance becomes a label
• Differential association theory explains deviance arising from interactions and learned behaviors

Crime Types and Statistics

• Crime types include violent, nonviolent, street, corporate, and victimless crimes
• Crime rates have decreased since the 1990s, contrary to popular perception
• Homicide rates are comparatively higher in the U.S. than other countries
• The U.S. criminal justice system has three branches: police, courts, and corrections (jail).
• Mass incarceration peaked in the 2010s and has since declined, affecting the Black population

Social Stratification

• Social stratification categorizes people based on ranks
• Factors determining individual stratification include various social and economic elements
• Stratification systems vary between closed and open
• Closed systems have little change in social position
• Open systems are based on achievement
• The caste system in India exemplifies a closed system
• Examples of open systems are class systems and meritocracies

Social Class

• The upper class in the U.S. is characterized by old and new money
• The middle class in the U.S. is shrinking
• Types of the stratification; whether there is upward or downward movement within the class system is social mobility
• The poverty rate in the U.S. is 11.6%
• Davis-Moore thesis explains stratification by arguing functional roles deserve better treatment

Perspectives on Stratification

• Functionalists view inequality as inevitable
• Conflict theorists see stratification as created by those at the top
• Symbolic interactionists study various topics related to social stratification
• Conspicuous consumption involves buying expensive items to display status

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is socially constructed
• Race is assigned by others, while ethnicity is based on cultural grouping
• Racial minority groups are defined not by numbers but by power
• Stereotypes can be positive or negative
• Prejudice is always negative, while racism is prejudice with action
• Colorism refers to prejudice based on skin color
• Color-blind racism ignores racial disparities
• Institutional racism is systemic and structural

Intergroup Relations

• There are six types of intergroup relations between dominant and minority groups
• Pluralism is represented by the salad bowl metaphor
• Amalgamation is represented by the melting pot metaphor
• Assimilation involves adopting the dominant culture
• De jure segregation is segregation by law
• De facto segregation is segregation in practice
• Expulsion involves forced removal
• Genocide involves systematic killing of a group

Demographic Groups

• Considerations regarding Native Americans
• Considerations regarding African Americans
• Considerations regarding Asian Americans
• Considerations regarding White Americans
• Considerations regarding Hispanics

Gender and Sexuality

• Sex is biological, while gender is social
• Categories of sex are male and female
• Categories of gender are men, women, masculine and feminine
• Sexuality includes various types of sexual orientations
• Intersex people have ambiguous biological sex characteristics
• Transgender people's gender does not match their assigned sex at birth
• Gender identity exists on a spectrum
• LGBTQAI stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, Intersex and Allies
• Sociological studies of sexuality include sexual orientation and behaviors
• Heteronormativity assumes heterosexuality is normal
• LGBTQ people still face discrimination, despite progress
• Gender-based socialization occurs through family, school, media, and religion

Sexism and Gender Inequality

• Sexism involves prejudice based on sex
• The gender pay gap shows women earn less (80% of men's earnings)
• Causes of the gender pay gap include occupation sorting, motherhood penalty, and discrimination
• Gender-based socialization leads to occupational sorting
• The motherhood penalty affects women's hiring during childbearing years
• A glass ceiling is a barrier to advancement
• A glass escalator allows men to rise to the top quickly
• Differing waves of feminism through history
• Sex role theory (functionalism) explains gender stratification
• Feminist theory (conflict theory) explains gender stratification
• Doing gender theory (symbolic interactionism) explains gender stratification
• Feminist theory seeks to dismantle the patriarchal system
• Doing gender theory sees gender as a product of everyday interactions defining femininity and masculinity