Deviance and Crime Theories

Deviance and Crime

• Deviance differs from crime, a serious form of deviance constitutes a crime.
• Characteristics of deviance are dependent on location, time, society, societal response, subcultures, and audience
• Social control maintains social order and function.
• Sanctions can be positive, negative, formal, and informal.
• Deviance serves a purpose by highlighting how society should function
• Functionalists focus on society functioning as intended.

Strain, Power Elite, Conflict, and Labeling Theories

• Strain theory suggests deviance arises from a gap between goals and means, leading some individuals to become criminals through innovation.
• Power elite theory posits that deviance arises when the elite determine what behavior is considered deviant, often overlooking behaviors that do not affect them.
• Conflict theory explains mass incarceration of minorities in the U.S. by noting that minorities are often in the lower class and are subject to rules made by the dominant group.
• Strain theorists view mass incarceration as a result of minorities lacking legitimate means to achieve goals.
• Labeling theory suggests deviance arises when individuals are labeled as such, leading to further deviance. Edwin Lemert is associated with this theory.
• Primary deviance is not as severe as secondary deviance, which occurs when deviance becomes a label.

Types of Crime and the U.S. Criminal Justice System

• Different types of crime include violent/nonviolent, street crime/corporate crime, and victimless crimes.
• Crime rates have generally decreased since the 1990s, although many people incorrectly believe they have increased.
• The U.S. has comparatively higher homicide rates than other countries.
• The three branches of the U.S. criminal justice system are police, courts, and the correction system (jail).
• Characteristics of the U.S. criminal justice system include high incarceration rates and disproportionate racial representation in prisons. Mass incarceration peaked in the 2010s but has since declined.

Social Stratification

• Social stratification categorizes people based on ranks.
• Factors determining an individual's place within stratification are varied.
• Closed systems have limited change in social position, while open systems are based on achievement.
• Examples of closed systems of stratification include the caste system in India.
• The upper class has old money and new money.
• The middle class in the U.S. is shrinking.
• Poverty in the U.S. is constant at 11.6%.
• Davis-Moore thesis explains that functionalism means deserving better societal treatment for functional roles.
• Functionalists view stratification as inevitable.
• Conflict theorists view stratification as created by those at the top.
• Symbolic interactionists study various topics regarding stratification.
• Conspicuous consumption involves people buying expensive things to show off their status.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is socially constructed, and is based on how others define you, while ethnicity is based on cultural grouping.
• Racial minority groups are defined not by numbers but by power.
• Stereotypes are not always negative, but prejudice is always negative, and racism is prejudice with action.
• Institutional/systematic/structural racism is a form of racism.
• Pluralism is represented by the metaphor of a salad bowl.
• Amalgamation is represented by the metaphor of a melting pot.

Sex and Gender

• Sex is biological/physical, while gender is social.
• Categories of sex are male and female.
• Categories of gender are men/women and masculine/feminine.
• Gender identity is a spectrum, not a binary system.
• LGBTQAI stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual,
• Sociological study of sexuality includes sexual orientation and sexual behaviors.
• Heteronormativity means that hetero is normal for society
• LGBTQ people face discrimination but have also made progress in contemporary U.S. society.
• Gender-based socialization occurs through family, teachers, media, and religion.

Sexism and Feminism

• Sexism is prejudice or action based on the belief that one sex is superior.
• Women tend to be paid less than men (approximately 80% of what men make.)
• Causes of the gender pay gap include occupation sorting (job segregation), motherhood penalty vs. fatherhood premium, discrimination in hiring, and discrimination in promotion.
• Gender-based socialization leads to occupational sorting.
• The motherhood penalty refers to women being less likely to be hired when of childbearing age
• A glass ceiling is an invisible barrier in a job that women face, while men have an easy ride to the top (glass escalator).
• The first wave of feminism focused on voting rights.
• The second wave included the liberation movement, equal pay, and reproductive rights.
• The third wave emphasized diverse feminism (Indigenous women) and cultural movements.
• The fourth wave is digital, including the Me Too movement.
• Sex role theory (functionalism), feminist theory (conflict theory), and doing gender theory (symbolic interactionism) explain gender stratification.
• Feminist theory explains that breaking down the patriarchal system is needed to address gender stratification.
• Gender is a product of our everyday reactions and how we define femineity and masculinity per doing gender theory.