Course Code: HUM203 Course Title: Sociology Lecture / Week No: Crime and Deviance
Course Code: HUM203 Course Title: Sociology Lecture / Week No: Crime and Deviance
Course Code: HUM203 Course Title: Sociology Lecture / Week No: Crime and Deviance
Deviance
Violation of Rules or Norms
Crime
Violation of Norms as Laws
Stigma
Blemishes on “Normal” Identity
There is a difference between Crime & Deviance
• Deviance - a violation of social norms that define appropriate behavior
under a particular set of circumstances
• Crime – conduct in violation of a criminal law of a state, the federal
government, or of a local jurisdiction for which there is no legally acceptable
justification or excuse
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Functionalist Perspective
• Strain Theory
• Robert Merton (1910-2003)
• Deviance is the product of a disjuncture between the
culturally prescribed goals of a society and the
legitimate(legal) means for their achievement
• Deviant behavior is an ordinary response to prevailing
structural conditions
• When there is a cultural emphasis on achievement there is
pressure to succeed at any cost
Table 7.1 here
Street Crime
White-collar/Occupational Crime
Corporate
Organized
Political
White-Collar and Corporate Crime
White-collar crimes: Crimes that take place within the business and
corporate sector, such as false advertising, unfair labor practices, and
embezzlement(misuse).
Although street crime is often assumed to be a more serious social
problem, white-collar crimes actually cost more and affect a wider public.
• Violent Crime • Property Crime
• Murder • Burglary
• Robbery • Larceny/Theft
• Aggravated(forced) • Vehicle Theft
• Assault(beating) • Arson(fire starting)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Control Theory By Walter Reckless