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Unit 3 Lecture 1: Deviance
I. Deviance (def.): breaking social norms; going against established rules of behavior; contradicting cultural values
- Two perspective of deviance: absolutist versus relative
- Deviance is relative
- what was once considered deviant may be no longer considered deviant
- the definition of deviant behavior may vary by group or culture ("sting" operations are illegal in the Mexican legal system)
- persons involved in behavior considered deviant may not identify themselves as deviant (e.g., undocumented immigrants)
- sometimes government institutions and officials become deviant themselves! (illegal wiretappings, police assaulting residents, racial profiling--DWB, sterilization of poor women)
- Labeling theory--the creation of deviance by defining acts and groups as deviant (e.g., at one time dancing rock-n-roll was considered deviant)
- primary deviance--the act of breaking a norm
- secondary deviance--labeling behavior may cause persons to turn to more deviant behavior
II. Crime Statistics (Statistical Abstract, 1999)
|
1990 |
1995 |
1997 |
1998 |
Violent Crimes per 100,000 People |
732 |
685 |
611 |
566 |
Murders, Manslaughter (1,000) |
23.4 |
21.6 |
18.2 |
16.9 |
Prisoners (1,000) |
740 |
1085 |
1192 |
1302 |
Criminal Justice Paradox: crime is decreasing and the number of prisoners is increasing.
Some reasons:
- zero tolerance and tough-on-crime approaches to deterring crime
- prison/detention has become a lucrative industry
- in just five years (1990-1995) the number of facilities holding 1,000 or more prisoners increased by 71%, from 211 to 360 (Statistical Abstract, 1998).
- some counties make money by renting their jails
Other factors:
- Over 90% of federal and State prisoners are males, though in 1990-1995 the number of female prisoners increased faster (56%) than the number of male prisoners (42%).
Illegal drugs
- In 1996, 11.4 million were arrested in the United States, and of these 1.2 million (11%) were arrested for drug abuse violations
- drug arrest rate jumped by 118% between 1980 and 1996
States and cities with highest and lowest violent crime rates in 1996:
State with highest violent crime rate:
- Florida (1,051 per 100,000 people)
State with lowest violent crime rate:
- North Dakota (84 violent crimes per 100,000)
Large city with highest violent crime rate:
- Newark, NJ (3,345 per 100,000)--this amounts to about one violent crime per hour 24 hours a day for a whole year
Large city with lowest violent crime rate:
- Honolulu, HI (313 per 100,000)
Houston = 1,267 per 100,000--this averages to 2.5 violent crimes per hour 24 hours a day for the whole year
III. Hate Crimes
(def.) crimes committed against a person, property or society because the target is identified with a certain group or culture.
In 1999, 7,876 hate crime incidents were reported by the FBI
III. Hate Crimes (see table)
|
Recorded Incidents in 1999 |
Population in 1997 (mil) |
International migration 1990-1997 |
California |
1,949 |
32 |
1,789,000 |
New York |
590 |
18 |
841,000 |
Texas |
262 |
19 |
598,000 |
III. Theories of Deviance
Early (and sometimes enduring) theories:
Theories of supernatural/demonic possesion
- the believe is that people may become deviant if they are affected by, or gain powers from, supernatural sources (persons thought to be witches were burned to death or drowned)
- this is a current believe of some ethnic and religious subcultures today
- as recently as today, lawyers in the state of Oklahoma are pursuing a lawsuite on behalf of an high school student suspended 15 days for allegedly casting a magic spell on an assistant school principal where she attends school
- ideas of evil and demonic possession remain popular today and attract millions of movie-goers to such shows as "The Exorcist" and the "Blair Witch Project"; pagan and satanic cults exist in some U.S. areas
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