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Chapter 7: Crime and Deviance

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Deviance: violation of social norms

Agents of Social Control: informal and formal groups that control the behavior of members of society

Informal Social control: individuals and groups that unofficially reinforce social norms

Formal social control: groups and organizations whose specific function is to control the behavior of members of societies and reinforce social norms

Social Stigma: a label associating an individual with a set of unwanted characteristics that form a stereotype

Myth: Most social stigmas disappear over time

Labeling Theory: Individuals labeled as deviant are more likely to act on the label

Primary Deviance: violations of norms that do not result in being labeled as deviant

Secondary Deviance: norm violations that result in being publicly labeled as a deviant and outsider

Tertiary Deviance: normalizing deviant behavior by labeling it as nondeviant

Differential Association Theory: a process by which individuals learn deviant and criminal behavior from associating with deviants and criminals

Crime: an offense in violation of public law

Social Control Theory: individuals who do not have enough strong social bonds are more likely to feel disconnected from society and engage in deviance and crime

Attachment: the family is the attachment source, as parents provide support and teach children socially acceptable behavior

Belief: the level of acceptance of the social values of society

Commitment: an individual\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s focus on achieving socially accepted goals such as high school or college degree and a high-status job

Involvement: participation in conventional activities that lead to socially accepted goals

Containment Theory: individuals have various social controls that provide a protective barrier to help them to resist engaging in deviant and criminal behavior

The labeling theory: ignores individual acts of deviance and the process that leads to deviant acts

Structural strain theory: social structures can promote crime and deviance among individuals within a society

White-Collar Crime: nonviolent and financially motivated crime

Incarceration rate: the number of people in state and federal prisons

Violent crime: a crime in which a person is physically harmed or threatened by a forceful behavior of another

Property crime: the taking or destruction of another person\’s property without use or threat of violence

Public Order crime: crimes that violate the norms and standards of a community or impair a person\’s ability to function

Corporate Crime: a crime committed by a business or an individual on behalf of the business

Organized crime: Crimes or illegal activities committed by members of a gang, the mafia, or the mob

Political Crime: action or the absence of action that influences the political process