SOCI 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: General Social Survey, Criminology
12 Jun 2018
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Chapter 12, deviance and crime
Deviance: is the violation of social norms, because deviance involves
norms, which are culturally defined, understanding deviance requires
understanding social context.
5 characteristics of deviance
1. Deviance is linked to time
- Norms- and thus definitions of deviance change over time
2. Deviance is linked to cultural values
- Norms are based on values – thus deviance is also a kind of moral
violation
3. Deviance is linked to cultural universal
- All societies have norms, and there are always some people who
will break them
4. Deviance is a social construct
- Nothing is inherently deviant- each society determines its own
norms and values, and they can change over time
5. Deviance is related to social power
- Because deviance is socially constructed, there is always the
question of who gets to decide what is deviant
Crime: is the violations of norms that have been written into law
Crime rates: measures the volume of crime reported to the police
Crime rates are difficult to measure and exclude
1. Crimes that go undetected
2. Crimes that are not reported
To get the most accurate rates criminologist in Canada use two major
sources
1. Uniform crime reporting survey (UCR) Official police statistics of
reported crimes, measures the incidence of crime using police
statistics of reported crimes gathered from police reports and
paperwork
2.General social survey- victimization (GSS) measures crime
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Deviance: is the violation of social norms, because deviance involves norms, which are culturally defined, understanding deviance requires understanding social context. 5 characteristics of deviance: deviance is linked to time. Norms- and thus definitions of deviance change over time: deviance is linked to cultural values. Norms are based on values thus deviance is also a kind of moral violation: deviance is linked to cultural universal. All societies have norms, and there are always some people who will break them: deviance is a social construct. Nothing is inherently deviant- each society determines its own norms and values, and they can change over time: deviance is related to social power. Because deviance is socially constructed, there is always the question of who gets to decide what is deviant. Crime: is the violations of norms that have been written into law. Crime rates: measures the volume of crime reported to the police.
