Mala in se
acts that are universally immoral or wrong in themselves (murder, rape, robbery-all cultures)
Mala prohibita
acts that are evil b/c society defines it as such (>1 wife, traffic laws, prostitution)
Consensus theory
- deviant acts are deviant b/c society thinks they are
- individual freedom is given up for community
Emile Durkheim
Anomie - normlessness
deviance is normal (4) functions:
- affirms values & norms
- clarifies moral boundaries
- promotes social unity
- encourages social change
Conflict theory part 1 (Karl Marx)
- punishment is a way to enhance power of upper class
- capitalists are driven to maximizing profits & exploiting workers
- JD comes as a result of conflict between 2+ groups
Conflict theory part 2 (Karl Marx)
- this conflict is most often economic & tied to power (crime is a means to redistribute wealth)
- minority groups may feel oppressed by legal system
- JD can be viewed as function of acting out against those in conflicting groups
Contemporary perspectives on punishment
- conservatives: get tough & stop babying kids
- liberals: treatment not punishment
Classical World view
humans have free will and are responsible for their actions, society functions under a social contrast: everyone gives up certain freedoms, advocates deterrence & incapacitation
Lombroso
examined shape of criminal skulls (phrenology), a pathologist who worked on cadavers, found that criminals have high cheekbones, lg jaws, & prominent brow ridges, very tall, bad complexions, earlier stages of evolution, he didn’t have a representative sample, study was replicated by Goring & he found no difference
Causes of crime & delinquency due to body types (William Sheldon)
biological theories - criminal genes
- endomorph - soft, fat, easygoing
- mesomorph - athletic, muscular, aggressive
- ectomorph - thin, delicate, shy, introverted
Twin studies
hereditary (concordance) studies - identical twins are more likely to demonstrate concordance (both twins have criminal records) than fraternal twins, chances:
- 50% identical twins
- 20% fraternal twins
Ernest Hooten organic inferiority
advocated eugenics to stop crime (eu = good)
Hooten - criminals have narrow set eyes, irregular shaped ears, & long necks
Other possibilities to explain JD
- XXY man - chromosomal abnormality (XY= normal male, XX= normal female)
- brain dysfunction
- hormonal imbalance
- orthomolecular imbalance - poisonings
- influence of sugar & caffeine
- Flint MI
Freud: the self
socialization is full of conflict w/ 3 forces:
- id: biological drives - physical pleasure… personality of newborn is all id
- ego: choice making, rational part of self… develop realistic strategy to satisfy id’s demands… can be weak compared to strong id
- superego: person’s conscience moral standards from parents & society… superego may punish through guilt, demands often oppose id
Strain theories - Robert Merton
society induced strain forces people to engage in deviant activities b/c of importance that society places on success
Strain theories: types, goals, means, example
- conformists - goal: +, means: +, (law abiders)
- innovators: goal: +, means: -, (drug dealers)
- ritualists: goal: -, means: +, (bureaucrat)
- retreatists: goal: -, means: -, (homeless person)
- rebels: goal: -/+, means: -/+ (KKK/paramilitary groups)
Albert Cohen- Middle Class schools account for lower class delinquency
- American society is consistent in success goals
- most delinquent are lower class males
- lower class boys can’t compete in middle class schools
- feel rejection - adaptation/reaction formation
Learning theory: Edwin Sutherland - differential association theory
- criminal behavior is learned in interaction w/other in intimate social groups
- learning includes techniques, motives, rationalizations, & attitudes
Travis Hirschi - Social bonds
if we have strong bonds to society, we will not be deviant, weak bonds mean deviance
4 ways individuals can bond themselves to society
- attachment: strong social attachments encourage conformity (1st attachment-parent)
- commitment - more 1 person receives legitimate opportunity the greater the advantages of conformity
- involvement - extensive involvement in legitimate activities inhibits deviance
- belief - strong belief in conventional society lessens deviance
Edwin Lemert-
initial causes of deviance are vast; criminologists should concern themselves w/how societal reaction to initial behavior transforms a normal individual into a deviant
Primary deviance
initial behavior which an individual (deviant) does not define as deviant
Secondary deviance
person’s life & identity become organized around facts of deviance which results from adoption of deviant role through labeling… self-fulfilling prophecy
