society and crime: sociological theories- confict theory of devianceo deviance is a deliberate choice and often political in natureo who makes the rules?o which group has more control over laws and the porcess of making laws?o how does society preserve the imbalance of power?- Control theoryo Criminals are rational actors who try to maximize their rewards unless social or physical controls make it impossibleo Everyone is a criminal under the right circumstanceso Travis Hirschi (1969) Social Bonding Theory Strong bonds provide social controls that prevent deviance- Social Bonding Theory1. Attachment Close ties to others (familes, friends) Tends to be the most important2. Commitment Stake in conformity3. Involvement Activities that promote interest in society4. Belief Endorse conventional norms and values of societyTypes of crime Violent crime: illegal act committed against a pers0noo Murder, robbery, forcible rape, assault Nonviolent crime: illegal act committed against propertyo Burglary, larceny, theft, arson, auto theft Uniform Crime Reports (UCR): o UCR data comes from official police statistics of reported crimes and is collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)o The UCR crime index uses eight major offenses to measure crime Four are violent crimes: homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault The other four are property crimes: burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)o One of the nation’s largest ongoing household surveyso Calculates how many violent and nonviolent crimes U.S. residents aged 12 and older experience each yearo The survey reaches nearly 70,000 households in the U.S. and reports higher rates of crime than the UCR. o Supports the rule of thumb that about half of the crimes committed in the United States go unreported.  Criminologists (sociologists who study crime) often use both UCR and NVCS data UCR data is useful as a source of reliable and timely statistics on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies nationwide NCVS data is useful as a source for information on the characteristics  Youth and Crimeo 30% of offenders arrested for crimes in 2008 were under 21 years oldo Arrests peak around age 18 or 19 for both males and females, but decline thereaftero This demographic factor is the most important aspect in predicting the rise and fall of crime rates in the U.S. o The type of crime correlates to the age of those most likely to commit it. Historically, crime is a male-dominated activityo 77% of people arrested are men, as are 90% of the inmates in the U.S. state and federal prisonso Statistics are most startling because men make up less than half the population in the United states Differences are fluido The number of female inmates in the U.S. is growing steadily Bureau of Justice Statisticso 1.2% increase in number of incarcerated women o Number of incarcerated males only increased by 0.7% Gender and crimeo Male and female crime rates “chivalry thesis”- criminal justice system respond differently to women and are perceived as less threatening  “Gender Contract”- there are certain things expected from each sex, women play this “need for protection” and use hormones as excuseso Crimes against women Domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape About 1 in 4of all women will be victims of a violent crime at some point in their lives Gradualy public policy and attitudinal changes since 1970s Many crimes go unreported Raceo The relationship between race and crime is very controversial More so than any other demographico Due to a long history of racial inequality in the US Many questions can be raised regarding the legitimacy of the statisticso African Americans represent approximately 12% of the population Yet account for 27% of arrests in the US and about 40% of the prison populationo Minorities hold more negative views of police and the criminal justice system than whites More likely to be victims of police brutality More likely to perceive police actions as racially motivatedo Criminologists suggest that statistics may be skewed due to the practice of racial profiling-The act of using race to determine whether a person is likely to have committed a crimeo No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the american criminal justice system, author david cole Although 95% of residents in florida county were white, 70% of drivers stopped by the police were african american and latino The findings given support to the claim that “driving while black” is considered a criminal offense in some areas Minorities tend to be poorer and may live in neighborhoods where crime is more frequent- Such areas also attract more police surveillance Socioeconomic Statuso Social class can be linked to crimeo There is a direct correlation between those caught and lower social classo Author Jeffrey Reiman More crimes are reported in deprived areas due to the fact that poor people are easier to catch and convict and lack access to same resources that the affluent have- In every step of the criminal justice system, the wealthy are weeded out by a system of:o Bail, public defenders, and plea bargains that all work in their favor White-collar crimeCorporate crime Offenses committed by large corporateso Administrative, enrvironmental, financial, labor, manufacting, and unfair trade, etc.o Culture&Society Money as a measure of success “culture of competition” The drive to win at any cost Psychopathic wealtho The post war generation was chracterized by patient wealtho Psychopathic: persons intensely selfish, conspicuously lacking in humanempathy, and dispositionally unable to delay gratification $100 million-healthcare fraud Who pays for white collar crimeo Victimso Consumerso