SOC: Deviance and Crime

They are socially constructed and distinct (no universal) - depends on the society we live in. It changes over time. It depends on context (eg. killing in the war is not considered deviant)

Deals with the breaking of norms and violation of an accepted rule or behaviour. What is deviant depends on context. Someone needs to see you do it and identify it as being deviant for you to commit a deviant action.

An orientation that recognizes that what counts as deviant varies through history and across cultures - need to contextualize 

Imposed during face-to-face interaction, can go from mild to stigmatization.

Goffman: people become negatively evaluated due to a marker (that is socially unacceptable) that separates them from others. Spectrum from mild to isolation.

When people break laws that society has deemed important to us. Enforced by officials. 

An act of deviance prohibited by law. Crime recognizes behaviours that have been marked and sanctioned by the state as antisocial behaviour. Spectrum: fine to capital punishment. 

There must be someone who views the crime as deviant for it to be a crime.

Shows how complex deviance and crime is:1. Perceived Social Harm (evaluation of harm)2. The Severity of Social Response3. Degree of Norm (agreement about the norm)-cutting across all of these:1. Social Diversions2. Social Deviation3. Conflict Crimes4. Consensus Crimes

Deviant acts that have little to no harm and consequences.

More serious and sometimes more harmful deviant acts. Punishment usually lies in instinctual sanctions by observers in reaction to the act.

Deviant acts that are widely recognized to be wrong. Little controversy exists over them and the majority of the population agrees that there should be severe punishment.

Deviant acts that the state defines as illegal but society at large is in controversy about whether or not it should be considered illegal. (eg. gay rights)