SYG 2000: Lecture 17. Chapter 6: Labeling, Social Class, and Crime
I. Labeling Theory:
A. Outlaw Bikers embrace labels(revel in deviant identity) Mark Watson(1988)did partic obs of
1. outlaw bikers see world: as nasty/weak/effeminate;pride in looking dirty, soc undesirable
2.take pleasure in:provoke shocked reactions to appearance;hold conventional wld in contempt
3. pride themselves: in getting into trouble, laughing at death, treat fem as lesser beings
4. regard themselves as losers: factor becomes woven into their unusual embrace of deviance
B. Power of labels: Saints and Roughnecks: Chambliss holds split vision due to social class
1. dif: Saints come from respectable middle-class fams; Roughnecks from working class fams
2. Saints had autos: did drinking and vandalism out of town
3. Roughtnecks hung out own street corners: where behave offends police/confirms bad rep
4. social class: equipped w/ distinct styles of interaction: Saints apologetic to police/Rough not
5. lived up to labels given by community: all but 1 Saint go col; only 2 Roughnecks go to col
6. labels open/close opportunity:“deviant” way of judging people/can lock out conform groups
II. Functionalist Perspective
A. Durkheim’s surprising conclusion: deviance (including crime) is functional to society
1. deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms: punishing deviants affirms norms
2. deviance promotes social unity: by punishing deviants fosters “we feeling” in group
3. deviance promotes social change: groups do not always agree/some may push beyond
B. Strain theory: How social values produce deviance
1. Functionalists argue:crime is natural part of society;some mainstream values generate crime
2. Cloward and Ohlin (’60) identify
as key prob of
a. so can take over key technical jobs in society
3. some find paths to ed/good jobs blocked: experience strain/frustration; motivate dev path
4. Robert Merton’s strain theory: sense of “anomie”/normlessness; not identify w/ mainstream
5. Because not seem get anywhere: may feel wronged by system & rules seem illegitimate
6. reactions to disjuncture between social acceptable means and goals
a. innovators: accept society’s goals, but use illeg means achieve (drug dealers’ goal wealth)
b. ritualism: cling to conventional rules of conduct, although give up excelling/advancing pos
c. retreatism:reject cultural goals/means of achieving them by drop out;eg drug/alcohol abuse
d. rebellion: reject both goals and institutionalized means, but seek to replace goals w/ new
III. Illegitimate opportunity Structures: social class and crime
A. street crime: school sys often fails poor/leg close off,pick illegitimate opportunity structure
1. “hustler” role model for many poor: 1 few people in area close to attain cult goal of success
2. gangs one way that illeg opportunity struc beckons youth; why crime attracts >poor people
B. white collar crime: crimes that respectable/high SES people commit in course of their occup
1. corporate crime:by execs for corp benefit/e.g. decision Firestone faulty tires stay on vehics
C. gender and crime: growing no. fem offenders