SOC-Lecture-5

What is Deviance, social control & crime

By Rajmoni Singha, PhD (Australia)

 Deviance (Richard 2012, p. 159-176)
Deviance is a behavior that is contradictory to
standard code of conduct
Contradictory behavior against the expectation of a
group or society
Deviance is a violation of group norms (legalized or
not yet)
Criminal behavior (some are not subject to
prosecution)
 Deviance and social stigma
Deviant identity can take in many forms due to physical or behavioral reasons.
They are identified in the following ways:
 A rapist with a picture in the newspapers or in the police station
 A chip in anklet (under parole or monitoring by law force agency)
 Ex-convict
 Drug addict

Positive symbol:
 Wedding ring
 Institutional badge
 Rank badge
 Deviance and Technology
 Piracy products from internet
• Music
• Software
• Writing items
• Hate speech/communal message spreading
 Controlling of digital technology
Digital security act
Piracy act
Public security act
Monitoring terrorism/sentimental writing
Penalty and prosecution system
 Social control
Social control is a systems and policies to avoid
deviant human behavior in a society.
Social control applies on all classes of society
For example: Each family has a system of rules for
how to behave with family members
College/University: Has their own rules for students
State: Legislation to enforce social norms
 Further on social control
Law enforcement agencies: Police
Awareness of laws, acts, and punishment
Define norms how to behave at work, friends,
colleagues
Challenges:
People behave against the norms: Based on
gender, race, color, religion, and nationality
 Social control
1. Conformity and obedience
Two levels of social control by Social Psychologist Stanley
Milgram:
 The Milgram experiment: Going along with friends/peers
(no direction), but obedience means: maintain a rank in
a hierarchical structure

 Reflecting on the Milgram experiment:

• People are eager to obey authority figures (p. 162).
 Social control
Informal social control: Smiles, laughter, raised
eyebrows, slapping, kicking, and ridicule.

Formal social control: Police, judicial, academic

administrators, and employers.
 Law and society
 Murder and killing (Prohibition by the State and law)
 Fishing and Hunting (A particular type of law set by relevant Dept. and
State)
 Corporate law for Tax and VAT (set by the relevant Dept. & State)
 Laws required and passed it to control the society
Controversial law:
• Illegal immigrant should be allowed to stay
• Marijuana should be allowed to use or not
• Alcohol drinking in the public/age/culture
 Crime
It is a violation of criminal law: The State enforces
formal penalties
 Types of crime
 Victimless crime: Excess drinking (abuse family members), gambling (stealing),
drugs, professional crime (personal and property damage)
 Professional crime: Choose as a profession (develop training techniques and
achieve a level/status among the criminals)
 Organized crime: Collective work and carry out illegal activities (as mentioned
above). They have networks, territory, price lists for crime, and conflict
themselves.
 White-collar and Technological-based crime: Tax evasion, stock manipulation,
consumer fraud, bribery, money laundering, misleading advertisement
 Hate crime: Based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, personal characteristic
 Transnational crime: Across countries (multinational): Trafficking, drugs, and
money laundering.
Reference: (Richard 2012, p. 159-176)