deviance
behavior that violates significant social norms
stigma
mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society
crimiologists
social scientists who study criminal behavior
Strain theory
theory of deviant behavior that views deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structure of society
anomie
situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable
control theory
theory of deciant behavior in which deviance is seen as a natural occurrence and conformity is seen as the result of social control
cultural transmission theory
theory that views deviance as a learned behavior transmitted through interaction with others
differential association
Proportion of associations a person has with deviant versus non-deviant individuals
techniques of neitralization
suspending moral beliefs to commit deviant acts
labeling theory
theory that focuses on how individuals come to be labeled as deviant
primary deviance
nonconformity undetected by authority in which the individuals who commit deviant acts do not consider themselves to be deviant, and neither does society
secondary deviance
nonconformity that results in the individuals who commit acts of secondary deviance being labeled as deviant and accepting that label as true
degradation ceremony
the process of labeling an individual as deviant
crime
any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law, and is punishable by the government
terrorism
use of threatened or actual violence in the pursuit of political goals
White-collar crime
crime that is committed by an indicidual or individuals of high social status in the course of their professional lives
crime synicate
large-scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or business through violence or the threat of violence
criminal-justice system
the system of police, courts, and corrections
police discretion
the power held by the police officers to decide who is actually arrested
racial profiling
the practice of assuming nonwhite Americans are more likely to commit crimes than white Americans
plea bargaining
process of legal negotiation that allows an accused person to lead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighted sentence
corrections
sanctions- such as imprisonment, parole, and probation- used to punish criminals
recidivism
repeated criminal behavior