Question | Answer |
deviance | behavior that violates significant social norms |
stigma | mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant appart from the rest of society |
criminologist | social scientist that study criminal behavior |
strain theory | theory of diviant begavior 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anomie | situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable |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 deviant 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 tranmitted through interaction with others |
differential association | proportion of associations a person has with deviant versus non-deviant individuals |
techniques of neutralization | suspending moral beliefs to commit deviant acts |
labeling theory | theory that focuses on how individuals come to be labeled as diviant |
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 diviant |
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 individual or individuals of high social status in the course of their professional lives |
crime syndicate | 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 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 plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a lighter sentence |
corrections | sanctions-such as imprisonment, parole, and probation-used to punish criminals |
recidivism | repeated criminal behavior |