| Question | Answer |
| deviance | behavior that violates significant social norms. |
| stigma | a mark of disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society. |
| criminologists | the social scientists who study criminal behavior. |
| strain theory | views deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values,norms,and structure of society. |
| anomie | the situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or no longer applicable. |
| control theory | explains deviance as a natural occurrence |
| cultural transmission theory | explains deviance as a learned behavior. |
| differential association | refers to the frequency and closeness of associations a person has with deviant and nondeviant individuals. |
| techniques of neutralization | suspending moral beliefs to commit deviant acts |
| labeling theory | focuses on how individuals come to be labeled as deviant. |
| primary deviance | noncomformity that goes undetermined by those in authority |
| secondary deviance | noncomformity that results in the individuals who commit acts of secondary deviance being labeled as deviant and accepting that label as true. |
| degradation ceremony | the proccess of labeling an individual as deviant. |
| Robert K. Merton | developed the strain theory |
| Richard Quinney | a conflict theorist says that the ruling classes label any behavior that threatens their power base as deviant |
| Travis Hirschi | a leading control theorist who believes that people develop strong social bonds in four ways |
| Edwin Sutherland | proposed the concept of differential association and suggested that the learning of deviant behavior occurs in primary groups |
| Edwin Lemert | labeling theorist who notes that all people commit deviant acts during their lives. |
| Howard Becker | suggests that this is because deviance has two types: primary and secondary |
| Harold Garfinkel | developed the theory about degradation ceremony. |
| crime | any act that is labeled as such by those in authority, is prohibited by law, and is punishable by the government. |
| terrorism | the threat or actual use of violence to achieve political goals. |
| white collar crime | crime that is commited by an individual or individuals of high social status in 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 |
