Deviance and Social Control

Fall 2006

Outline

I. Crime is normal & Deviance is relative

II. History of sociology of devianceA. From deviance to social control

III. 2 dimensions of social controlA. Style (penal, comp, etc.)

B. Arena (law, norms, etc.)

IV. Design as Social Control

Take-Aways

• Crime is normal• Deviance is relative• Conformity-Deviance as continuum with socially

designated cutoff point• Social control varies

– Law as small part of social control– Norms as the “social” in social control– Sociology seeks to understand distribution of control

• Terms/Concepts: deviance, conformity, norm, social control, label, detterence

Crime is Normal

• Durkheim: distinguish normal and pathological

• Present in every society

• Even a society of angels…

• SOCIALLY pathological if rate too high or low

Even in a society of angels

It does not offend the collective because it is a crime; it is a crime because it offends the collective…

All Behavior Varies and Groups Have a Collective Sense of “How we do it”

• Two possibilities

Under “Acceptable” Over

“Acceptable”

Different

All Behavior Varies and Groups Have a Collective Sense of “How we do it”

Another way to look at it…

US US

THEM THEM

THEM

Example: Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll

Prudes Normals Addicts

Example: Student Role

Slackers Normals Geeks,Nerds

Example: Reading Pages Per Week

Gut Course Normal Insanelyunreasonable

0 100250

Example: Abortion

When can pregnancies be ended?

Conception

BirthUS Law

Never! “Morning after” Pill only

Example: Premarital Sex

How “far” is OK?

Hold Hands Intercourse

Deviance is relative

• Changes from one society/group to another

• Changes over time

• Classic example of social construct

• But still very real to the group

Deviance is relative: Examples

• Date rape• Honor killings• Hate crime• Enron• Fashion• Smoking• Safe sex• Littering

Social Control Varies

• By Arena– State– Organization– Society

• By Style– Penal

Compensation– Conciliation– Therapy– Prevention– Reform

Black’s Styles of Social Control

Style Focus Where Found

Penal Conduct Criminal Law

Compensatory Consequences Contract Law, Torts

Therapeutic Person Juvenile justice, social work

Conciliatory RelationshipMediation, marital conflict, labor conflict

Prevention OpportunityArchitecture, community policing, private property, personal safety

Reform Causes Social “problems”

Arenas of Social Control

• First Party (self) control– Personal Ethics

• Second Party control– Contracts

• Third Party control– State : Law– Organizations : Rules– Society : Norms

Norms and Informal Control

• Most of the social control burden

• More efficient than law or rules

• Everyone is a controller

• Examples abound– Driving, restroom behavior, classroom

behavior, bodily control, queuing & waiting, sharing space, neighbors, health and sanitation, …

How do you test for a norm?

• Patterns of behavior

• Aspirational statements

• Societal reaction to violations

Social Control and Design

Natural Surveillance

Target Hardening

Spatial Hierarchy

Expressing Community Norms

Make Sharing Space Easier

Use Design to Facilitate Pro-pro-social Behavior

IDEO’s Social Mobiles

http://www.ideo.com/case_studies/Social_Mobiles/menu.html

The Electric Shock Mobile

http://www.ideo.com/case_studies/Social_Mobiles/SoMo1-3.html

The Electric Shock Mobile

The Electric Shock Mobile

The Catapult Mobile

http://www.ideo.com/case_studies/Social_Mobiles/SoMo1-5.html