Deviance and Social Control YouTube

Summary

This video script explores the concept of deviance, which varies across cultures and time. It discusses how societies define and control deviance through formal and informal social controls. The script also covers sociological perspectives on deviance, including functionalist, conflict, and interactionist views. It examines the effectiveness of incarceration for controlling deviance, addressing issues like deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution, and raises questions about societal attitudes towards ex-convicts.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Deviance is culturally relative; what's considered deviant in one society may be normal in another.
• 📉 Societal norms and attitudes can change over time, affecting what is seen as deviant behavior.
• 🚫 Deviance can be enforced through both formal (laws) and informal (social disapproval) social controls.
• 👥 People can be labeled as deviant not by choice but due to inherent characteristics like obesity.
• 👮‍♂️ Formal social control agents, such as police, courts, and prisons, are used to impose sanctions on deviant behavior.
• 🏆 Degradation ceremonies are public events that impose severe penalties to humiliate and deter deviance.
• 🧬 Early theories of deviance were influenced by biological explanations, but today sociologists consider social factors.
• 🔄 Functionalist perspective sees deviance as a reaction to social structure failure and a way to reinforce societal norms.
• 🆚 Conflict perspective attributes deviance to cultural and class conflict, with laws used to maintain power of the privileged.
• 👥 Interactionist perspective focuses on how individuals learn to be deviant and the impact of being labeled as such.
• 🔒 Incarceration aims for incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution of criminals, but effectiveness is debated.

Q & A

What is considered deviant behavior?

Deviant behavior is any act, attribute, or belief that violates a cultural norm and elicits a reaction from others. It can vary over time and from one society to another.

How does the definition of deviance change across different cultures?

The definition of deviance can change based on cultural norms, as what is considered deviant in one society may be acceptable in another. For example, attitudes towards alcohol consumption vary widely among different societies.

What role does social control play in managing deviance?

Social control enforces societal norms through both formal and informal means. Informal social control includes everyday social interactions, while formal social control involves official authority figures like police and courts.

Can you provide an example of a degradation ceremony?

A degradation ceremony is an event that publicly humiliates someone for violating a norm. Historical examples include the use of stockades, the Scarlet Letter, the Salem Witch Trials, and public executions.

How do sociologists view deviance?

Sociologists view deviance non-judgmentally, recognizing that society judges certain acts negatively without necessarily agreeing that the act is inherently bad.

What is the functionalist perspective on criminal deviance?

The functionalist perspective sees criminal deviance as resulting from the failure of social structures to function properly. It also suggests that criminal behavior can reinforce social norms and promote social unity and change.

How does the conflict perspective explain criminal deviance?

The conflict perspective views criminal deviance as caused by cultural and class conflict, with laws used to maintain the power and privilege of the few over the many. It argues that social inequality is key to understanding criminal behavior.

What is the interactionist perspective on deviance?

The interactionist perspective focuses on how individuals learn to be criminal and the consequences of being labeled as such. It emphasizes the influence of social interactions and group affiliations on deviant behavior.

What are the four primary reasons for incarcerating criminals?

The four primary reasons for incarcerating criminals are incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution. Incarceration aims to prevent further harm, deter future criminal behavior, reform offenders, and punish them for their crimes.

What is the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of lengthy prison sentences?

The effectiveness of lengthy prison sentences is debated because some argue that prisons can nurture deviant behavior rather than reform it. Additionally, the societal reintegration of ex-convicts is challenging due to the stigma they face.

How do plea bargaining and mandatory sentencing affect the criminal justice system?

Plea bargaining allows criminals to shorten their sentences by pleading guilty in exchange for reduced charges or sentences, reducing costs in the criminal justice system. Mandatory sentencing, such as three-strikes laws, imposes long sentences for repeat offenders to deter recidivism. However, both practices have been criticized for undermining justice and fairness.